What counts as a "significant change".

Organgrinder

NoodleDoodleMan said:

You couldn't make this up.............wait..........it's Easyjet 

Honestly I am in despair. 

I'm going to cancel and lose £180. I'll re-book elsewhere then see if I can recover the money. 

I cannot begin to describe my feelings today. We're supposed to be going in 6 weeks. 

Organgrinder

Update. I've contacted ABTA.  Their code of conduct seems to make this pretty clear. 

bagand96

NoodleDoodleMan said:

I have a very low opinion of them - however my prejudice is irrelevant to the issues.

And yet you bring it up on most easyJet threads 😂

bagand96

Organgrinder said:

Even better is the fact that the original and changed hotel have had absolute slatings on Tripadvisor this year, whereas the new one has excellent reviews. Easyjet have also lost my business and indeed that of a few friends and colleagues who have decided they now won't book with them as a result of what has happened.

I know it's a little childish of me, but if it feels like a win for me, I'll settle for that!

Until easyJet are the cheapest or most suitable for next year in which case your friends will probably quickly forget your experience. (Not a criticism, but it's easy to be outaged in the moment and memories are short!)

Organgrinder said:

Oh the farce continues....

"Sorry the discounted price is only available for new bookings - as this is a change you're not entitled to the £200 discount".

"So it's cheaper for me to cancel and re-book?"

"Yes that would be correct".

Astonishing!

Not unusual for all package holiday operators to be unable to re-apply booking discounts or carry them forwards. Very similar thread about the Jess Glynne company recently.

It also may be a quirk of easyJet Holidays very generous cancellation policies that cancelling is more beneficial to you (I hinted at this earlier in the thread)

Organgrinder said:

Update. I've contacted ABTA.  Their code of conduct seems to make this pretty clear. 

If you feel you have a case then you have escalation options either through ABTA or small claims court.

It will come down the semantics of easyJet selling it as one unit. They've replaced it with one unit so they feel they've done their job. 

The best way to think of it is what would happen if they'd sold you a "Two bedroom apartment" and changed you to a "Hotel Room" whether that would be a significant change? I think you can construct a good argument there. But the Regulations are delightfully vague and even the ABTA guidance you post doesn't say anything specific.

When are you travelling? If its more than 60 days away they'll return your deposit as a voucher. You could do the same for next year's holiday to and then put all of that to a new booking?

FWIW all the faff of interconnecting rooms.. 
 Most hotels would be very accommodating in getting you adjacent, or at least very near rooms if you politely request in advance. 

Organgrinder

bagand96 said:

Organgrinder said:

Even better is the fact that the original and changed hotel have had absolute slatings on Tripadvisor this year, whereas the new one has excellent reviews. Easyjet have also lost my business and indeed that of a few friends and colleagues who have decided they now won't book with them as a result of what has happened.

I know it's a little childish of me, but if it feels like a win for me, I'll settle for that!

Until easyJet are the cheapest or most suitable for next year in which case your friends will probably quickly forget your experience. (Not a criticism, but it's easy to be outaged in the moment and memories are short!)

Organgrinder said:

Oh the farce continues....

"Sorry the discounted price is only available for new bookings - as this is a change you're not entitled to the £200 discount".

"So it's cheaper for me to cancel and re-book?"

"Yes that would be correct".

Astonishing!

Not unusual for all package holiday operators to be unable to re-apply booking discounts or carry them forwards. Very similar thread about the Jess Glynne company recently.

It also may be a quirk of easyJet Holidays very generous cancellation policies that cancelling is more beneficial to you (I hinted at this earlier in the thread)

Organgrinder said:

Update. I've contacted ABTA.  Their code of conduct seems to make this pretty clear. 

If you feel you have a case then you have escalation options either through ABTA or small claims court.

It will come down the semantics of easyJet selling it as one unit. They've replaced it with one unit so they feel they've done their job. 

The best way to think of it is what would happen if they'd sold you a "Two bedroom apartment" and changed you to a "Hotel Room" whether that would be a significant change? I think you can construct a good argument there. But the Regulations are delightfully vague and even the ABTA guidance you post doesn't say anything specific.

When are you travelling? If its more than 60 days away they'll return your deposit as a voucher. You could do the same for next year's holiday to and then put all of that to a new booking?

FWIW all the faff of interconnecting rooms.. 
 Most hotels would be very accommodating in getting you adjacent, or at least very near rooms if you politely request in advance. 

I don't think anyone could reasonably consider the arrangements to be the same as that originally booked regardless of the booking saying one unit. 

Anyway, I could find nothing except an apartment which on easyJet was £700 more expensive. Yikes. So I booked the same place on First Choice instead for £700 less than easyJet's price and got a much better room too.

And then the sting from easyJet. From losing my deposit (which they quoted) I then got told I'd lose every voucher I'd used to pay for the holiday! What the hell, I'm technically no worse off and have no desire to use easyJet in the near future.

bagand96

Organgrinder said:

And then the sting from easyJet. From losing my deposit (which they quoted) I then got told I'd lose every voucher I'd used to pay for the holiday! What the hell, I'm technically no worse off and have no desire to use easyJet in the near future.

I guess you're date of travel is in less than 60 days then?

If you're convinced you are in the right then you should escalate. First easyJet's complaints princess, after that either ABTA Arbitration or Small Claims Court for your deposit (and potentially your vouchers)

I don't know what the outcome would be. I lean towards your point on the room (mainly when thinking of it as a two bed apartment situation which I think is comparable). But then I'm no expert in the legalities of the PTRs! 

Out of interest why have they cancelled the original hotel? Seems like you may have dodged a bullet if its getting awful reviews! 

Organgrinder

bagand96 said:

Organgrinder said:

And then the sting from easyJet. From losing my deposit (which they quoted) I then got told I'd lose every voucher I'd used to pay for the holiday! What the hell, I'm technically no worse off and have no desire to use easyJet in the near future.

I guess you're date of travel is in less than 60 days then?

If you're convinced you are in the right then you should escalate. First easyJet's complaints princess, after that either ABTA Arbitration or Small Claims Court for your deposit (and potentially your vouchers)

I don't know what the outcome would be. I lean towards your point on the room (mainly when thinking of it as a two bed apartment situation which I think is comparable). But then I'm no expert in the legalities of the PTRs! 

Out of interest why have they cancelled the original hotel? Seems like you may have dodged a bullet if its getting awful reviews! 

They cancelled cos it is awful.....I spotted this a few weeks ago....contacted easyJet who claimed they weren't aware.....then just inside the 60 day window they change the booking.

I've already escalated. I expect easyJet will do nothing. So then it's on to ABTA. 

With regard the room, the key phrase is what can reasonably be considered. The contract wording here is irrelevant because all the supporting evidence clearly shows that what it describes is two double rooms. At the point of making the booking that is what was offered and indeed that is what was booked.

I've used easyJet for flights and holidays so many times over the years. They used to be the cheapest for holidays. Now? Far from it. 

Maybe I'll go back to sorting it all myself. Eg I could do a week for 3 in Cape Verde on August for £1500 self catering.

Cheaper, maybe more risky, but surely less stressful!! ;-)

Organgrinder

Well a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with Easyjet today and most of my money has been returned.

(Not agreed it as a full and final settlement tho - so next step will be ABTA!)

DeathByFluffy

Organgrinder said:

Well a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with Easyjet today and most of my money has been returned.

(Not agreed it as a full and final settlement tho - so next step will be ABTA!)

Good - don't let them get away with this. It's clearly a massive change to the booking as you quite literally had 2 rooms, and would have only had 1 after the change was made. 

NoodleDoodleMan

bagand96 said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

I have a very low opinion of them - however my prejudice is irrelevant to the issues.

And yet you bring it up on most easyJet threads 😂

Indeed - and will continue to do so as and when I feel the need coming on, with no apologies.

Stranded airside and left abandoned with short notice in a foreign airport was absolutely not funny - my worst experience by far in nearly 60 years flying abroad on leisure pursuits. 

Rant over - best to ignore my Victor Meldrew moments