TUI VISA - Incorrect Information

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alice100
alice100 Posts: 4 Newbie
in Overseas holidays & travel planning
Hi,

I was due to travel on my honeymoon in March of 19 however due to incorrect information being given by TUI with regard to Visa’s, which I have written confirmation of, we were turned away at the check in gate.

I have received a full refund of the cost of the holiday however when I filed a complaint for compensation they have only offered £200 off of my next holiday with them. Frankly, I thought this was a disgrace so took the matter to ABTA, who approached TUI although TUI have not changed their stance and stand by their original offer.

I am now left with the option to accept their offer or go through the arbitration scheme with ABTA - I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and could offer some advice please?

TIA - Alice
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  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,545 Forumite
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    Generally it is the passengers responsibility to ensure they have the correct documentation. The TUI site states
    https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/faq/do-i-need-a-visa?catId=265&subcatId=273&docId=923
    1) Do I need a visa?
    You'll need a visa to visit some of our destinations. To find out whether you need a visa for your destination, please visit the website of our partners, The Travel Visa Company.
    was it the Travel Visa Company that gave incorrect information?
  • BoGoF
    BoGoF Posts: 7,099 Forumite
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    As above, I don't know why anyone would not do their own checking for something like this. It would take 2 minutes to find the answer.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,285 Forumite
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    BoGoF wrote: »
    As above, I don't know why anyone would not do their own checking for something like this. It would take 2 minutes to find the answer.


    Standard advice is to ask your airline: they get fined if they transport people without the appropriate visa and so are likely to have the correct information.

    What I struggle to understand is why TUI does not give this information to their customers, instead referring them to another company that then overcharges for its services and sometimes makes mistakes.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,285 Forumite
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    alice100 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I was due to travel on my honeymoon in March of 19 however due to incorrect information being given by TUI with regard to Visa’s, which I have written confirmation of, we were turned away at the check in gate.

    I have received a full refund of the cost of the holiday however when I filed a complaint for compensation they have only offered £200 off of my next holiday with them. Frankly, I thought this was a disgrace so took the matter to ABTA, who approached TUI although TUI have not changed their stance and stand by their original offer.

    I am now left with the option to accept their offer or go through the arbitration scheme with ABTA - I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and could offer some advice please?

    TIA - Alice


    You have already had a full refund of the holiday cost, which is the primary goal of most people who lose a holiday through no fault of their own. You now need to justify any additional sum. For example, if you had made non-refundable bookings for excursions or other activities on your holiday, it would be reasonable to claim back the cost of these.

    In short: you need to state how much you think is reasonable and provide some fairly hard-nosed reasons to justify your figure. Shock and upset are not compensated very highly in the British legal system, and most courts would probably regard the £200 voucher as reasonable.

    If you inted to take a similar holiday at some convenient point, you might try negotiating with TUI for an upgrade instead of the voucher.
  • heatherw_01
    heatherw_01 Posts: 6,554 Ambassador
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    Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Quick Grabbit, Freebies, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning and the UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards.
    If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
    All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • bradders1983
    bradders1983 Posts: 5,684 Forumite
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    Will ABTA get involved? You got the full value back and TBH you are lucky to get that plus a discount on another holiday given you didnt check yourself.

    As an aside...where was the destination?
  • NoodleDoodleMan
    NoodleDoodleMan Posts: 3,360 Forumite
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    You could consider using this service.

    https://www.cedr.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3KzdBRDWARIsAIJ8TMQdN7_ypxIOV5clCOvN0iPsvQOrCaCbPjYy6WNFJfoCsv5w2HbjC5waAvPaEALw_wcB
  • leylandsunaddict
    leylandsunaddict Posts: 1,923 Forumite
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    TUI, like most tour operators and travel agents tell you to check your entry requirements yourself. They cannot know, or be expected to know the entry requirements for every nationality of passport holder. You can ask the embassy, the airline, or check for yourself online.

    Why anyone would take the word of a tour operator or travel agent and not check for themselves as per the agreed terms I really don't understand.
  • bradders1983
    bradders1983 Posts: 5,684 Forumite
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    I booked a holiday online with TUI last month. Just looked at the email and it says this...
    PASSPORT AND VISA INFORMATION
    Passport & visa information is subject to change. We recommend a minimum of six months on your passport, but for help and advice, see https://www.gov.uk/browse/abroad/passports and https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. If you’re applying for a passport for the first time, you’ll need to attend an interview as part of the new application process.


    Visa requirements can change at any time, so it’s important to double check the details for your destination. Make sure you do this within six weeks of your departure date with the relevant Consulate or Embassy. You can also get help at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/croatia/entry-requirements.

    And this is for a holiday within an EU member state (Croatia), so if they are saying this for Croatia, I dont believe for a minute the OP didn't had similar wording for the States/Mexico/the Caribbean/wherever
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,285 Forumite
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    leylandsunaddict wrote: »
    TUI, like most tour operators and travel agents tell you to check your entry requirements yourself. They cannot know, or be expected to know the entry requirements for every nationality of passport holder. You can ask the embassy, the airline, or check for yourself online.

    Why anyone would take the word of a tour operator or travel agent and not check for themselves as per the agreed terms I really don't understand.


    Except that TUI are the airline themselves.

    TUI instruct their customers to check with the visa company who are their partners. It is reasonable for someone in Alice's position to do as told, and then to rely on the written advice provided by the experts. It is really not helpful to tell someone who has been the victim of professional incompetence that they should have done the job themselves.

    What is hard to understand is why TUI do not provide a link to the TIMATIC database where they tell all customers to check whether they need a visa.Presumably doing so might reduce revenues for their business partners.
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