Loveholidays Flight Refund

Slushpot

Please, please can someone advise me, I am so stressed out. Loveholidays cancellled our holiday back in May 2020. They let me rebook the holiday for June 2021, howeverI have been waiting for a flights refund from Loveholidays and they are just fobbing me off, saying they have requested a refund from BA and wont be refunding me until they receive the money from BA. BA are saying its not true and that Loveholidays are responsible for refunding me as the it was them I paid the holiday including flights to. Loveholidays are no longer ABTA members since September 16th so I cant report them to ABTA. They are ATOL protected so what should I do now? this has been going on since May 2020! Despite several letters, emails and chat transcripts I am getting nowhere fast? What should I do now? Can I complaint to ATOL on their claims@caa.co.uk? its a lot of money £597.64 they owe me : (  Please Martin help me...

Westin

Not sure that I follow your post. You say your original holiday was cancelled, you rebooked for June 2021, yet you are waiting for a refund on the flights? Did you change and move the original booking to June 2021? Also, is this a package holiday or just flights booked via this agency?

The ATOL scheme operated by the CAA covers for the financial failure of the travel operator. They are not a dispute resolution service. Love Holidays is still trading an approach to the CAA will not yield positive results.

Alan_Bowen

This doesn't make a lot of sense, BA have refunded flights that were cancelled in May already, but was your flight actually cancelled? If not and it still flew you won't be getting a refund, but surely if you have rebooked for next year, those flights have been rebooked as well so no refund due anyway?

Slushpot

Even though I rebooked the holiday for June 2021 they only refunded me the accomodation part of the holiday, I had to pay for new flights as they did not refund me that part of the package guys, sorry if I comfused you all.
So to recap:  Total pacakge cost was 1484.00 that included £597.64 flights. Loveholidays refunded me hotel price and  transfers minus the cost of flights.
When I rebooked for 2021 I had to pay for new flights £862. Thank you for your replies guys.
How convenient too that Lovholidays are no longer ABTA members just since this September, pretty much stuck now without being able to take it further : (
Spoke to BA again and they say its nothing to do with them as Loveholidays were the ones that took flight costs so its up to them to refund them, so frustrating....

Westin

I think from the follow up post it seems you have two bookings. The first original one which was cancelled you are missing the flight refund. The second is a new 2021 booking for (just) flights. These being at a higher price when you rebooked. Correct?

Did BA tell you that they have definitely provided a refund of your original flights to LH? If so it might be useful to gather further info like the date the refund was made. BA had been pushing credit rather than cash refunds.

Slightly strange that given the events described that the original flight booking value was not taken by you/LH as a credit with than value used for the new 2021 flights. Just the price difference being paid (£862.00-£597.64=£264.36).  That said matters were probably confused and erratic early on when thousands of flights were being cancelled.

I think if you can obtain confirmation from BA that a refund was made to LH then approach again with the evidence.  If you get ignored then use that same evidence and ask your credit card company to make a claim.

Slushpot

Thank you Westin. I have since your message got a little further with LH they have requested a refund from their middle man company that deals with booking their flights. It seems its not BA they deal directly with. Its so so comfusing. I am loosing the will to live. They have assured me (and I have saved the chat transcript) that I will get my refund!  Eventually! My days! Its like pulling teeth, I will keep you guys posted!