Hotel flooded no running water

blacklotus55

Help what can I claim for my current situation.  In lanzarote.  Flooded hotel. Pool flooded with filth- a cesspit. No running water. Tui comms have been appalling
 What we understand is that we have to stay here overnight with no running water and no bottled water provided.  Then maybe tomorrow they will help. 
The pool is full of filth. 
The restaurant has no drinks except bottled water and limited menu.

Surely I can claim some sort of compensation?I have asked tui repeatedly to do something.
I do have travel insurance.  
I'm unsure what to do. 
Thanks 

Ayr_Rage

From the news it looks like there has been a major storm and flooding.

You cannot legislate for natural disasters, I am sure TUI and the hotel will do their best in very trying circumstances, stop hassling them.

Stay inside and follow the advice given.

MattMattMattUK

blacklotus55 said:

Help what can I claim for my current situation.  In lanzarote.  Flooded hotel. Pool flooded with filth- a cesspit. No running water. Tui comms have been appalling
 What we understand is that we have to stay here overnight with no running water and no bottled water provided.  Then maybe tomorrow they will help. 
The pool is full of filth. 
The restaurant has no drinks except bottled water and limited menu.

There is a major natural disaster, significant parts of Lanzarote are flooded, roads and essential infrastructure are damaged and supplies are limited. The lack of mains water will make food preparation very difficult, so the hotel (and the locals) will have to operate with limited supplies.

blacklotus55 said:

Surely I can claim some sort of compensation?I have asked tui repeatedly to do something.
I do have travel insurance.  
I'm unsure what to do. 
Thanks 

As Ayr says, stay inside and wait, as you will have been instructed to do, as the emergency services have instructed everyone to do. They have declared an emergency, Tui will not be able to move you immediately or magic up an unaffected hotel. You may be able to claim some sort of compensation, but it is telling that is your first thought.

SuzeQStan

Which town/resort are you are you based at OP?  Sounds like a nightmare - hope you are all ok.  

elsien

I’ve just watched some videos about what is happening at Lanzarote at the moment. 

Not being able to use a pool is the least of anyone’s problems right now. 

Not sure what you expect Tui to instantly do in the circumstances, given the state of emergency has been declared. They have asked you to wait until tomorrow; that is what you need to do.

blacklotus55

Wow you're a tough crowd! I asked about my rights because as a lone parent trying to manage two kids with no way of flushing the toilet or washing i hoped to get some consumer rights tips. Tui / the hotel have not done everything they can as we had to buy bottled water ourselves which they could have provided if they wanted to. They have given no info out either.
I fully understand it's a natural disaster and my younger child was so worried seeing  the floods creep up round the hotel he hasn't been able to eat. 
As this is MSE I thought this was the place to ask about consumer rights since I forked out for this . 

Flugelhorn

blacklotus55 said:

Wow you're a tough crowd! I asked about my rights because as a lone parent trying to manage two kids with no way of flushing the toilet or washing i hoped to get some consumer rights tips. Tui / the hotel have not done everything they can as we had to buy bottled water ourselves which they could have provided if they wanted to. They have given no info out either.
I fully understand it's a natural disaster and my younger child was so worried seeing  the floods creep up round the hotel he hasn't been able to eat. 
As this is MSE I thought this was the place to ask about consumer rights since I forked out for this . 

abroad can be a dangerous place and we all have few rights when it comes to natural disasters.

glad you have been able to buy bottled water, at least there was still some available.

I guess TUI like most companies won't have that many staff around and they are probably pretty stuck too - hopefully you can get some help today 

MattMattMattUK

blacklotus55 said:

Wow you're a tough crowd! I asked about my rights because as a lone parent trying to manage two kids with no way of flushing the toilet or washing i hoped to get some consumer rights tips. 

You might feel we are a "tough crowd", but you did not ask about consumer rights tips, your first, second and indeed only questions, were about what compensation you can claim.

blacklotus55 said:

Tui / the hotel have not done everything they can as we had to buy bottled water ourselves which they could have provided if they wanted to. 

Again, they are in the middle of a natural disaster, they are trying to keep people safe, they will have bigger issues to deal at the moment. The Tui reps will be staying at put, as instructed by the emergency services, the hotel will be operating on limited capacity due to staffing issues, lack of mains water, flooding of many areas and the need to conserve limited resources. The fact that you had to buy a few bottles of water from the bar is not really relevant.

blacklotus55 said:

They have given no info out either.

The local government and the emergency services have been providing information, you should be following their instructions. 

blacklotus55 said:

I fully understand it's a natural disaster and my younger child was so worried seeing  the floods creep up round the hotel he hasn't been able to eat. 

Whilst unfortunate, I am not sure how you expect the hotel or Tui to hold back the floods.

blacklotus55 said:

As this is MSE I thought this was the place to ask about consumer rights since I forked out for this . 

Most people when faced with a natural disaster focus on staying safe, not trying to work out how much compensation they can claim. Do not start asking local staff about compensation unless you want it to be very badly received! Follow the instructions of the emergency services, local government, hotel staff or Tui staff as appropriate, when possible Tui will likely be looking to bring you home as soon as they can as most of the hotels are likely to be out of commission for some time.

Contact your travel insurance provider and inform them of your current situation. Keep any receipts for additional expenses, keep daily notes until you are repatriated (e.g lack of running water, limited food service) then once you are back submit a claim with your travel insurance who will almost certainly reimburse you for any reasonable expenses as well as refund the lost days of your holiday, though to give you advance warning they will not pay you "compensation".

Grumpy_chap

blacklotus55 said:

Wow you're a tough crowd! I asked about my rights because as a lone parent trying to manage two kids with no way of flushing the toilet or washing i hoped to get some consumer rights tips. 

As this is MSE I thought this was the place to ask about consumer rights since I forked out for this . 

What "rights" do you think you might have in the case of a natural disaster wholly outside the control of the hotel, local utility services, TUI, local Government?
We used to have an understanding of an "Act of God" but now everything seems to have to have someone to blame.

Your rights are explained in a summary at the following link:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/holiday-rights/
As far as I can tell, there are basically zero rights applicable in this type of circumstance. 

TUI have and seem to be doing their best to fulfil a duty of care.  They may be able to return you home sooner that originally planned if local improvement of conditions is not likely to be timely.  Have you asked about this option?
Given it is a natural disaster that affects a region, simply relocating to a different hotel is not likely to be possible.

blacklotus55 said:

Tui / the hotel have not done everything they can as we had to buy bottled water ourselves which they could have provided if they wanted to. They have given no info out either.

You are taking quite a "tough" stance in your expectation of what TUI / the hotel can do with regard to bottled water.  The hotel would need to source this bottled water via a wholesale route.  You have been able to source a small quantity via a local store that still had some bottled water available (so you are fortunate).  The hotel may have restrictions as, in times of emergency, the local Government / utility may be taking control of water (including bottled water) distribution so that there is enough to go round everybody as best as it can.  This would avoid those individuals that were able to act quickly stock-piling and others having none.

Your statement that TUI / the hotel did not provide bottled water seems at odds with:

blacklotus55 said:

 
The restaurant has no drinks except bottled water and limited menu.

You should keep records of any expenses incurred and approach your travel insurer.  Depending upon the terms of the policy, you may be able to reclaim come genuine costs incurred.  There may be an excess.  There may be an exclusion for "Act of God".

blacklotus55 said:

Surely I can claim some sort of compensation?

What compensation do you think you might be able to claim?
Who do you think you might be able to claim from?


I think, in times like this, it is best to look on the best side there is that you've simply had a ruined holiday and can soon embark on a flight home and put the whole event behind you.
The locals have to deal with the damage, ruined homes, ruined businesses, the costs for remedy, the loss of income, potential reduced business for the remainder of the year, etc...
I don't want to belittle the immediate impact of the ruined holiday, but considering the others can help your perspective.

Pollycat

Grumpy_chap said:

blacklotus55 said:

Wow you're a tough crowd! I asked about my rights because as a lone parent trying to manage two kids with no way of flushing the toilet or washing i hoped to get some consumer rights tips. 

As this is MSE I thought this was the place to ask about consumer rights since I forked out for this . 

I think, in times like this, it is best to look on the best side there is that you've simply had a ruined holiday and can soon embark on a flight home and put the whole event behind you.
The locals have to deal with the damage, ruined homes, ruined businesses, the costs for remedy, the loss of income, potential reduced business for the remainder of the year, etc...
I don't want to belittle the immediate impact of the ruined holiday, but considering the others can help your perspective.

+1 to this.

We were in Skiathos in 2023 when they had unprecedented rainfall and floods (storm Daniel).
The devastation in town was unbelievable.
Cars washed down the main street, shops and restaurants flooded with lots of ruined stock and appliances.
We had no water for 3 days but were lucky because some resorts had no electricity either.
Flights in and out cancelled.

It certainly put things into perspective for us.

SuzeQStan

I can imagine this is a scary situation for the children whilst OP has worked hard for their precious holiday and now the children frightened and refusing to eat with no access to washing facilities etc.

OP have you checked your travel insurance to see what is covered?  we learned the hard way in the early days of pandemic and we were on an expensive repatriation flight home 20th of March 2020 to find that our travel insurance covered none of it.  You can purchase better insurance as we have now done ever since.