Booking issues! Loveholidays

Tazendenio99

We decided to book an all inclusive package holiday to Hurghada for 2025 summer holidays for 8 days. We found a deal on the companies website and called their call centre and gave them the reference. Unknown to us the reference related to 2026! The sales agent did not query or confirm at anytime our travel date in full either during the call we booked paid in full and just over a week later realised that we had booked for summer 2026 instead of 2025. What are our consumer rights in respect of this ok we incorrectly passed a reference but surely it was the sales assistant job also to confirm to us the full travel date if had we then would have known the year of travel was wrong would not have gone ahead with it. 

Exodi

Tazendenio99 said:

We decided to book an all inclusive package holiday to Hurghada for 2025 summer holidays for 8 days. We found a deal on the companies website and called their call centre and gave them the reference. Unknown to us the reference related to 2026! 

Are you saying when you looked at the deal on the companies website it did not state the dates? That doesn't sound right?

Tazendenio99 said:

The sales agent did not query or confirm at anytime our travel date in full either during the call

I don't see this as particularly odd given the context of you calling them up with a specific holiday reference. The sales agent has effectively just acted as an administrator booking the holiday you've picked on your behalf. It would be different if they were helping you choose the holiday and they didn't ask about the dates.

Out of curiosity, could you not book it online?

Tazendenio99 said:

just over a week later realised that we had booked for summer 2026 instead of 2025. What are our consumer rights in respect of this ok we incorrectly passed a reference but surely it was the sales assistant job also to confirm to us the full travel date if had we then would have known the year of travel was wrong would not have gone ahead with it. 

I'll be totally honest and say it appears as if you're trying to shift blame onto the sales agent for your mistake.

Regardless- have you spoken to them about it? Have you asked what charges may apply (if any) were you to cancel? The fact it is in a year works in your favour (as if it was the other way round and you intended to book for the summer holidays 2026 but gave them a reference for a holiday in 2025, you'd likely get nothing as it would likely be too close for them to find someone else to mitigate the loss).

Alternatively, you could keep the booking and have something to look forward to next year?

Ayr_Rage

It sounds much more like your error than theirs, by quoting the reference it would have taken them to dates available for the offer.

I am surprised nobody involved checked the day of the week of the flights along with the date.

You've no automatic right of a refund for your mistake, check the Ts and Cs first and then give them a call.

ChargebackCharlie

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holiday-refunds-and-cancellations/information-about-package-holiday-refunds-and-cancellations

This website has important information about your rights to cancel a package holiday.

Exodi

Ayr_Rage said:

It sounds much more like your error than theirs, by quoting the reference it would have taken them to dates available for the offer.

To be clear, it's not a case of quoting the reference 'would have taken them (the agent) to dates available for the offer' - as this implies that there were a range of dates which the agent selected from without consent.

The LH booking references are generated from the exact specifics of a chosen holiday - e.g. destination, dates, flights, board, number of people, specific flight carrier/time/airport, etc. It is a reference to a complete, exact, specific holiday package.

For example https://www.loveholidays.com/checkout/offer-summary?shortRef=GBPX5L5R links to:

29th Aug - 5th Sep 2025, 7 nights, 2 adults, self catering in Albufeira, Portugal with Ryanair.

By providing a specific booking reference, the customer has already input what dates/board/rooms/flights/etc they want. The agent has effectively just processed the booking and likely taken payment.

Ayr_Rage

Exodi said:

Ayr_Rage said:

It sounds much more like your error than theirs, by quoting the reference it would have taken them to dates available for the offer.

I am surprised nobody involved checked the day of the week of the flights along with the date.

You've no automatic right of a refund for your mistake, check the Ts and Cs first and then give them a call.

To be clear, it's not a case of quoting the reference 'would have taken them (the agent) to dates available for the offer' - as this implies that there were a range of dates which the agent selected from without consent.

The LH booking references are generated created from the exact specifics of a chosen holiday - e.g. destination, dates, flights, board, number of people, specific flight carrier/time/airport, etc. It is a reference to a complete, exact, specific holiday package.

For example https://www.loveholidays.com/checkout/offer-summary?shortRef=GBPX5L5R

29th Aug - 5th Sep, 7 nights, 2 adults, self catering in Portugal with Ryanair.

By providing a specific booking reference, the customer has already input what dates/board/etc they want.

Oh well, that compounds the OP's error rather than shifting anything back onto LH.

@Tazendenio99 do let us know what LH say when you call them

saajan_12

Tazendenio99 said:

We decided to book an all inclusive package holiday to Hurghada for 2025 summer holidays for 8 days. We found a deal on the companies website and called their call centre and gave them the reference. Unknown to us the reference related to 2026! The sales agent did not query or confirm at anytime our travel date in full either during the call we booked paid in full and just over a week later realised that we had booked for summer 2026 instead of 2025. What are our consumer rights in respect of this ok we incorrectly passed a reference but surely it was the sales assistant job also to confirm to us the full travel date if had we then would have known the year of travel was wrong would not have gone ahead with it. 

If you phoned up to book xyz holiday, then the convenience of that is that you've already checked all the details on a visual medium and jsut have to book. How many things to do you want them to check - are you sure its this hotel? this room type for room 1? this room type for room 2? this many adults for room 1? this many children for room 1? this feature in the hotel? this other feature in the hotel? this airline? this date for the flight? this time for the flight? this meal for the flight? this transfer? etc etc. 

At this point, your options are to ask them the costs to change the dates, or maybe just make this your plan for 2026 and find something else for this year. 

TELLIT01

If the OP quoted a reference which applies to 2026 and said they wanted to travel from 10th June for 8 days, the telesales person would assume they meant 2026 and would have no reason to ask.  If they have flights from the required airport every day, there wouldn't be any query there either.

Why did it take over a week to realise the error?  Some companies will allow 24 hours for the details to be checked, but not a week or more.