Broadway Travel - urgent advice needed

Jonty114

Hi, 

I wonder if you can help me? We mistakenly booked a holiday last year to travel to Malta. We've paid the deposit ~£300 and have received a request for the balance. 
I have responded to the travel company citing the current Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that we've not yet had our vaccinations and that travel abroad is not looking good, plus I'm not happy with travelling to out of this country in the pandemic and respectfully requesting our deposit back.

They have responded advising that travel will be possible (our travel dste is on the 25th May 2021). If they've not heard back from me in 72hrs then the holiday will be cancelled.
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My question is, do we have any options?
Our deposit was paid from a debit card.

Thanks  Jon

eskbanker

If you wish to cancel then you'll lose your deposit (and perhaps more than that, depending on the terms you signed up to), but may be able to recover that from your travel insurance.

bagand96

That's what a deposit is for, to reserve the holiday and is almost always non-refundable. You don't get to change your mind and get a refund of the deposit.  If you fail to pay the balance when it's due, that will be deemed to be a cancellation.

Of course if Broadway Travel have to subsequently cancel the holiday due to Covid Government restrictions then you'd be entitled to a full refund.

From Broadway T&Cs:

3. Payment
In order to book your chosen Travel Arrangements, you must pay a deposit or full payment as required by the Supplier/Principal of the Travel Arrangements. You must also pay all applicable insurance premiums and booking fees.

If you have paid a deposit, you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will inform the Supplier/Principal(s) who may cancel your booking and charge the applicable cancellation fees (as set out in the Supplier/Principal’s terms and conditions), and you will also be required to pay an administration charge to us of £75 per person.

Westin

I would agree with the above.

The reasons you cite are not sufficient for you to be able to cancel AND receive a refund from the travel company.  You can of course cancel but face losing your deposit (and as eskbanker says, possibly more).

If you fail to pay the balance you will have breached the agreement and your holiday could be cancelled with deposit+ lost that way as well.

There is no recourse as things stand with a chargeback via your bank.

If you definitely do not wish to travel then you may be faced with writing off your deposit+ or trying a claim via travel insurance. If you are open minded then it may pay you to settle what is owed and either go on holiday if travel is permitted, or see what happens with holiday departures for late May.  If the tour operator has to cancel 25th May departures (I think highly likely) then if you have a package arrangement you should be able to request a full refund at that point.

Many reputable traditional tour operators it seems are much more proactive in engaging with their clients and offering various flexible options for change of mind.  Others, mainly the cheaper online firms that just cobble together travel elements to create a package, don't have this more customer centric approach. 

[Deleted User]

+ 1 in agreement with previous.   You will need to pay the balance within 72 hours even if you find you are ultimately covered by your insurance OR as has been pointed out, lose whatever the t's and c's on booking dictate.   Not what you want to hear I know but how it is.