Citizens Advice: what you are entitled to if your package holiday goes wrong
Around three million people in the UK had a problem with a package holiday in the past 12 months, according to Citizens Advice.
The charity’s Consumer Service received around 14 complaints a day about package holidays over the past year, covering issues including unexpected hotel changes, denied refunds and poor customer service.
Of 3,500 complaints logged in that period, more than two in five involved all-inclusive packages abroad.
The most common issue, accounting for a third of complaints, was substandard service, where the quality of the holiday fell short of what was advertised, including hotels being misdescribed, bad food or unavailable facilities.
Customer service failures made up 19% of complaints, with long phone wait times, ignored complaints and admin errors among the problems reported.
One in four people who experienced an issue said it caused them stress, anxiety or upset.
A third said their issue was resolved but only after significant time and effort.
Jane Parsons, Consumer Expert at Citizens Advice, said: “Too often, people are left stressed and disappointed when their dream holidays are spoiled because they’re not getting what they paid for.”
“To make matters worse, they’re having to spend a lot of time and effort trying to resolve issues, sometimes with no luck.”
What you are entitled to if something goes wrong
Citizens Advice says the first step if something goes wrong is to tell the holiday company as soon as possible.
Waiting until you get home can reduce the amount of compensation available, or rule it out entirely.
Keeping a clear record while you are away matters. That means noting what went wrong and when, taking photographs, and keeping receipts for any extra costs.
There are five main grounds on which you may be able to claim compensation:
If the holiday was lower in value than the one you booked, for example you paid for a deluxe room but received a standard one, you can claim back the difference in value.
If you spent extra money because of a problem, for example transport costs caused by inaccurate information in the brochure, you can claim those out-of-pocket expenses back with receipts. Claims need to be reasonable.
If a large part of what you booked was not provided, for example a two-day excursion that was cancelled and not replaced, you can claim for what was missed.
If something went wrong that caused distress or disappointment, for example a pool that was closed for the entire trip, you can claim for loss of enjoyment. There is no fixed guidance on the amount, but it should reflect how much of the holiday was affected.
If the holiday was completely ruined, it is possible in rare cases to claim the full cost back.
What to do if the company does not resolve it
If the holiday company does not resolve the complaint, and it is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a complaint can be made to ABTA directly.
Citizens Advice also offers advice through its Consumer Service helpline on 0808 223 1133, or via an online form at citizensadvice.org.uk.
“I had the stress of our holiday being ruined and then months of trying to get compensation”
Zorana, a semi-retired NHS doctor from north-east England, spent £6,300 on an all-inclusive, seven-night trip to Lanzarote with her daughter through a popular UK holiday operator.
Torrential rain on the second day caused flooding that left the hotel without electricity, water, food or internet.
She said: “We all gathered in the hotel lobby, to hear what was going on.
“It was the weekend and reps from all the other travel companies were there, talking with people, reassuring them, giving them information.
“Some were already distributed to other places. We asked, ‘Where is our rep?’ And we were told he doesn’t work on weekends.”
Zorana said she spent months trying to get adequate compensation after returning home, without success.
“I feel a victim twice over because I had the stress of our holiday being ruined, and then months of trying to get compensation,” she said.
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