From phantom hotels to delayed flights and missing bags: How to salvage your holiday from disaster

By Tara Evans, Financial Mail On Sunday

Published: 15:53 EST, 22 August 2015 | Updated: 06:30 EST, 24 August 2015

Nobody wants a holiday ruined by an unforeseen event – whether it’s lost luggage at the airport, an accident or a hotel that does not exist. But things do go wrong, sometimes horribly so. Here, Tara Evans explains what to do when a dream trip takes a turn for the worse

Stranded: Clare Hopping arrived in Berlin to find her hotel had shut down

Stranded: Clare Hopping arrived in Berlin to find her hotel had shut down

PHANTOM HOTELS 

It is not unheard of for a holidaymaker to arrive at a destination to find that the pre-booked accommodation does not exist, there is no record of the booking or the hotel is a building site.

In this situation, the first thing to do is complain. Yet a recent poll by YouGov for online complaints service Resolver showed that while almost a quarter of people were unhappy with their holiday last year, more than half did not complain.

HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP

If accommodation is not up to scratch, speak to the hotel manager first, says James Walker, founder of Resolver. ‘Always raise any issues with the local manager,’ he explains. ‘Take photos and video as evidence – this can prove vital in any claim. If you can’t get the problem sorted while away, contact the firm you booked the holiday with when you get home.’

You cannot make a claim simply if you did not enjoy your holiday. To make a successful claim you need to prove the holiday firm breached its contract with you.

It may be possible to claim for ‘loss of value’ – the difference between the value of the holiday you had versus the one you paid for. For example, if you paid for a room with a sea view but did not get one.

Travellers who have to spend money because of a problem might be able to claim out-of-pocket expenses. You might also be able to get money to compensate for the disappointment and distress. But you probably will not get far if the problem was outside of the company’s control, such as a natural disaster.

Three years ago, Clare Hopping, 30, and her boyfriend Al, arrived in Berlin on a freezing December night. She says: ‘I’d booked the trip through deals website Groupon. It cost £368 and included flights and two nights’ accommodation – but when we arrived the hotel had shut down.’

Clare, the managing director of a digital marketing agency, had no choice but to book a room costing €265 (£190), at a nearby five-star hotel. She says: ‘I found a special rate on website Booking.com. When I got home Groupon said it wasn’t its responsibility that the hotel had shut so we contacted the travel agent, JT Travel.’

After two months of correspondence, JT Travel agreed on a refund. A Groupon spokesman says: ‘On the rare occasion where a hotel suddenly closes down, customers should call the travel operator first as they’re best placed to help them find alternative accommodation and provide a refund. If a customer feels let down, they should then contact us and we’ll do all we can.’

DELAYED FLIGHTS 

You may be entitled to compensation if a flight is cancelled or arrives three hours late.

Can you claim? 

Your flight must have been due to depart from an EU airport. Flights due to land at an EU airport are also covered but only if they were with an EU airline.

You must have arrived at least three hours late for reasons within the airline’s control. So the crew or pilot being late count, but bad weather and strikes don’t. You can claim back to 2005.

How to claim: 

Write to the airline citing EU Regulation 261/2004 to ask for compensation. Include your destination, dates, flight number, booking reference and copies of boarding passes and receipts.

How much will you receive? 

Between €250 (£180) and €600 depending on the length of the flight and length of delay plus out-of-pocket expenses in some cases.

How easy is it? 

Some airlines play hard with claims. Helen Knapman of website MoneySavingExpert says: ‘We hear many success stories from people who claim and the airline pays up straight away. But this isn’t always the case. 

‘Wizz Air and Ryanair, for example, are wriggling out of paying by refusing to look into compensation claims about flights that took place over two years ago. 

'However, the UK’s aviation regulator recently said it will shortly take action against airlines failing to comply with the regulations, although it wouldn’t disclose which operators it was referring to.’

Though court cases are pending this does not give airlines a right to put claims on hold.

The future: 

The Civil Aviation Authority plans to create an ombudsman-style scheme with the power to force airlines to pay out from next year.

 

When it comes to resolving some complaints, travel cover does not help. Amber Howard, brand manager at insurer Holidaysafe, explains: ‘If a customer finds that the accommodation they have booked does not exist and they have therefore been a victim of fraud, we would advise them to report this to the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre Action Fraud and the police. They could try to recoup any losses through their bank or credit card provider.’

If a holidaymaker pays by credit card for a trip that goes wrong it might be possible to reclaim the money from their bank. A credit card provider is jointly liable under the Consumer Credit Act if a holiday does not meet the standard promised and you have paid more than £100.

Those who book package holidays are entitled to help from the Association of British Travel Agents. Visit abta.com for more information. Also look out for the Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) logo when booking – it means that if the firm goes bust you will get your money back. If you book accommodation and travel separately, check each website before booking as each firm will have its own refund policy.

ILLNESS AND ACCIDENTS

Covered: : Norma Sutcliffe’s insurer paid after she broke her ankle in a hotel room fall

Covered: : Norma Sutcliffe’s insurer paid after she broke her ankle in a hotel room fall

Last year, travel insurance helped 4,000 people a week who were ill or had an accident abroad.

Without cover, travellers can face steep bills. One night’s treatment in hospital typically costs £1,200, never mind the extra bills if a holidaymaker needs to be repatriated.

But the average annual travel insurance policy costs just £32.

When travelling in Europe, it is vital to pack a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Although this is not a substitute for travel insurance, it does provide the same free state care as a local in all 27 other EU countries, plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Norma Sutcliffe, 58, is grateful she took the precaution of buying travel cover. In May, the university lecturer was on holiday in the Algarve, Portugal, with her husband Jim, 64, when she slipped and fell in her hotel room, breaking her ankle in two places.

Calm before storm: Norma Sutcliffe in Portugal

Calm before storm: Norma Sutcliffe in Portugal

The couple, who live in Middlesbrough, were on the third day of their seven-day trip.

She says: ‘Once we arrived at the hospital I was told I needed to have an operation and I had it immediately.

‘Not waiting until I got home really helped with my recovery.’

She was covered under her Direct Line Home Plus insurance which includes travel cover. This paid for private hospital treatment and a flight home for them both – including two extra seats so she could keep her leg elevated. These costs came to £7,000 – she only paid an excess on the claim of £35.

While Norma did have the option to go to a local hospital and use her EHIC, she says this did not cross her mind. She says: ‘I’m just so glad I had insurance.’

MISSING BAGS

What a carry on: Jennifer Wilkins was without her luggage for several days during a trip to Bali
What a carry on: Jennifer Wilkins was without her luggage for several days during a trip to Bali

What a carry on: Jennifer Wilkins was without her luggage for several days during a trip to Bali

Many holidaymakers have had that sinking feeling as they wait patiently at the airport baggage carousel watching others collect luggage – only for theirs not to appear.

Last year 24million bags went missing, with half going AWOL while making a connecting flight. Though most bags are forwarded within a couple of days, more than five per cent vanish forever.

Airlines are liable for your losses and must help you if your luggage is lost, damaged or delayed. To seek assistance, look for the baggage desk in arrivals and complete a ‘property irregularity report’.

If a bag is delayed, passengers need to make a claim with the airline within 21 days of receiving it. If a bag is lost, damaged or items have been stolen from it, the claim must be made within seven days.

To claim, proof of the value of the contents will be required.

Most airlines will reimburse travellers for bare essentials if a bag is delayed. This could include the cost of buying toiletries, underwear and a change of clothes. It is important to keep receipts to claim back the cash.

To make tracking a lost bag easier, make sure it is labelled with your name, address, phone number and email address. Always keep medication and expensive items in hand luggage.

Project manager Jennifer Wilkins is still haunted by a bad luggage experience on a trip to Bali three years ago.

The 29-year-old, from Stratford, East London, was flying with a friend from Heathrow with Vietnam Airlines when her rucksack was lost. She says: ‘We arrived in Singapore after a stop-over in Vietnam and waited for our baggage. My friend’s bag had made it, but mine was in London.’

The airline said it would deliver the bag to Singapore, but she had to fly to Bali the next day.

She adds: ‘I didn’t have any spare clothes in my hand luggage and the only place I could find that sold underwear was a chemist with disposable pants.

‘I had to keep calling the airport in Singapore. Three days later, on my third pair of disposable pants, I was told my bag had eventually arrived at Bali airport.

‘It really ruined the start of my holiday and now I often suffer from anxiety when travelling.’

 

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