More than four million people encountered problems with package holidays in the past year, according to a survey for Citizens Advice. The research revealed that 76% of adults had previously taken a package holiday, and 34% of those experienced an issue. Specifically, 8% reported a problem within the last 12 months, equating to an estimated four million travellers.
The charity receives around 14 complaints daily about package holidays, covering issues such as unexpected hotel changes, denied refunds, and poor customer service. Of the 3,500 package holiday complaints made to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service in the past year, 42% involved all-inclusive packages abroad.
Common Complaints and Their Impact
A third of complaints (33%) related to the holiday quality falling short of the agreed deal, including misdescribed hotels, bad food, or unavailable facilities. Customer service failures accounted for 19% of complaints, such as long phone waits, ignored complaints, and administrative errors by firms.
As a result, one in four of those who experienced an issue (25%) reported suffering stress, anxiety, or upset, while 17% had to pay extra for daily expenses. Citizens Advice encourages holidaymakers to check what protections are included in their booking.
Case Study: A Ruined Holiday in Lanzarote
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 UK holiday operator. Torrential rain on the second day caused severe flooding, leaving hotel guests without electricity, water, food, or internet.
Zorana, 66, said: “We spent the morning on the beach and planned the sauna for later. But when we were eating lunch the rain started and didn’t stop. By the time we got to the spa, the hotel told us we couldn’t go in because it was flooded. Half an hour later the electricity had gone. Without electricity, everything stopped. There was no more internet and no more water because the pumps were not working.”
She added: “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. We were very angry. Hotel staff told us our travel company was always a problem and never helped people.”
Zorana returned home after five days and sought a refund, but the customer service adviser said they could not deal with it because compensation was offered, which she deemed inadequate. She said: “I mentioned the lack of support, the delay, the value of the holiday, that I had to find and pay for another hotel, and because of this it was reasonable that they should give me all my money back. I feel a victim twice over because I had the stress of our holiday being ruined, and then months of trying to get compensation.”
Expert Advice and Consumer Rights
Citizens Advice consumer spokeswoman Jane Parsons 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.”
She advised: “A record of any issues that occur and evidence should be kept – like clear details of what went wrong and when, photos and receipts. If something goes wrong with your holiday you might be able to get compensation from the company you booked with. You should tell them about any issues as soon as possible – if you don’t say anything until you get home you might get less compensation, or none at all.”
Chartered Trading Standards Institute chief executive John Herriman commented: “This research highlights the real impact poor practice in the travel sector can have on consumers, specifically the problems for consumers booking holidays online, particularly through social media. Too many people are left out of pocket or dealing with stress when holidays don’t meet what was promised. What should be a time to relax and unwind can turn into the opposite.”
He added: “While it’s vital consumers understand their rights, check the protections included and keep clear records if something goes wrong, businesses must meet their legal obligations and ensure they deliver the standard of service people have paid for – and resolve issues raised quickly. Strong consumer protection depends on both informed consumers and responsible traders.”
When Are You Entitled to Compensation?
Consumers are entitled to compensation for a holiday if it was lower in value than the one booked, if they had to spend extra money because of a problem, if a large part of the booked services were not provided, if something goes wrong that causes distress or disappointment, or if the holiday was completely ruined.
The survey by Yonder polled 2,018 adults between April 17-19 about their experiences with package holidays, excluding issues outside the operator’s control like geopolitical events or natural disasters.
