A major warning has been issued over package holidays after a survey suggested more than four million people reported problems in the past year. Experts have now explained what holidaymakers should do if they encounter issues during their trip.
Survey Reveals Widespread Issues
The Citizens Advice survey found that 76% of adults had been on a package holiday before, and 34% of them had experienced a problem. Some 8% had suffered an issue within the last 12 months specifically, equating to an estimated four million travellers, it said. The charity further reported receiving about 14 complaints a day about package holidays, including issues such as unexpected changes to the hotel, denied refunds, and poor customer service.
Of the 3,500 complaints made to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service in the past year, 42% involved all-inclusive packages abroad. A third of complaints (33%) related to the quality of the holiday falling short of the agreed deal, such as hotels being misdescribed, bad food, or unavailable facilities. Customer service failures made up 19% of complaints, including long waits on the phone, ignored complaints, and administration errors made by firms.
Impact on Holidaymakers
As a result, one in four of those who experienced an issue with a package holiday (25%) said they suffered stress, anxiety, or upset, while 17% had to pay extra for daily expenses. Citizens Advice encouraged holidaymakers to check what protections were included within their booking.
Case Study: Ruined Holiday in Lanzarote
One complainant, Zorana, a semi-retired NHS doctor from the North East of England, reported spending £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 resulted in “nightmare” flooding, leaving hotel guests without electricity, water, food, or internet. However, the woman said she received no on-site support from their operator, causing them considerable stress.
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.”
They returned home after five days, and Zorana began chasing the travel company for a refund. But the customer service adviser said they couldn’t deal with it because compensation was offered, though she deemed the offer inadequate. “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,” she said.
Advice for Holidaymakers
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 said: “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.”
Consumers are entitled to compensation for a holiday if it was lower in value than the one booked, they had to spend extra money because of a problem, a large part of the booked services were not provided, something goes wrong that causes distress or disappointment, or if the holiday was completely ruined.
