General Chat

Our lovely daughter and SIL, asked me to go on holiday with them this year.

They settled on a trip to Sharm el Sheikh Egypt in late August and booked and paid for it.

Just a few days later they leant that lots of airlines aren't flying to Sharm . They are with Monarch airlines who have just announced they have extended their ban tillend October

Daughter has contacted the travel agent asking for a refund .nope we can't do that !!!
we can alter the holiday if you tell us what you want and we will cost it. You will get a charge though for cancelling !!

No we aren't cancelling .YOU can't supply what we paid for so YOU are breaking the contract .

Then well maybe you can consider Gardia area , yes we could !! but you may have to to pay cancellation fee for the hotel in Sharm . Why ??? We could go to the hotel but they can't fly us there

Really peed off with the travel agent . AND. their website is STILL selling Sharm holidays for the same time even though airlines aren't flying there

It probably depends how it was bought.

For instance, if they went on to individual sites to buy flights, then a hotel, then its not considered a 'package'. ie flights + transfers + hotel + meals deal.

If, say, they booked a holiday from a Thomas Cook brochure, then that would be considered a Package - the published price is what you pay rather than a tailored holiday.

Its certainly wrong for them to be advertising holidays they can't provide purely as there are no flights.

http://abta.com/holiday-help-and-complaints/key-facts-about-the-law

When your holiday booking is accepted (usually when you get a confirmation invoice) a contract is made between you and the tour operator – the company that organises your holiday. You should check your confirmation documents carefully as these will tell you who the tour operator is and who is responsible for the holiday services that you have booked.

If you book a package holiday your tour operator is responsible for all the services – car hire, accommodation, flights, etc. – as long as they were part of the package the company arranged for you. (Note, however, that airlines also have obligations to you, so for example if you are claiming compensation for flight delay or cancellation, you’ll be asked to approach the airline in the first instance).

If you have booked individual travel services rather than a package holiday, the individual suppliers will be responsible for the services that they are providing.

If you have booked through a travel agent, the confirmation documents should make it clear which company is actually responsible for the travel services.

Before making any claim, you should always check the confirmation documents and booking conditions to make sure that you make the claim against the right company.
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If you are due to travel and would like to make a complaint please register your details with us.
http://abta.com/holiday-help-and-complaints/due-to-travel
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They could also get advice from someone like CAB

No it's a package holiday I think, all inclusive so it's flight accommodation all meals and drinks ,entertainments etc

Did they use a Credit Card to book the holiday?
If so, this may be useful:

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/travel-insurance/holiday-protection-insurance/

How disappointing for you all Shirley.
I got my money back when I paid for something on my debit card with chargeback, so worth looking into. Hope they are able to get it sorted out soon :-)

They did pay by credit card so maybe they can claim back on that

The travel agent is ABTA protected . What I can't fathom is they can't supply what has been paid for so they are breaking the contact . Why then are they trying to penalise the customer for cancelling the holiday. We would go but they can't get us there :-\

It's awful, Shirley - these firms lie to cover their own backs!! :-|

Shirley, was there a rider written into the contract?

Such as: In the event that it becomes inadvisable to travel to the resort, the company reserves the right to select a similar holiday/resort.

Some such rider could be the reason why the company is dragging its feet.

It could wait until almost last-minute before deciding.

i dont know the wording of the contract as they did it online

will have to ask SIL

Thanks