0:00:02 > 0:00:06Every year, millions of us jet off abroad on holiday.
0:00:06 > 0:00:12But if things go wrong your two weeks in the sun could become a fortnight to forget.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15And many things can ruin your precious break
0:00:15 > 0:00:20- from cancelled flights to horror hotels.- They take no responsibility.
0:00:20 > 0:00:26Worse still, there are scams, tricks and cons waiting to trap the unsuspecting tourist.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31They're taking a little bit more off you so you have to be careful.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36But if you know what to look for, you can avoid these holiday nightmares.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40- So we're here to make sure you... - Don't get done in the sun.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Coming up on today's show:
0:00:51 > 0:00:58how one man booked a dream holiday apartment only to find he had nowhere to stay.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00This was when I started to worry.
0:01:00 > 0:01:06The family who went on a city break to Rome, but got stuck in a hotel miles out of town.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09There was nothing around the hotel, nowhere to eat, no bars.
0:01:09 > 0:01:15And I'll be showing you how not to get tricked into taking counterfeit cash whilst abroad.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Do you have change of a fifty?
0:01:21 > 0:01:27When you book a holiday, near the top of the list is always, "Where am I going to stay?"
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Fortunately, these days there's more choice than ever for accommodation.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37And it's easier than ever to find places to suit your lifestyle.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Well, at least, that's the theory.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Meet Lee Taylor from Dagenham in Essex.
0:01:43 > 0:01:49In September, 2011, he booked a holiday in Gran Canaria for him and five of his friends.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56The flights were booked direct with the airline and accommodation booked separately
0:01:56 > 0:02:02through Mantrav International, not to be confused with similar-sounding companies.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06We went onto the Mantrav website and found a place called Club Mancha,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10something a bit more upmarket than we usually stay in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Because they were doing a good price, we went for that and used them.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- 0624...- It wasn't the first time Lee had booked with the company.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Thank you. Bye-bye now.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28I'd no qualms or thoughts of, you know, using anyone else.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32They advertise in the community magazines regularly
0:02:32 > 0:02:37and as I'd booked through them before I wasn't expecting any trouble.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Lee paid the company £733 deposit by credit card
0:02:43 > 0:02:50and began to look forward to his week in the sun. But two months before his holiday an issue arose
0:02:50 > 0:02:56- with his accommodation. - We were told from Mantrav that things weren't going to be going ahead
0:02:56 > 0:03:01with Club Mancha because they'd had some problems with the site
0:03:01 > 0:03:06and they were withdrawing their property sales and holiday bookings
0:03:06 > 0:03:11and they would be moving us to another complex.
0:03:11 > 0:03:18The complex they were moving us to is Los Almendros. We've stayed before. That was an equally nice place.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I knew it very well.
0:03:20 > 0:03:27At this stage Lee felt there was no reason to doubt them and paid the outstanding balance of £850,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31although this time he couldn't pay by credit card.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36I didn't really give it much thought apart from receiving an email
0:03:36 > 0:03:42saying they couldn't take card bookings due to IT issues and would prefer a bank transfer. I did it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:48It's unusual for an established travel company to be unable to take credit cards.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54ABTA is a professional association for travel agents, which can offer customers protection
0:03:54 > 0:03:56if something goes wrong with their holiday.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01If you can't pay by credit card, should that ring alarm bells?
0:04:01 > 0:04:07If you're running a company, you'll want to have credit card facilities or you'll turn away lots of business,
0:04:07 > 0:04:14so it might well mean they can't get credit card facilities. They may say to pay direct to their bank account.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18That is potentially very problematic. If they got into difficulties,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23it's as though you handed them a load of money, in cash.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Sure enough, with just a few days before he was due to jet off to Gran Canaria,
0:04:28 > 0:04:34- Lee was hit with a bombshell. - I got an email from someone I've never heard from before,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38saying they were unable to provide accommodation in Los Almendros
0:04:38 > 0:04:46and they were doing everything possible to find us accommodation for when we landed on Wednesday.
0:04:46 > 0:04:53The email was from a company called Zyra Group which said it owned 70% of Mantrav International.
0:04:53 > 0:04:59Lee emailed and called Zyra Group to find out what was going on, but got no reply.
0:04:59 > 0:05:06Worried that they might have to abandon the entire holiday, Lee took matters into his own hands.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I decided to look for accommodation ourselves.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Luckily, cos we've been there before, we were able to find somewhere
0:05:15 > 0:05:18so I again paid out
0:05:20 > 0:05:26just under two grand on my card, so that all of us could go on holiday.
0:05:26 > 0:05:32By now, Lee had paid out a total of £3,500 on accommodation alone.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Finally, the night before they left on holiday, he received an email from Zyra Group telling him
0:05:37 > 0:05:44that he'd get a full £1,500 refund on the accommodation booked through Mantrav International.
0:05:44 > 0:05:50I felt let's just go out there, have a good time and when I come back there will be a cheque waiting
0:05:50 > 0:05:57- as the refund from my original holiday.- But when he got home, there was no sign of the refund.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02I think this was the time when I really started to worry about money and things.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09The fact that nowadays there are so many ways we can book accommodation should, in theory,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11be good news for us holidaymakers,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15but in cutting out the travel agent and the tour operator,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19are we in danger of leaving ourselves unprotected?
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Many travellers opt for a happy medium and use an independent agent
0:06:24 > 0:06:28who can help find the right accommodation to suit their needs.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34AITO is the Association of Independent Tour Operators.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39How can consumers ensure that they are getting the best protection possible?
0:06:39 > 0:06:45They have to make sure that the organisation they're booking with has a bond of some description,
0:06:45 > 0:06:51which is an insurance policy against them going into liquidation and the holiday not being delivered.
0:06:51 > 0:06:58So if you book a flight-inclusive holiday, you should look out for the CAA's ATOL.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04- You might look for ABTA's bonding scheme.- AITO also offers financial protection for holidays
0:07:04 > 0:07:08booked through its members. So when you're looking for a holiday
0:07:08 > 0:07:15it's vital you make sure the company is fully bonded by one of these organisations.
0:07:15 > 0:07:21Because Mantrav International was not a bonded company, there was no financial protection for Lee.
0:07:21 > 0:07:28It meant he was £1,500 out of pocket after the company failed to provide the accommodation
0:07:28 > 0:07:30he'd booked and paid for.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36When I realised I was going nowhere with Mantrav and I wasn't going to be getting my money back,
0:07:37 > 0:07:42I just thought the best thing to do was to take some legal advice
0:07:42 > 0:07:47so I spoke to solicitors from Which
0:07:47 > 0:07:51who advised me to go down the County Court claim.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57At the time of Lee's booking, Mantrav International's website boasted
0:07:57 > 0:08:03"100% financial protection" and that it, "acted as an agent for ATOL holders".
0:08:03 > 0:08:08But in 2012, the company came under the scrutiny of the Advertising Standards Authority.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11What did the ASA find
0:08:11 > 0:08:14when it looked into Mantrav?
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Well, we received three complaints from members of the public
0:08:18 > 0:08:23who were concerned that Mantrav were advertising in a misleading way.
0:08:23 > 0:08:30In particular, they made claims about having 100% financial protection and being ATOL-protected.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34When we looked into this, we found that there was no evidence
0:08:34 > 0:08:40that Mantrav were either ATOL-protected or that the financial bonding they were talking about
0:08:40 > 0:08:43would have any impact on the public.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47So we took action against Mantrav and they removed those claims.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Lee took Mantrav to the Small Claims Court to try to get his money back.
0:08:55 > 0:09:01They sent the court letters back to the court saying that they weren't responsible for it
0:09:01 > 0:09:07because they weren't the trading company. The court deemed it that they owed me money.
0:09:07 > 0:09:13So the court found in Lee's favour, but so far he's still waiting for his money.
0:09:15 > 0:09:22Later, we hear from a holidaymaker whose mystery hotel turned out to be a big disappointment.
0:09:22 > 0:09:29Not only was it 30 minutes outside of Rome, but there was nothing around it, nowhere to eat, no bars,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31or anywhere to get a drink.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35And Lee finally gets some answers from Mantrav International.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44We all want our money to go as far as it can, especially abroad,
0:09:44 > 0:09:50but there are people out there who will target your spend, so you need to be on your guard.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Counterfeit currency is a favourite way for conmen to catch out holidaymakers
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and although you might think you're way too savvy to get stung,
0:09:58 > 0:10:03I'm going to show you just how easy it is to be caught off guard.
0:10:03 > 0:10:10In the second half of 2012, 280,000 fake euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation.
0:10:10 > 0:10:17There are quick checks you can do to spot a fake, if you bother to look at the note in the first place.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23I'm going to ask people if they'll give me change for a note.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28The question is whether or not they'll ask if my note is real.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'Time to put my acting skills to the test.'
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Sorry, guys, does anyone have two tens or change of twenty?
0:10:36 > 0:10:41- He's got money. - He has. You're a star! Thank you so much.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46'Bingo. I have a trustworthy face because these holidaymakers didn't bat an eyelid
0:10:46 > 0:10:53'in handing me two 10 euro notes. I could have easily passed them a fake and they'd be none the wiser
0:10:53 > 0:10:57'until they tried to spend it. Time to come clean.' We're the BBC.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02There's a lot of fake notes going round and a stranger may approach you
0:11:02 > 0:11:09and say, "Have you got change?" Just be aware that not everyone is honest at the moment
0:11:09 > 0:11:15and there are a few fake notes going round. If you'd like these two 10s back for my 20...
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- Do you want your 20 back? - No, I'm fine. I totally trust you.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21'It never occurred to me'
0:11:21 > 0:11:27that what she was asking me or was exchanging for my money could have been a fake.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29I took her at face value.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35'Spurred on by my last success, I pop into another room and try my luck with a fifty.'
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Do you have change for fifty? Are you putting that accent on for me?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44- I'm from Birkenhead. - Ah! The other side.- Hang on.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- OK, let me just check.- Are they?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Is that real? Hang on. Is there a watermark?!
0:11:53 > 0:11:56You're a star. Thank you.
0:11:56 > 0:12:03'Maybe he just feels at home with my accent, but he made no attempt to check if that note was real.'
0:12:03 > 0:12:09I've given him a fifty. And he really worked hard to get me that change, bless him.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14I feel kind of bad now. I'm going to say, "I could have been scamming you."
0:12:14 > 0:12:18And they're from my side of town.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Can I disturb you for a second? - What?
0:12:21 > 0:12:26- You know that note I gave you.- Yes. - It could have been a fake note.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- Have you thought about that?- No.
0:12:28 > 0:12:35You need to check. People are coming in and because I'm in the same bar doesn't mean I am trustworthy!
0:12:35 > 0:12:40But I am, I am! 'It only takes a few seconds to check a banknote.
0:12:40 > 0:12:47'Feel the raised print. Check the watermark and security thread can be seen from the front and back.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51'Tilt it. On the front, you'll see the shifting image on the hologram.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55'If it doesn't have these features, it could be a fake.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'So far, these holidaymakers aren't really exercising any caution.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03'Let's see what else I can get in the evening rush.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:08- Do you have any change?- I don't. - Change of twenty?
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- Sorry, guys, do you have change? - Er...- Of twenty?
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- What a gent. Thank you so much. Twenty.- All right.- Thank you.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- Are they real? - We made them this morning!
0:13:24 > 0:13:26You've done a good job.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30That's a perfect example of someone being really nice.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35'A guy I hadn't asked called out, reached out and gave me two tens.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:41He hasn't thought, "Is it a fake? Is it real?" He was just doing a completely gentlemanly thing,
0:13:41 > 0:13:46which is really kind, but is that when you're going to get caught out?
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Sorry. Can I just have a quick word?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Sorry.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57- Right. I asked for change and you were really kind and handed me two tens.- Yeah.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- Was my twenty real or fake? - I have no idea.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05I put it in my wallet. You did ask me that.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- If mine was...- Yeah. Well, I have to check, you know?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- Yeah.- Did you check yours?- No. - Do I look trustworthy?- Yes.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Well, I am!
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'Of course, no one was left out of pocket by my experiment
0:14:20 > 0:14:26'as it's a crime to be caught with fake notes. So mine were real, but nobody checked.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:31In no time at all, I ended up swapping 90 euros altogether.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35If my notes had been counterfeit, I'd have been quids in.
0:14:35 > 0:14:41So keep an eye on your currency or your holiday could cost you a lot more than you bargained for.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Problems with accommodation could ruin your two weeks in the sun,
0:14:49 > 0:14:55which is why most of us prefer to know exactly what we'll get before we fly,
0:14:55 > 0:15:00but some companies offer us the chance to do things a little differently.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04From finding a spare room in someone's apartment
0:15:04 > 0:15:09to booking a luxury holiday villa or even swapping homes in another country,
0:15:09 > 0:15:16plenty of websites offer a vast array of accommodation for adventurous holidaymakers,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18but do your homework.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22If you're booking your own accommodation, what advice is there?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Research, research, research.
0:15:25 > 0:15:32You're probably going to be spending more money on this hotel than you are on any other purchase this year,
0:15:32 > 0:15:38so it's in your interest to take some time in researching online,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42looking at photos, reading reviews, even posting questions in forums
0:15:42 > 0:15:47where you can get a response to any question within 24 hours.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Yes, knowing as much as you can will give you some peace of mind,
0:15:53 > 0:15:59but it's also possible to get a great deal by booking a secret or unnamed hotel,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03the details of which you don't find out until you've paid.
0:16:03 > 0:16:11In October 2012, Debbie Dye from Felixstowe in Suffolk decided to book a family trip to Rome.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16We looked at lastminute.com because we'd previous experience of booking with them
0:16:16 > 0:16:23- and had always been quite happy. - Keen to find a bargain, Debbie looked at a top secret hotel,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29a deal which boasts up to 45% off the standard room rate,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32but doesn't reveal the hotel's name until you've booked.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37The hotel was described as "comfort and luxury in a prime location".
0:16:37 > 0:16:43Prime location on a weekend city break. What would that mean to you? Proximity to tourist attractions?
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Good local restaurants? Easy access to the city centre?
0:16:48 > 0:16:53We took that to mean it was going to be in central Rome and comfortable.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Top secret hotels, also called mystery or undercover hotels,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00are available on several websites.
0:17:00 > 0:17:07What they do is allow hotels who know that on a typical night they won't fill all their rooms
0:17:07 > 0:17:13to sell off some really very cheaply, but without tarnishing their price promise
0:17:13 > 0:17:19that you'll always find the best deal through our website. It's a great opportunity for offloading
0:17:19 > 0:17:23"distressed inventory", basically rooms that won't otherwise get full.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28And they can be a great idea for travellers, too.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33As a consumer, it's a lovely concept. First of all, it's got a frisson of something clandestine,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37something exciting. You don't quite know what you are getting.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42What you probably will be getting, and most of the time it's a success,
0:17:42 > 0:17:48is a hotel of a much higher star rating than you might be used to for a very good price.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52And that, of course, is a great benefit for the consumer,
0:17:52 > 0:18:00but because you don't know the name or the location, you could get stuck somewhere you don't want to be.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Confident that she'd got a good hotel in a central location,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Debbie went ahead and confirmed it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:15The holiday cost £1,300 and that included the flights as well for three of us.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21But once the name of the top secret hotel was revealed, Debbie began to worry.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27Once we received the email confirmation, we knew which hotel we'd be staying in.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32We went to an online holiday forum to investigate a bit more about the hotel.
0:18:32 > 0:18:39The forum told us that the hotel was relatively near the airport, but 30 minutes from the Colosseum
0:18:39 > 0:18:44and the other sites of Rome. We were a bit disappointed with this
0:18:44 > 0:18:47as it wasn't what we'd been led to believe.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52So far from being in or near the city centre and all its attractions,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56they'd be miles away, near the airport.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Before she left, Debbie did contact lastminute.com,
0:19:01 > 0:19:06but the booking was non-refundable so the family decided to go
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and try to make the best of their holiday.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16We hadn't really got a clear preference for location, other than it being central, so we could go out,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20go back to the hotel, get changed to go out for dinner.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24That was made quite difficult by the location of the hotel.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29It was 30 minutes outside of Rome and there was nothing around the hotel,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32nowhere to eat, no bars or anywhere to get a drink.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38So not quite the comfort and luxury in a prime location they were expecting.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44The problem that I find most often with mystery or secret hotels
0:19:44 > 0:19:51is the location. And very often it will say "centrally located" or "well located".
0:19:51 > 0:19:59Now you might say, "Hang on. Being 3 or 5 miles outside the city centre isn't central or well located."
0:19:59 > 0:20:05The hotel company, the mystery agency will quite possibly turn round and say, "In our opinion it is.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08"What are you going to do about it?"
0:20:08 > 0:20:12As well as being far away from the main tourist attractions,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Debbie felt other aspects of the hotel weren't up to scratch.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20The room was in a quite poor decorative state.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25There was ripped wallpaper and damp patches between the bedroom and bathroom.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30If you were going to go for a mystery hotel, write down every word in the description
0:20:30 > 0:20:37and do an internet search. Chances are the hotel will use exactly the same words on their own website
0:20:37 > 0:20:40and you'll be able to identify the hotel.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44If you tap that form of words into one of the online review sites,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49you'll very often find that you actually get the name of the hotel.
0:20:49 > 0:20:56Once you've got that, you can work out where it is. That's what I do when I look for a mystery hotel.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Later on, both Debbie and Lee get some answers about their problems,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05but will they like them?
0:21:05 > 0:21:09It's really left a bad taste in my mouth.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Us Brits spend a whopping £12 billion abroad each summer,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19but you'll not get very far without some of this.
0:21:19 > 0:21:25Hard money. But keep your wits about you or you might find yourself short changed.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32As we saw earlier, taking money from strangers on the street is high risk,
0:21:32 > 0:21:37but you'd think using a Bureau de Change would be OK.
0:21:37 > 0:21:44Well, you'd be wrong. The person handling your cash may not be as honest as they seem.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Liz Roberts is a foreign currency expert based here in Portugal.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Liz, you come on holiday and there's loads of places to change your money. How well is it regulated?
0:21:55 > 0:22:03It depends who you're using. Banks will be regulated. However, chances are an exchange is not regulated.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09Obviously, most are legitimate, but some can be a little bit unscrupulous, can't they?
0:22:09 > 0:22:15Absolutely. One of my colleagues received fraudulent notes from one of these exchanges.
0:22:15 > 0:22:22Yes, a common scam is to offload a fake note hidden in a wad of legal currency.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28By the time you notice, you could find yourself in a whole heap of trouble.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30If you report it to the police,
0:22:30 > 0:22:38in some countries in Europe you could actually get arrested for holding fraudulent money
0:22:38 > 0:22:43and if you go back to the actual place itself, it's very difficult to prove that note came from them.
0:22:43 > 0:22:50Your best bet is to hand the fake money in at a bank and explain what happened,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54but you will be left out of pocket. Most currency exchanges are legitimate,
0:22:54 > 0:23:00but beware of pop-up exchange bureaux which can appear on beaches and in busy resorts.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I wouldn't have a clue.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I wouldn't be able to tell fake money.
0:23:07 > 0:23:14Of course, cash is not your only option. For any option, the safest option is to use a credit card,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17simply because of the consumer protection it offers.
0:23:17 > 0:23:23If we want something in particular, not that we do a lot of shopping, we'll use credit cards.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27I use a credit card. I trust my own home bank.
0:23:27 > 0:23:33Of course, if you don't have a credit card and don't want to carry around large amounts of cash,
0:23:33 > 0:23:38you could use a debit card, but these can incur charges and variable exchange rates.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44There is another way - a pre-paid credit card. It may not have the same consumer protection,
0:23:44 > 0:23:50but at least you know how much you are spending as you can load it with local currency at a good rate.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52How does a pre-paid card work?
0:23:52 > 0:23:58You can apply for them online. You won't be credit checked. They are a means to hold cash on a card.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03You can top them up online using your debit or credit card.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It's instant and you can use them like a debit card.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13Different pre-paid cards charge in different ways and on top of withdrawal fees,
0:24:13 > 0:24:19they can charge reload, activation or maintenance fees, so do check the terms and conditions.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25- In effect, I could load it up when the rate was good and save that until I go on holiday.- Absolutely.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28That would be very business savvy.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33That's something else to add to your holiday checklist before you go.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37So remember, don't leave it until the last minute to buy currency
0:24:37 > 0:24:42or you could find you have less to spend on having fun. Cheers.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Whether you choose to stay in a hotel, an apartment, a villa or a B&B,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57you've every right to expect that what you've booked is what you're going to get.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Booking flights and accommodation separately does give you a lot of flexibility,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08but although your flights are still protected, your accommodation isn't.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13So what can you do to make sure your holiday and your money is safe?
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Look up your accommodation on an online review site.
0:25:17 > 0:25:23If the hotel or villa is not reviewed by anyone, there's a chance it doesn't actually exist.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30And remember that good reviews can be faked. Read as many as possible and not just the glowing ones.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Use an online map to confirm the location of your accommodation,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39then click on street view to see that the property matches up.
0:25:39 > 0:25:47And, finally, for added protection, make sure you choose a travel insurance policy which covers you
0:25:47 > 0:25:54if your accommodation supplier goes bust or is unable for some reason to provide the room you've booked.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02Lee Taylor took booking agent Mantrav to the Small Claims Court for failing to supply accommodation
0:26:02 > 0:26:07after he'd paid. But 18 months on, he still hasn't got his money back.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13I didn't hear anything from Mantrav, they made no effort to contact me,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16no letters or anything at all.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21I had to go for a warrant of execution to try to get my money back through the bailiffs.
0:26:21 > 0:26:28But there was one ray of hope. Because he'd paid the deposit for his accommodation by credit card,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32he was covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37I got my original deposit back of just over £700,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40which was better than nothing.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46But the £850 Lee paid to Mantrav International by bank transfer
0:26:46 > 0:26:52is still outstanding. We contacted the company to find out why Lee's accommodation was cancelled twice
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and when he would get his money back as ordered by the court. They said:
0:27:09 > 0:27:13But since we contacted them, the company has gone out of business.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18It seems unlikely now that Lee will ever see the rest of his money.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23When I go on holiday again, I'll really think twice about booking it
0:27:23 > 0:27:28through a third party on the internet, especially if I'm just booking accommodation.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It's left a bad taste in my mouth.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Might there be a better outcome for Debbie Dye, who was disappointed
0:27:37 > 0:27:42when her mystery hotel in Rome was miles from the city centre?
0:27:42 > 0:27:47When she returned from her holiday, she complained to lastminute.com.
0:27:47 > 0:27:53They took a couple of days to respond and they offered me a 30% refund on the cost of the hotel room.
0:27:53 > 0:28:00Lastminute.com also said it would be changing the description of this hotel on its website,
0:28:00 > 0:28:07so a great result for Debbie. Remember, however you book, make sure you don't get done.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd