Star System/Healthcare Don't Get Done in the Sun

We save up all year for our two weeks in the sun.

But, like anything, holidays can go badly wrong.

A delayed flight, shabby accommodation,

it could all ruin your precious break.

I feel really deceived because we thought

that the rep was there to help us.

And then there are the scams.

Tricks and cons that are waiting to catch you out.

You don't realise something untoward is going on behind your back.

If you know what to look out for, you can avoid the holiday from hell.

-So we're here to make sure you..

-..Don't get done in the sun.

Coming up on today's show...

We meet holidaymakers whose idea of a four-star hotel

was very different to the one they actually got.

I got an ear infection, which didn't surprise me.

Basically, he said, "You got that from the pool."

I'll be hitting the Spanish streets, prescribing the right medicine

for Brits who find themselves ill overseas.

Do the doctors or hospital benefit from doing that?

The answer is yes.

Choosing the right hotel can be a bit of a minefield.

But at least we've got star ratings to help us out.

So if you're backpacking and all you need is a bed for the night,

then a one-star should be fine.

And if you fancy a bit of luxury,

there's nothing quite like a bit of five-star treatment.

Unfortunately, though, things aren't always what they seem.

The star-rating system of hotels

is something we all take a little for granted.

We think we know how it works and what you're going to be getting for your money, right?

My perception of a four-star would be to be

pretty clean, tidy.

Something four-star in my head is quite high really.

Meet Eric and Linda Fairbairn from East Yorkshire.

Both work full-time, so they love a well-deserved holiday.

And when they go to one of their favourite holiday destinations,

like Lanzarote, they always choose a certain star rating.

We've stayed at some really nice four-star hotels.

The facilities are really good.

They have nice pools.

The food is good.

In August 2012, the couple deviated from their norm of booking in the local travel agent,

and went on the internet to see what options were available.

Eric found several travel agent websites

offering a hotel he liked the look of.

And so he gave one of the companies a call.

He rang Media Travel to find out the basics about the holiday.

And the chap he spoke to recommended it

and said it was an excellent place to go.

Eric booked a two-week holiday to a four-star hotel

called the Blue Sea Corbeta in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote,

at a total cost of £1,187.40.

And both he and Linda thought it was money well spent.

Eric told him that we wanted no less than a four-star hotel,

because we felt it important.

They bought the holiday over the phone

with an agent called mediatravel.co.uk

which is a subsidiary of a company called Truly Travel Ltd.

Neither of which are to be confused with similar sounding companies.

They were under the impression that they'd booked a package holiday with them.

And all they had to do was enjoy.

Got off the plane. Blue sky.

Sun's out.

Looking forward to getting to the accommodation.

As we're walking in, on the sign outside on the signage,

it's got the Corbeta, three-star.

I asked at the reception, "Where's the Blue Sea Corbeta?"

"Well, you're here."

"The Blue Sea Corbeta's four-star. Have you lost one of your stars?"

There was no answer to that.

But it was the couple who were going to be the ones left speechless next.

First impressions of the room, when we finally found it,

was a nightmare. I thought the floor was sloping or I was sloping.

But it was the doors that were sloping.

The fridge door was just rust, thick ice.

The cupboard doors and the drawers were hanging off.

There was a little stove that had two rings on

that didn't work.

And it just looked absolutely filthy.

I don't think anybody would have been used to anything like that.

Especially when you're expecting four stars.

Sadly, the rundown feel continued.

All the paint was bubbling off the side of the pool so that,

when you sat on it, you got cream paint

stuck all over you.

And, when you got to look a bit deeper, it was very dirty.

After a few days, I got an ear infection.

I had to go and find a doctor in town.

Basically, he said, "You got that from the pool," which didn't surprise me.

The amount of paint I'd taken out of my shorts from the pool,

there might have been paint in my ear for all I know.

The couple decided to try and grin and bear it.

But the question is, how could they have been sold a four-star hotel

that looked flash on the website,

but it then advertises itself on the ground as a three-star?

In reality, the couple thought it was more like a one or two.

Where has the star-rating system gone wrong?

I asked the consumer watchdog Which?

How useful is the star-rating system these days?

The fact is, anybody can set up a star-rating system.

From proper organisations,

through to chains of hotels, through to an individual hotel.

So one star-rating system doesn't equal another star-rating system.

Which? thinks there needs to be an industry standard and consumers agree with us.

So, what, an individual hotel can say it's a four-star?

Any hotel can set up a website, can slap any number of stars on there.

Unless you have a real understanding of what that star system is,

you can be taken in by, frankly,

misleading advertising around the quality of that hotel.

I agree. And in Eric and Linda's case, they think their star rating

was so off the mark that they had, effectively, been lied to.

I don't know how they rate their stars.

I think somebody needs to actually go and stay there,

who gives them the stars because they've got it totally wrong.

So, what's the Association of British Travels Agents' take

on the couple's confusion over the different star ratings?

Why isn't there a universal star system,

so that everybody knows what they're getting?

We did push for a number of years for at least there being

a consistent star system throughout the European Union.

That proved very difficult.

The problem is, you have to get different countries all to agree on the same standards.

What does it mean if you don't have an ironing board in the room?

Does it mean an extra star or lose a star?

I mean, things as simple as that do make a big difference.

And that's the main reason why tour operators

usually ignore local star-rating systems,

because they don't think they're consistent, and use their own.

Of course, there's an element of subjectivity about what exactly is a four-star hotel.

But, clearly, if somebody is saying to you it's a four-star hotel,

you should be expecting a fairly high level of service.

Well, Linda and Eric did, but look what it got them.

And if ABTA took on the ratings system and gave up,

it doesn't fill you with much hope.

Plus, with tour operators and hotels making up their own,

you'd just better hope your customers agree with you.

You just want a four-star holiday.

Having had previous four-star holidays,

this was a big major let down for the pair of us.

And once back in the UK, after a rather trying holiday,

the couple contacted Media Travel to complain about the hotel.

But they were in for another surprise. Media Travel told them

it wasn't their responsibility to answer their complaints.

If you're booking through a company, you expect for that company

to take full responsibility of what you've paid for.

You don't expect there to be four or five different other companies involved.

Later on, we'll find out who was actually responsible for Eric and Linda's holiday

and discover they're not the only ones expecting four-star but getting sub-par.

Chips, rice and cauliflower. Don't expect anything else.

This is all you get, breakfast, lunch, dinner.

We all have our favourite ways to unwind on holiday.

This is mine.

Mmm! Bliss! Whatever yours is,

it's unlikely to involve a visit to the doctor's.

Rani Price, please.

But, unfortunately, illness and accidents can come out of the blue

and there's nothing stopping that happening on holiday.

The British Foreign Office conducted a survey in 2012

and it showed that up to 70 Brits are hospitalised every week abroad.

So, do you know what to do if the worst should happen?

The big worry, you get on holiday, someone gets sick, what are you going to do?

Um, straight to the doctor's, I suppose.

So you'd think that going to the doctor is big business abroad.

And tourists can seem like easy targets for scams

and doctors fiddling the system to make a fast buck.

To find out more, I've come to meet a British expat doctor in the know.

-Dr Paul? Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you.

-Would you like to come through?

-Thank you very much.

First things first. Are we right to worry about the quality of the healthcare

we could potentially be receiving whilst abroad?

You get poorly, are you going to be well looked after then?

I would say, probably in the majority of cases, you are, yes.

Occasionally, people will over-investigate you.

You'll come in and say, "I have got a bit of chest pain."

And they will say, "Oh, really? Better do an ECG."

"We'd better do this test and that test."

And, at the end of it, they say, "No, it was just indigestion."

Rather than the heart attack they were suggesting it might be.

Do the doctors or hospital benefit from doing that?

The answer is yes. If it's reasonable,

and it can be argued to be reasonable, then insurers will pay.

And so I see 5,000 euros' worth of bill of tests.

But maybe you didn't need them.

And, as you say, we all end up paying for that

-as travel insurance goes up.

-Ultimately, we all pay.

Insurance premiums rising is one thing,

but over-treatment to line the pockets of private doctors

could prove a horrible way to spend your holiday.

Well, let's give you an example.

You're on holiday with your family and your little five-year-old,

who's been in the pool five million times,

and he's now got an ear infection and he mustn't fly.

Not only that, he needs some antibiotics.

And not only that, he needs them injected.

So he needs to come in every single day for five days.

And so you're back and forth to this clinic.

-It's not much of a holiday, then, is it?

-Exactly.

And the private doctor can bill your insurance company

for a more expensive course of treatment than you actually needed

when some tablets would have done the trick.

There have even been stories of un-needed operations

all due to this over-treating scam.

And should you need to go to hospital, beware,

because ambulances can work differently abroad.

And if you've got a private ambulance, they will have a fee.

Often they will be not associated necessarily with the hospital

or with the doctor, that will be a separate company.

They will probably want paid immediately in cash.

-Right.

-I have known, and I know this sounds remarkable,

but I have known people ill in an ambulance and that ambulance stopping

at ATM machines for people to take out money to pay for the ambulance.

And the cost is high. The cost for a private ambulance is several

hundred euros, even to take you five miles.

You have to ask yourself, "Do I actually need an ambulance?"

"Or would a taxi do the trick?" All sound advice.

Thanks, Dr Paul.

No-one wants to get ill on holiday but at least Paul's told us

what we need to know in case it happens to you.

Later on, I'll find out all you need to know to ensure your medical bills

are covered, so you don't go home with a whopping bill

or a pointless plaster cast.

I didn't get a European Health Card, which I should have done.

When you're deciding which hotel to stay in,

the number of stars it has can help you make your choice.

But, as we've seen, it's not always that simple.

As there's no actual universal star-rating system

that exists in Europe and beyond.

And this can mislead consumers in a big way.

Meet 25-year-old Katie from Hertfordshire.

She fancied a last-minute birthday getaway with a friend to Turkey.

It was an all-inclusive four-star hotel

for a week and it was supposed to have everything we would need there.

The holiday cost her just shy of 700 quid.

And with the four-star all-inclusive tag, she had it all planned.

We wanted to get pampered whilst there, enjoy ourselves

and just know we could chill out at this hotel, not have to go anywhere.

Everything was catered for.

So, would her hotel be the four-star quality she was hoping for?

The £700 price tag for the whole holiday

would certainly make me suspicious.

But on their arrival at the Sun Love Hotel in Marmaris,

Katie and her friend were tired after the flight

and just wanted to check in and chill out.

So we went inside and it was, like, dirty sheets,

ripped sheets, no toilet roll.

No towels, except for a dirty towel that was down the side.

There was a TV that didn't even work.

There was no kind of... You couldn't...

In an all-inclusive you'd expect a kettle. There was nothing like that.

This certainly doesn't sound like four stars by anyone's standard.

As we've seen, there's no universal star system.

The difference between a one and a five-star may be obvious,

but everything in between can be a bit of a gamble.

Maybe the Association of Independent Tour Operators

can provide the answers.

Let's talk about the hotel-rating system.

It's a bit of a dog's dinner, really, isn't it?

Absolutely. You can't even get the UK tourist boards

to agree on what a star-rating system should be.

And I heard a very funny tale about hotels in Cyprus.

Apparently, the only way you can get to be a five-star hotel

is if you have A - a spa and B - 250 car-parking spaces.

So you can be a brilliant four-star hotel there,

but if you don't have those two attributes,

you won't make it to five-star.

But there is some hope.

In order to provide some uniformity, many of the big suppliers

have created their own rating system for hotels they work with.

I'm checking out three big players on the internet to see how they rate

their hotels. First up, lastminute.com,

who, although they're simply an agent for the hotels, use stars from one to five.

But what do those stars actually mean?

You have to look really hard in the small print.

"Please note that all ratings shown on the website are our ratings and not official ratings."

At least we know all their four-star hotels should be the same quality.

On Thomas Cook's website, it isn't stars on offer but what look like little suns.

We spoke to Thomas Cook and they told us,

"Tour operators' universal ratings are usually based on the views

"taken from customer feedback and of senior managers in both the UK and overseas."

At least they're putting it on the line

what their ratings... where they come from.

Next, opodo.co.uk.

In their T and Cs, they say,

"We offer star ratings as a general guide. You should be aware

"that these are not necessarily the official local rating

"and that standards can vary between hotels and accommodation of the same class

"in different countries and even in the same country."

At least they warn you about the potential discrepancies in the star ratings.

We asked opodo.co.uk for their take on the current system.

They told us that,

"The system can be open to abuse as hotel ratings can be improved

"simply by adding facilities

"rather than adding quality for the customer."

Not good news for us holidaymakers.

But these days, more of us are cutting out the big agents and booking direct.

Then your best resource for up-to-date information is often other customer reviews.

And the biggest independent review site is Trip Advisor.

But are customer reviews any more reliable?

There are people who say this is a system that is open to abuse.

You've got competitors writing dismal reviews.

You've got owners writing glowing reviews.

How do you try and combat that?

We have a dedicated team of people making sure that

all of the reviews that make it on to the site are checked.

If it's found not to meet our guidelines,

it will be removed from the site.

But, nonetheless, fake and non-genuine reviews do get through.

Of course. When you've got 100 million reviews on the site,

there will always be room for one or two to slip through the cracks.

Most hotels have hundreds of reviews written about them.

So if you can see that one hotel has 99 glowing reviews

and then one really bad negative review,

you'll use your common sense and you'll say, "Hold on a minute."

"That one doesn't quite fit in with all of the others."

"I'm going to discard that one from my research and focus on what the masses think."

Katie didn't buy her holiday in Marmaris with one of the major operators.

And she could probably have done a bit more research before booking.

There was, like, the counters with the holes in for the food to go in,

I think there was just some chips, some rice and some cauliflower.

And that was it. No drinks, nothing.

We were like, "What do we do?"

The guys that were already there were just like,

"Don't expect anything else."

"This is all you get, breakfast, lunch, dinner."

I was like, "What, chips, rice and cauliflower?"

They're like, "Yep." I was like, "Great."

Katie spent over £200 on phone calls to her agent

to get the company to move them.

And they ended up in a three-star hotel

that was nicer than the four-star they had just left.

And this is the industry's problem in a nutshell. No consistency.

Luckily, something's being done by a pan-European organisation

that has both the industry's and consumers' interests at heart.

HOTREC is the European Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes.

It represents the interests of the hospitality sector.

We took the initiative in 2007

to launch a common hotel specification system.

In 2010, the system started to be properly implemented.

And we have already 12 countries adhering to this system.

Rolling out the Hotelstars Union system is no easy feat.

Hotels are judged on over 270 criteria

in order to get their new rating.

But it's for the benefit of us all.

The industry was calling for these changes because, of course,

the industry realises that having a harmonised system

offers a lot of advantages to European consumers.

Because, like that, consumers have a guarantee of a certain level

of expectation for each star system when they travel abroad.

Sounds fantastic. And the organisation's hard work

couldn't come a moment too soon for disgruntled customers.

Coming up, we find out what both our holidaymakers' travel agents have to say for themselves.

There are loads of things to look forward to on holiday,

but getting ill isn't one of them.

And it can happen to any one of us.

So you need to know what you're doing or else you could come unstuck.

We found out earlier that getting ill overseas can be a costly business

and a waste of your time, because some private doctors are out to maximise their profits

by over-treating tourists and sending an inflated bill to their insurance company.

But without health insurance, you are still covered if you hold an EHIC.

We should all come on holiday with a European Health Card

because that entitles you,

in the European Community, to reciprocal healthcare.

And they are free from the NHS.

But do the holidaying Brits know this?

-Do you have your EHIC card?

-I have an E111 and I have my travel insurance.

Well, I'm sorry to tell you that the E111 hasn't been valid since 2006.

The European Health Insurance Card has replaced it.

Yeah, and we also have the E111 cards as well.

It's better safe than sorry.

There we go again. It's not E111.

It's EHIC. Holding an EHIC card

entitles you to free healthcare abroad, as countries within the EU

have an agreement to treat each other's citizens

should they fall ill or have an accident.

-Everyone in the family needs one.

-OK.

And it needs to be in date because they only have a five-year life.

But not everything is covered.

If you needed mountain rescue to get you off a hillside

and to a hospital, the EHIC wouldn't cover this cost.

And that could cost you.

A good-quality travel insurance policy will enable you

to get back to the UK even if that requires a private air ambulance.

A private air ambulance could cost up to ten grand or more

to repatriate you from Spain to the UK.

But there are other, less extreme events

where an EHIC only protects so far.

They give little Johnny his pills and say,

"Here's the medicine for his ear infection."

"But he mustn't fly for three days."

And you're going home tomorrow.

So if you'd had some private insurance,

you can stay with your son, because he's not allowed to go and fly for three days.

The rest of your family can go back on their normal flight.

You can have your hotel room paid for.

Travel insurance would also cover needing an interpreter during your stay in hospital.

Again, that's not covered by an EHIC.

This is why you need travel insurance on top.

But a Foreign Office survey showed nearly half of all Brits abroad

didn't know they wouldn't be covered for some medical treatment without insurance.

I get health insurance, or travel insurance, through my bank.

I rely on that. But I didn't get a European Health Card,

which, apparently, I should've done.

Yes, you should have. But it's good to hear you've got insurance.

Dr Paul can't stress it enough.

Make sure you get some insurance.

-Mm-hm.

-And when you contract the insurance,

make sure you're completely honest

with any pre-existing conditions with regards to yourself.

I'm going to be a lot more aware when I go on holiday.

But, whilst I'm here, can you have a look at my ear? I've been swimming.

I've been stargazing at the muddled universe

of the star-rating system for hotels.

The vast majority of hotels around the world

have some sort of star rating.

But the thing is, because there's no consistency among countries and tour operators,

consumers can end up with a ruined holiday on their hands.

But you can fight back. Here's what you need to know about complaining,

so you and your hotel don't end up star-crossed.

Stars not to standard. If you arrive at your destination

and the reality doesn't match what you were sold,

complain straightaway to either your rep or hotel manager.

Give them the chance to sort the issues out.

The camera never lies.

Photograph all the things you have issue with to back up your case.

Be realistic. If you're paying £250 for a week all-inclusive,

that is pretty cheap. Can you really expect

that £35 a day will buy you the real four-star treatment?

I'm afraid, sometimes, you get what you pay for.

It's six months since Eric and Linda's Lanzarote holiday.

They wrote to Truly Travel Ltd to complain,

believing they'd been misled on the quality of the hotel.

But were told it wasn't their responsibility

and pointed them to a paragraph on their booking form.

On page eight of 19 it says,

"Truly Travel are acting sub-agents for Globe Travel.

"Globe Travel are acting as an agent for Medhotels

"who, in turn, are acting as an agent for the Blue Sea Corbeta

"with whom your accommodation is booked."

"Your contract is with Blue Sea Corbeta

"whose terms and condition apply."

Blimey!

Their 19-page booking confirmation basically laid out that,

although the couple had paid Truly Travel one fee,

the company was simply an agent

and had booked the individual elements on the couple's behalf

and were not responsible for any of them.

Confused? So were Eric and Linda.

When we booked our holiday through Media Travel,

we expected that holiday to be booked through them.

We didn't realise at the time

that it has gone through various other holiday companies.

We sent the couple's photos of the hotel to Truly Travel,

who forwarded them to the hotel supplier medhotels.com,

who were the company who actually gave the four-star rating in the first place.

We sent Eric and Linda their response.

"With regard to the photographs,

"I have now had the opportunity to examine them carefully

"and, while there is some wear and tear,

"they do not particularly, to my mind, demonstrate that the hotel

"was operating below the required standard.

"It is regretted that Mr Fairbairn is not in agreement with this. Regards, Sue."

That is atrocious. What is she looking at?

It's unbelievable. What were they looking at?

Katie Sutcliffe's Turkey four-star holiday

left her over £600 out of pocket

due to phone calls, paying for her food

and downgrading to a three-star hotel.

Bookableholidays.com said her booking was direct with the hotel.

And offered her £75 compensation.

We asked them to review Katie's case.

They said...

"We were surprised to hear that Mrs Sutcliffe's hotel didn't live up to expectations,

"as this is an extremely popular property and offers tremendous value

"at just £29 per person per night

"for a four-star all-inclusive hotel in Turkey.

"We continually monitor and review all properties with all involved

"to ensure these standards are achieved so that we can continue to offer outstanding value for money."

Unfortunately, at this stage, Bookable Holidays

haven't offered to better the £75 offer of compensation.

Katie is not a happy camper.

It's an absolute joke. I would never advise anyone to use them.

Neither of our holidaymakers has been left exactly starry eyed

by the answers their holiday companies have come up with.

But you have been warned. Do your own research into any hotel

and don't be dazzled by a star rating.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd