TUI Complaint pre-holiday

bazdvd

when did you book?

When did you try and cancel?

and when is the holiday?

HolidayHelpNeeded26

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81891543#Comment_81891543

We booked in May 2025. Requested for my husband to be removed December 2025. We go in October 2026.

silvercar

It does feel unfair. I’d write to the CEO of TUI, to cut out the branch team.

If you can’t get anywhere with the complaint, I’d not cancel and go on the holiday. It would have cost you money you were prepared today, though your husband won’t gain the benefit of the holiday. Financially you won’t have lost anything.

saajan_12

Before committing to the booking, we explicitly asked whether he could be removed from the booking if necessary.

• We were clearly advised by TUI that:He could be removed from the booking if requiredThe only loss would be his deposit

Based on this assurance, we proceeded with the booking.

This bit from your summary is key - whatever (mis)information they gave you after the fact is somewhat irrelevant but if you relied on info BEFORE booking then that arguably forms part of the contract.

6. Financial Impact

To continue with the booking, we are being forced to pay for:

My husband’s flight

Theme park tickets

Disney Dining Plan

(Accommodation costs remain unchanged.)

This results in us being £2,000–£3,000 out of pocket, purely because we were misinformed at the point of sale.

How are you out all of these? Surely its either lose husband's flight and park ticket (ie pay everything as if he's going) but then no change to the dining plan, or lose the dining plan but save on husband's flight etc?

HolidayHelpNeeded26

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81892308#Comment_81892308

Thank you, that’s really helpful.

We’ve realised that keeping my husband on the booking is actually the most cost‑effective option. Removing him and rebooking now would cost an additional £2,000 and we’d also lose the dining plan (worth another £2,000), so about another £4,000 on top of what we are paying with my husband on the booking.

Even so, I’d still like to continue with the complaint more because of the principle and how the situation was handled. I do think it’s important that TUI make their staff aware of the impact of giving incorrect information. I also think they need to take some responsibility for their supply chain.

Even a simple acknowledgement or apology would honestly go a long way. Thank you again for your guidance, it really is appreciated

saajan_12

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81892362#Comment_81892362

Yes understood, I'm not saying don't proceed, my point was on the total damages. If that's the cheaper option, then surely you'd proceed with that and in parallel, seek compensation in the amount of husband's flight + husband's park ticket - husband's share of deposit. You wouldn't add the £2000 to that.

NoodleDoodleMan

Unless there has been a change of command recently, I believe Andrew Flintham is Chief Executive TUI UK.

andrew.flintham@Tui .co.uk

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81891065#Comment_81891065

I really can't see that travel insurance would cover this event as, whatever the event was, it was so sufficiently foreseeable at the time of booking that the OP specifically asked at the time of booking that the OP's husband might not be able to travel and therefore might need to be removed from the booking.

It is hard for anyone to comment a great deal further as the reasons why the husband cannot travel don't seem to have been shared.

It also seems particularly odd (to me at least) to book a once-in-a-lifetime family dream holiday for a date in the full knowledge that one of the family would potentially not be able to travel at the planned date.

Given the reluctance to really share details, I wonder whether there is something more to this scenario that would help to make it more complete and easier to understand.

twopenny

You can take out insurance for specific events or needs to be included Grumpy.

But as the event seemed to be covered, and the OP did get the specifics apparently sorted as she thought , so it's unlikely to think you would need it covered.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81893050#Comment_81893050

Yes, you can. But very few people take specialist details when purchasing travel policy. To get insurance cover for a reasonably foreseeable event would be difficult and expensive. Like taking redundancy insurance the day after the newspaper announced a series of store closures were planned…