Booked holiday with LoveHolidays a fortnight ago but can't go and have to cancel

willr15

My daughter and her friend booked a holiday with LoveHolidays a fortnight ago paying a deposit for the holiday which is due to commence the second week in July. However after booking they have been told that they can't have that time off work so now need to cancel. They have contacted LoveHolidays to do so thinking they would just lose their deposit but have been told that they would have to pay the holiday in full. I'm just reaching out to see if anyone has any suggestions or previous experiences of this situation with the said company. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

la531983

If the holiday is in 5 weeks time then yes, cancelling it is likely to result of loss of full balance.

Would be the same with the other major package holiday companies i think, except they would have likely asked for the full balance at the time of booking given the short notice, bit odd why Love Holidays didnt.

willr15

But if only the deposit has been paid and only a fortnight ago, is there not some kind of cooling off period ? My daughter is young and looking at holidays on the internet where it is easy to get carried away.

user1977

No statutory cooling off period for booking holidays, no. 

eskbanker

willr15 said:

But if only the deposit has been paid and only a fortnight ago, is there not some kind of cooling off period ? My daughter is young and looking at holidays on the internet where it is easy to get carried away.

Presumably she's not that young that she could argue that a valid contract wasn't formed?

It might be viable to change the dates rather than cancelling altogether, but chances are that the flight cost will be sunk regardless?

Otherwise an expensive but ultimately valuable lesson regarding commitment and reading Ts & Cs....

Grumpy_chap

willr15 said:

My daughter and her friend booked a holiday with LoveHolidays a fortnight ago paying a deposit for the holiday which is due to commence the second week in July. However after booking they have been told that they can't have that time off work so now need to cancel. They have contacted LoveHolidays to do so thinking they would just lose their deposit but have been told that they would have to pay the holiday in full. I'm just reaching out to see if anyone has any suggestions or previous experiences of this situation with the said company. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

There is no cooling off period (14-day right to cancel), even for remote purchases, under CCR for holidays.

The terms with LH probably stated that the full balance would be payable - have the terms been read now?  Is the statement that the call-centre / web-chat staff are advising in line with the terms?

This will not be covered by insurance, even if they already purchased travel insurance.

Why can't they have the time off work?  Could they have some of the time off work, or similar dates?  LH might be more amenable to a change than a cancellation.

elsien

Flight: 100% of the value of the flights is non-refundable from the point of booking (including baggage, insurance, etc.).

Accommodation: Cancellation charges will depend on whether you have booked a refundable or a non-refundable product. Cancellation charges will be specified to you at the time of booking and vary from one Service Provider to another. You should check your Booking Confirmation and any documentation for details of your specific cancellation terms.

Non-Refundable products may have been paid for in full at the time of booking and no refunds are given in the event of cancellation as per section 8 above.

https://www.loveholidays.com/about-us/terms-and-conditions.html

Just paying the deposit is basically doing the person travelling a favour to allow payments to be spread slightly. it does not mean there is no contract for the rest of the money. 

Her best bet, depending on the reason why work have said no, is to see if she can persuade anyone to cover for her. do they both work in the same place, because if so that could be more difficult. 

Ayr_Rage

Booking a holiday without having the confirmed period off work is just plain daft.

As above, no cooling off period, your daughter will be liable for the whole cost if the holiday is cancelled.

la531983

My question would be why wasnt the full balance asked for when the trip was only 7 weeks away, is this normal for Love Holidays?

Ayr_Rage

la531983 said:

My question would be why wasnt the full balance asked for when the trip was only 7 weeks away, is this normal for Love Holidays?

You should've read this first @la531983

https://www.loveholidays.com/about-us/spread-the-cost-holidays.html

la531983

Ayr_Rage said:

la531983 said:

My question would be why wasnt the full balance asked for when the trip was only 7 weeks away, is this normal for Love Holidays?

You should've read this first @la531983

https://www.loveholidays.com/about-us/spread-the-cost-holidays.html

I see. Thanks.

Can't help in situations like this. Had these girls booked with anyone like TUI or a proper company, they would have likely been asked to pay the full balance straight away and this sorry affair may never have happened.