HOLIDAYMAKER Richard Black won a five-month battle against his tour operator after a romantic getaway turned sour.
The 47-year-old company director, from Norfolk, booked a bumper holiday away to the Isles of Scilly in June to celebrate his ten-year anniversary with his husband, psychologist Steven, also 47.
Richard Black fought to receive £1,930 after a series of problems at his hotel
The couple paid £5,500 for the trip with Premier Holidays.
While they enjoyed the first half of their eight-day getaway at a different hotel, things changed when they arrived at the Karma St Martin’s hotel for a three-night stay.
Expecting the swish honeymoon suite they had booked, the room was tatty with frayed carpets and a stained table, and both the hotel pool and spa were closed.
Richard said: “It was heartbreaking. We’d spent ages at the travel agency looking for the best rooms and reserving a long way ahead.”
They decided to fight back.
Richard wrote a detailed letter of complaint to Premier Holiday and the chief executive of Karma Group.
It stated precisely why the experience was so different to what was promised, including photos.
Richard received £1,930 back from Premier Holidays.
Premier Holidays and the Karma Group declined to comment.
How to avoid getting ripped off if your dream holiday turns into a nightmare
IF a dream trip turns into the holiday from hell, make a stand and fight back for your cash.
January is the busiest time for people booking their getaways.
Even dream holidays can turn into nightmares if they do not live up to lofty expectations
This month, sales of breaks are up 75 per cent compared with the same period in 2022.
But every year, thousands of holidaymakers who save up their hard-earned cash to spend on a fun trip are left bitterly disappointed when they turn up at the destination.
Make sure you avoid getting ripped off if you don’t quite get the break you booked.
Lucy Alderson explains what your rights are when things go wrong.
PACKAGE PROTECTIONS
IF your dream holiday turns into a total flop, you can hit back.
Under Package Travel Regulations, customers can seek compensation if a tour company does not deliver what has been advertised, if booked in the UK.
Cheryl Palmer, a lawyer with legal services firm Irwin Mitchell, said: “Package holidays provide a raft of protections for travellers.”
For example, if you are injured or get ill and it’s the fault of the hotel, or if the room isn’t as advertised, you can seek a payout.
Which? travel editor Rory Boland added: “You may be able to claim compensation — both for loss of value for the trip and loss of enjoyment.
And if you incurred any extra costs as a result of the problem, you can claim for these, too.”
BOOK-IT-YOURSELF BREAKS
WHEN booking travel and accommodation separately, you still have rights.
If you bought the trip through a UK company, you can try to claim your money back under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 if it has not provided what was promised, such as a clean room.
But if you booked your hotel directly and it is abroad, you will be dealing with the laws of that country.
Always use a credit card so there is the option of claiming under Section 75 of the act if anything goes wrong.
Collect evidence of problems on your holiday as and when they occur
HOW TO COMPLAIN
RAISE issues immediately with the hotel or tour operator.
They might try to put things right on the spot.
If they don’t, collect evidence, including clear photos and videos.
If you become ill or have an accident and believe the hotel or company is at fault, find out if anyone else is affected and get their contact details.
Also, make a note of any extra expenses you might have racked up.
Then send a letter of complaint spelling out why you are upset about your holiday and state how it was different to the advert.
If it is a package holiday, send this letter to the tour operator.
If your complaint is deemed justified, the company should then make an offer of compensation.
If you are not satisfied, take the complaint to travel industry trade association ABTA, or AITO — the specialist travel association — if you’re a package holiday customer.
For bookings directly with the hotel, complain to them.
If that fails, make a Section 75 claim against your credit card provider.
