:00:03. > :00:05.Tenerife so that we can all get in the holiday mood because this week
:00:05. > :00:10.we're investigating unpleasant experiences that some of you have
:00:10. > :00:13.had with your holidays. And making sure that whatever you're spending
:00:13. > :00:19.be it pounds, euros, dollars, anything else, you are really
:00:19. > :00:22.getting value for your money. course. Now, you know whether it's
:00:22. > :00:26.at home or abroad, holidays, rarely come cheap and they can take an
:00:26. > :00:29.awful lot of time and trouble to organise in the first place. But of
:00:29. > :00:33.course, sometimes it's the planning that is all part of the fun. But
:00:33. > :00:38.you do need to be sure your hard- earned cash is buying you exactly
:00:38. > :00:42.what you expected. And I'm afraid you've been telling us about
:00:42. > :00:45.situations where it's done nothing of the kind. Absolutely. We'll be
:00:45. > :00:48.hearing some really outrageous stories about people who don't feel
:00:48. > :00:52.they got what they paid for. Or for that matter for anything at all.
:00:52. > :00:55.We'll try to find out why and we'll have some excellent advice to stop
:00:55. > :00:58.the same thing happening to you. Coming up: The innocent holiday
:00:58. > :01:04.makers being threatened with court action for money they don't even
:01:04. > :01:07.owe I was very distressed about it and I felt we were being harassed.
:01:07. > :01:12.And, why this couple's travel company left them stranded in the
:01:12. > :01:17.middle of the night at a hotel that had been closed for months. I was
:01:17. > :01:26.absolutely dumfounded at their total lack of interest. We've got
:01:26. > :01:29.your money, tough. Sometimes you tell us about companies that aren't
:01:29. > :01:33.simply giving bad service, they don't seem to be providing any
:01:33. > :01:37.service at all. And here's one that appears to be a classic example of
:01:37. > :01:39.exactly that. Their website says that they offer "creative travel
:01:39. > :01:42.solutions", but who would have guessed that creativity meant that
:01:42. > :01:52.some customers have paid hundreds of pounds for cheap flights and
:01:52. > :02:03.
:02:03. > :02:08.then received absolutely nothing in return? I do not understand how
:02:08. > :02:17.people can do this to other people. I asked them, how do you sleep at
:02:17. > :02:20.night? When we search the web for the best flight prices, we don't
:02:20. > :02:24.always look quite so carefully into the reputation of the companies
:02:24. > :02:27.offering them and that can end up costing you dearly, as it has Dev
:02:27. > :02:33.Day and his fiancee Shalu. They needed flights to Kenya after being
:02:33. > :02:38.invited to a wedding. A friend that I went to school with was getting
:02:38. > :02:41.married and they chose Mombasa as the destination. So we were
:02:41. > :02:47.delighted to go, delighted to be invited. For me it was an
:02:47. > :02:51.unmissable event. Dev and Shalu were among dozens of friends and
:02:51. > :02:54.family who were invited to Kenya to celebrate the big day and word very
:02:54. > :03:00.quickly spread about a website that seemed to be offering a really
:03:00. > :03:05.great deal to get them all there. It belonged to a company called
:03:05. > :03:08.Azzy Travel Ltd, not to be confused with companies of a similar name.
:03:08. > :03:13.lot of the wedding party had mentioned Azzy and we hadn't come
:03:13. > :03:17.across them before. It looked like a good travel website, the price
:03:17. > :03:20.was fairly decent so we decided to book with them. Meanwhile, in
:03:20. > :03:28.Nottingham Dr Narendra Sharma was after flights to the same wedding
:03:28. > :03:32.and also heard there were low fares being advertised by Azzy Travel.
:03:32. > :03:37.looked at the website. They looked quite impressive, they looked quite
:03:38. > :03:43.legitimate. So Dr Sharma called them to book the flights. But,
:03:43. > :03:46.unusually, they wouldn't let him pay by credit card. The only way we
:03:46. > :03:52.had to give them money was by transfer of money through my bank
:03:52. > :04:00.account which I did on the same day. In London, Dev and Shalu were also
:04:00. > :04:04.surprised to be asked to pay by bank transfer and not with a card.
:04:04. > :04:07.It was a bit strange when they asked for the payments to be made
:04:07. > :04:14.by bank transfer. You know question marks were raised but since there
:04:14. > :04:16.was such a big group doing it you tend not to question these things.
:04:16. > :04:22.So, Shalu went ahead and transferred the money for two
:04:22. > :04:26.flights to Azzy Travel's bank account, just as Dr Sharma had done.
:04:26. > :04:31.But that didn't mean any of them got their tickets. They were told
:04:31. > :04:35.they'd be sent them via e-mail, but nothing showed up in their inbox.
:04:35. > :04:42.So as time passed with no sign of the tickets he'd paid �1,350 for Dr
:04:42. > :04:49.Sharma chased Azzy Travel to see what was going on. They said, "Yes,
:04:49. > :04:52.your e-ticket will be issued on Monday." Monday came and went with
:04:52. > :04:58.no tickets so he rang Azzy Travel again, this time speaking to a
:04:58. > :05:07.manager. He said there was a problem, the airline was actually
:05:07. > :05:09.over booked so we have to find alternative dates. So we agreed on
:05:09. > :05:16.an alternative date with an understanding that tickets would be
:05:16. > :05:20.issued to me the same day. But they weren't. And in London Dev and
:05:20. > :05:25.Shalu were being led a very similar dance as they tried to get hold of
:05:25. > :05:30.their tickets. They said that our tickets would be issued, we would
:05:30. > :05:34.just have to be patient. So we kind of waited until the end of the week
:05:34. > :05:38.and nothing came. No e-mails. went to the point when I was
:05:38. > :05:41.calling them two to three times a day and nothing. And with the
:05:41. > :05:44.wedding getting closer, Dr Sharma had also had enough of Azzy
:05:44. > :05:50.Travel's constant reassurances that his tickets would soon be on their
:05:50. > :05:53.way. I said, "No, I want the tickets now. If you can't issue
:05:53. > :05:57.today, what is the hitch? Cancel my tickets and I want a full refund
:05:57. > :06:03.now. He said, "Since the tickets can't be issued today, your refund
:06:03. > :06:09.will be available soon." But you guessed it, just like the tickets
:06:09. > :06:12.the promised refund didn't arrive. So faced with the prospect of
:06:12. > :06:15.missing the ceremony both sets of wedding guests felt they had no
:06:15. > :06:24.alternative but to cough up the cash for a second time and buy
:06:24. > :06:27.tickets to Kenya from someone else. Ultimately it is such a good
:06:27. > :06:33.friend's wedding we had to make the decision should we just go anyway
:06:33. > :06:36.even if we don't get the money back? I rang KLM airline and they
:06:36. > :06:40.gave me a ticket within five minutes of being paid on credit
:06:40. > :06:46.card. The wedding itself was the unforgettable experience they'd
:06:46. > :06:53.hoped for. When we got there for the one week, for the whole week we
:06:53. > :06:58.forgot about the Azzy situation. But when they got home, there was
:06:58. > :07:01.still no joy getting their promised refunds. Four times a week I would
:07:01. > :07:04.call them and they would say the cheque had been put in the account,
:07:04. > :07:08."Your cheque is being processed, we are banking your cheque today, the
:07:08. > :07:11.money should be in your account." They were lying through their teeth
:07:11. > :07:13.Other members of the wedding party who experienced the same sort of
:07:13. > :07:17.problems with Azzy Travel did get them resolved after threatening
:07:17. > :07:20.legal action, but it seems the company has a bit of a track record
:07:20. > :07:23.of this kind of thing. A quick search online turns up plenty more
:07:23. > :07:28.customers who also claim that after they handed over cash they got
:07:28. > :07:31.absolutely nothing in return. wrote to Azzy Travel for an
:07:31. > :07:41.explanation, but they didn't respond to any of the letters or e-
:07:41. > :07:42.
:07:42. > :07:45.mails we sent them. So we decided to phone the company and see if we
:07:45. > :07:52.could get an explanation as to why some customers have paid thousands
:07:52. > :07:57.of pounds for flights but never had their tickets. Just a moment
:07:57. > :08:00.please.Thank you. But over a number of fruitless calls it soon became
:08:00. > :08:07.clear exactly what Dev, Dr Sharma and other unhappy Azzy Travel
:08:07. > :08:14.customers were up against. Do you know when he might be free? That's
:08:14. > :08:21.right, yes, I'd like to speak with him now if I may? Wait there.
:08:21. > :08:25.Regarding what? Regarding Azzy travel? What's Azzy travel? We've
:08:25. > :08:28.had an awful lot of people get in touch with us telling us they tried
:08:28. > :08:32.to book tickets through Azzy travel, you ask them for money, they send
:08:32. > :08:39.you money and they don't ever get their tickets, can you explain why?
:08:39. > :08:44.You are speaking wrong, we are not that type of people. We are giving
:08:44. > :08:47.refunds exactly right. We made more calls to Azzy Travel later and
:08:47. > :08:49.eventually they did answer some of our questions, blaming problems on
:08:49. > :08:56.difficulties the company has been experiencing with the internet and
:08:56. > :09:02.one of its phone numbers. They also said though refunds are generally
:09:02. > :09:06.paid within a week, they sometimes take longer. But there's good news
:09:06. > :09:09.for Dev, Shalu, and Dr Sharma. After we got involved, and they'd
:09:09. > :09:15.also looked into action through the small claims court, their money was
:09:15. > :09:18.finally refunded. On top of that, when we passed on the names of
:09:18. > :09:22.other customers who hadn't had their tickets they were given their
:09:22. > :09:25.money back too. Meanwhile, though Dr Sharma is relieved to have got
:09:25. > :09:34.his money back at last, in future, he'll be wary of buying anything
:09:34. > :09:37.without the protection he'd get by paying with a credit card. I have
:09:37. > :09:43.strong advice for all my friends and colleagues and public in
:09:43. > :09:47.general - never to transfer money electronically for any purpose. Use
:09:47. > :09:57.your credit card or debit card and use a travel agency which is well
:09:57. > :10:00.
:10:00. > :10:05.reputed, trusted or with one which The last thing that anyone wants
:10:05. > :10:08.when you go on holiday is to fall ill, or need medical treatment.
:10:08. > :10:18.Which is why most peple who travel in Europe recognize that an
:10:18. > :10:21.essential part of their travel kit is one of these. You can take it to
:10:21. > :10:24.any of the 27 countries in the European Union, plus a couple more
:10:24. > :10:31.besides, and if you need it, you're entitled to the same state-funded
:10:31. > :10:34.medical care as all the locals. The European Health Insurance card, or
:10:34. > :10:40.E.H.I.C card, was introduced in 2006 to replace the old E-111 form
:10:40. > :10:43.that used to do the same job. Everyone needs their own individual
:10:43. > :10:48.card, and though it doesn't replace the need for travel insurance, it
:10:48. > :10:51.won't cover you if you need to be brought back to Britain. Unlike
:10:51. > :10:56.that travel insurance, the card still covers you if you've got any
:10:56. > :11:00.pre-existing conditions. Four million of us apply or renew one
:11:00. > :11:04.every year. But does that mean everyone who might need one knows
:11:04. > :11:09.they should have it? Do you know they should have it? Do you know
:11:09. > :11:14.what this is the European Health Insurance card? Guess what I don't
:11:14. > :11:17.know what it is. I have one but I'm not even sure I know what it is
:11:17. > :11:21.actually if I'm perfectly honest with you. Can you tell her what it
:11:21. > :11:25.is? I've no idea. I just had it when I lived abroad. Is it like an
:11:25. > :11:29.E111?Exactly. Well, if I was to be injured or had to go to hospital
:11:29. > :11:33.when I'm abroad, then I'd have to when I'm abroad, then I'd have to
:11:33. > :11:38.use it then, right? I thought everyone automatically had one to
:11:38. > :11:42.be honest. I thought you had to pay for it. A key thing to remember
:11:42. > :11:44.about these cards is that you don't have to pay anything at all to get
:11:44. > :11:48.one. But that hasn't stopped some people appearing online saying
:11:48. > :11:51.something rather different. In fact, they are trying to make you part
:11:51. > :11:55.with your cash to get your hands on something you can get for
:11:55. > :11:58.absolutely nothing. When David and Rose Atkinson found their cards had
:11:59. > :12:01.expired, they did what most of us do these days if we want to find
:12:01. > :12:07.something. They went online, typed the letters EHIC into a search
:12:07. > :12:10.engine, and clicked on the first site to come up. The first one that
:12:11. > :12:14.came up looked fairly authentic, first website, so I went on to the
:12:15. > :12:24.site filled the forms in, found out that I had to pay and I paid for
:12:25. > :12:26.
:12:26. > :12:31.the two which I think was about �7.50 each. That doesn't sound much.
:12:31. > :12:34.But there was more to pay too. then requested another �5 for
:12:34. > :12:43.express clearance and as we were planning on going within two or
:12:43. > :12:46.three weeks we decided that the best thing to do was to pay up.
:12:46. > :12:52.Didn't think any more about it Now, there's no shortage of websites to
:12:52. > :12:57.help you get your card. Among them you'll find the one you really
:12:57. > :13:00.should be going to, this one, the official NHS one. But there are
:13:00. > :13:06.also plenty of other sites that will charge a processing fee for
:13:06. > :13:11.handling your application. It won't be a lot of money, just enough to
:13:11. > :13:14.ensure you don't get suspicious. Unaware he didn't need to pay a
:13:14. > :13:19.penny for his card, David, like so many others, went ahead and handed
:13:19. > :13:23.over his cash. It was the next week before he realized he didn't need
:13:23. > :13:28.to have handed over a penny when he happened to get chatting in his
:13:28. > :13:31.local Post Office. We were still waiting for the cards to arrive and
:13:31. > :13:34.I just happened to mention about EHIC renewals and they said, "You
:13:34. > :13:43.should have done that here," and I said, "I see they're now charging
:13:43. > :13:48.for them," and they pointed out that they are free. And that's when
:13:48. > :13:51.the alarm bells started ringing. It wasn't just the money it was the
:13:51. > :13:55.fact they had obtained our personal details which we are not too happy
:13:55. > :14:05.about. Personal details including NHS, national insurance numbers,
:14:05. > :14:12.where we are, our Barclaycard details. When I investigated I
:14:12. > :14:15.found that this wasn't the official government website. Companies like
:14:15. > :14:18.the one whose site David used are doing nothing illegal, they
:14:18. > :14:24.maintain that all they charge for is helping people with their
:14:24. > :14:28.application, not for the free card itself. And some of them, including
:14:28. > :14:33.the one David found, dosay in the small print that you can get the
:14:33. > :14:36.card from the NHS for free. But the Department of Health has reiterated
:14:36. > :14:39.that you don't need to use such sites, telling us they recommend
:14:39. > :14:46.people use the official EHIC application website, which is
:14:46. > :14:48.entirely free of charge. They say third-party websites still have to
:14:48. > :14:58.use the EHIC application system, therefore it's cheaper to go
:14:58. > :15:01.straight to the official website. If you're not on the internet,
:15:01. > :15:06.don't worry, you can pick up the relevant form at your nearest post
:15:06. > :15:10.office. But if you do have access to the web and you really do want
:15:10. > :15:17.to get the best out of your European health card, go to a site
:15:17. > :15:26.you can trust. Go to our site. You will find everything you need to
:15:27. > :15:31.know all on the website. Next, how important is your choice of hotel
:15:31. > :15:34.if you're going abroad? Most people would say it's fundamental. So if
:15:34. > :15:37.you've carefully selected the one you want and it seems you've booked
:15:37. > :15:40.it as part of a package, you're obviously going to expect that
:15:40. > :15:44.that's where you'll be staying. But that's not how things turned out
:15:44. > :15:49.for the next families who contacted us. And the way they found out
:15:49. > :15:54.could hardly have been worse. was turning into a nightmare.
:15:54. > :15:59.Holidays shouldn't be nightmares. couldn't believe what had actually
:15:59. > :16:03.happened to us. We were in a state of shock, really. I just had to
:16:03. > :16:06.turn around to my mum and say, "I want to get out of here." These
:16:06. > :16:09.people had all organised their holidays through an online company
:16:09. > :16:15.called Travelsoon. Dave and Jan Brookes had booked after seeing on
:16:15. > :16:19.the site what looked like the perfect hotel. It was a fortnight
:16:19. > :16:24.all inclusive in the Club Aqua in Gumbet, Turkey. It looked amazing,
:16:24. > :16:27.just what we were looking for. I saw quite an idyllic place with a
:16:27. > :16:34.nice pool and the rooms looked good and comfortable and clean and we
:16:34. > :16:37.thought we'd struck gold. So last May, they set off for Turkey. After
:16:37. > :16:40.a five hour delay at the airport, they landed in the middle of the
:16:41. > :16:46.night and immediately got on the bus supposed to take them to their
:16:46. > :16:55.hotel. We boarded the bus, they took us to a hotel in Gumbet which
:16:55. > :16:58.we thought was the Club Aqua only to find out it was the wrong hotel.
:16:58. > :17:02.And unfortunately it wasn't simply a matter of the bus taking them on
:17:02. > :17:08.somewhere else. Because Jan and Dave were about to discover some
:17:08. > :17:11.terrible news about their hotel. found the Club Aqua hotel and
:17:11. > :17:21.adjacent hotel security guard met us and said that the Club Aqua had
:17:21. > :17:24.been closed. The Club Aqua was shut for refurbishment. But that vital
:17:24. > :17:30.information hadn't been passed on to Dave and Jan who now had nowhere
:17:30. > :17:33.to stay. I wanted to cry then, I'd had more than enough and to be
:17:33. > :17:36.perfectly honest if they'd turned round and taken me to the airport
:17:36. > :17:43.to put me on the plane back to Manchester, I'd have been happy at
:17:43. > :17:47.that I'd had enough. Tired, hungry, and with no bed for the night, the
:17:47. > :17:52.Brookes had to ask the transfer driver to help them find a hotel.
:17:52. > :17:56.And when they found somewhere they had to fork out for it themselves.
:17:56. > :17:59.At this stage it was approximately 4.30 in the morning. There was no
:17:59. > :18:02.help forthcoming from anybody I couldn't get in touch with the reps,
:18:02. > :18:09.I couldn't get in touch with the agents, nobody, so basically all I
:18:09. > :18:12.had to do was cough up the money and go to bed. Next morning Dave
:18:12. > :18:17.rang Travelsoon for an explanation. And they were soon moved to a
:18:17. > :18:22.different hotel. But of course it wasn't the one they'd chosen and in
:18:22. > :18:25.fact was in an entirely different resort. I understand that things do
:18:25. > :18:27.change, it happens and that is acceptable, but what isn't
:18:27. > :18:36.acceptable is that they didn't have the manners or the professionalism
:18:36. > :18:39.to tell us. Arriving in the middle of the night to find the hotel
:18:39. > :18:42.you'd booked isn't even open may sound bad enough. But things turned
:18:43. > :18:50.out even worse for Anne Mackay and her daughter Jo-Lee when they too
:18:50. > :18:54.booked a holiday on the Travelsoon site. We were going on holiday to
:18:54. > :18:58.celebrate Joe-Lee's 24th birthday. I was looking forward to the
:18:58. > :19:02.holiday. I had never been on holiday with just me and my mum
:19:02. > :19:07.before. And it seemed they'd found the perfect place. The Royal
:19:07. > :19:10.Panacea Hotel in Turkey. The hotel looked really good on the website.
:19:10. > :19:13.The rooms, everything about it looked nice, The scenery was really
:19:13. > :19:20.nice as well When she showed me the pictures, the rooms looked
:19:20. > :19:25.absolutely beautiful. It did look like a nice treat. And when they
:19:25. > :19:31.got to the hotel it more than met their expectations. I was really
:19:31. > :19:34.impressed. I couldn't believe I was staying in a hotel like that. I was
:19:34. > :19:38.just so big. It was all marble, it looked absolutely beautiful.
:19:38. > :19:45.Luxurious, thought I had gone to heaven. But just hours later there
:19:45. > :19:49.was an unexpected knock on their hotel room door. The man at the
:19:49. > :19:53.door asked us to go down to the reception to speak to the manager.
:19:53. > :19:58.We were a bit worried what he was going to say. Just wondered why he
:19:58. > :20:02.was wanting to see us. We met with the hotel manager at reception and
:20:02. > :20:07.he just basically said, "You don't have a booking with us, you have to
:20:07. > :20:10.leave my hotel now." The manager was very aggressive. He said it was
:20:10. > :20:13.our travel agent's fault, not his fault, and for us to get in touch
:20:13. > :20:20.with our travel agent Anne couldn't understand what the manager was
:20:20. > :20:24.telling her. This was definitely the hotel she'd booked. So why were
:20:24. > :20:28.they being turfed out? I was annoyed, angry and upset and I knew
:20:28. > :20:35.that this was the hotel that we had booked and why was he asking us to
:20:35. > :20:38.leave? It turns out the Royal Panacea was overbooked. So without
:20:38. > :20:44.knowing about it Ann and Jo-Lee had been moved to a different hotel.
:20:45. > :20:48.And the manager made clear they had no choice but to go there. He said
:20:48. > :20:53.you have ten minutes, ten minutes to pack your stuff, I just wanted
:20:53. > :20:56.to get out of there. They were even forced to pay for the cab to the
:20:56. > :21:03.new hotel, which, though also classed as four star, wasn't quite
:21:03. > :21:07.in the same league. When we got in there it stunk of faeces. It wasn't
:21:07. > :21:16.nice at all. The balcony was tiny, the lamp on the ceiling was hanging
:21:16. > :21:26.off the wall. It was just basic beds. It just wasn't the luxury we
:21:26. > :21:26.
:21:26. > :21:28.So, how on earth did these booked and paid for holidays go so wrong?
:21:28. > :21:32.Well, like many companies offering holidays on the internet,
:21:32. > :21:37.Travelsoon isn't itself a tour operator. It's just an agent
:21:37. > :21:41.offering services organized by other parties. So, a holiday that
:21:41. > :21:49.looks like a complete package can, in fact, be made up of lots of
:21:49. > :21:52.different arrangements involving a whole chain of other companies.
:21:52. > :21:56.You're reliant on each of them passing the right information on.
:21:56. > :21:58.And, in these two situations, that didn't happen. In Dave and Jan's
:21:58. > :22:01.case, Travelsoon say clearly there was a breakdown in communication
:22:01. > :22:05.between themselves and their hotel supplier, which is deeply
:22:05. > :22:07.regrettable. That supplier has explained the re-opening of the
:22:07. > :22:12.hotel was delayed but they regret the inconvenience and
:22:12. > :22:22.disappointment caused. Between them, the two companies will reimburse
:22:22. > :22:24.
:22:24. > :22:27.the couple's extra costs and have As for the overbooking at Anne and
:22:27. > :22:29.Jo-Lee's hotel, Travelsoon say they weren't told about it by their
:22:29. > :22:34.supplier, who, in turn had booked it through another company, who
:22:34. > :22:38.hadn't advised them either. Anne will be getting a partial refund,
:22:38. > :22:41.plus money back for that taxi. Travelsoon also tell us their site
:22:41. > :22:49.makes the nature of all bookings clear, and that provided they are
:22:49. > :22:52.notified of any changes, they do pass them on to customers. But,
:22:52. > :22:55.clearly, the nuts and bolts of a modern holiday can be more
:22:55. > :23:02.complicated than they may appear. And these holidaymakers say they
:23:02. > :23:07.won't be booking with Travelsoon again. Absolutely not. I wouldn't
:23:07. > :23:11.even recommend them to me worst enemy. I was really upset that my
:23:11. > :23:20.birthday had turned out like that. I didn't blame my mum at all. She
:23:20. > :23:25.had booked a nice hotel and that Still to come on Rip Off Britain: A
:23:25. > :23:29.ruined holiday, with no-one accepting the blame. I just think
:23:29. > :23:39.that is totally wrong they are just sort of making excuses they are
:23:39. > :23:45.
:23:45. > :23:49.As we've met people here in Tenerife, it's been reassuring to
:23:49. > :23:54.hear that most holidays turn out the way we want them to. But not
:23:54. > :24:04.everything goes smoothly. Barry and his family like to spend as much
:24:04. > :24:09.
:24:09. > :24:15.We love Tenerife. We have a great reception each time we come over.
:24:15. > :24:22.We use different websites to get flights but they can be expensive.
:24:22. > :24:28.When you get through online, it is the added costs. Baggage and taxis.
:24:28. > :24:31.The cost of using debit and credit cards is ridiculous. Budget
:24:32. > :24:35.airlines are the cause of a lot of the letters and e-mails you send us.
:24:35. > :24:38.But, recently, one of the big names has introduced a change in the way
:24:38. > :24:47.they sell their seat - as our travel expert, Simon Calder,
:24:47. > :24:51.I have to ask you, Simon. I have travelled with easyJet recently and
:24:51. > :24:54.suddenly they are assigning me a seat. Is this a trend? Or is it a
:24:54. > :24:58.trick? That is what some people have been saying to Rip Off Britain.
:24:58. > :25:01.Are they just trying to squeeze more money out of us. It is very
:25:01. > :25:08.interesting. EasyJet, Britain's biggest airline in terms of
:25:08. > :25:12.passenger numbers. Over the past year, what they have been doing is
:25:12. > :25:15.testing out the idea. What they have been doing is, over the last
:25:15. > :25:18.year, testing out the idea of whether it is a good idea to assign
:25:18. > :25:22.seating. Now people are saying, hang on, it is just a trick to
:25:22. > :25:26.squeeze more money out of us. They want �3 to assign a seat, more than
:25:26. > :25:30.that if you want extra leg room or a seat at the front. It is not as
:25:30. > :25:33.bad as that. My reading of it, if you are a family, you have booked
:25:33. > :25:36.together, you can expect to be seated together, as long as you
:25:36. > :25:39.don't mind whereabouts on the plane, you should be all right. We shall
:25:39. > :25:42.see. They don't absolutely guarantee it. They do say they will
:25:42. > :25:45.try. But while it may be getting easier to sit together, you've told
:25:45. > :25:49.us there things about booking with any airline that drive you
:25:49. > :25:52.absolutely mad. This summer, when we went to Lanzarote, we were sort
:25:52. > :26:00.of when we were booking the flight, we were just looking at first, and
:26:00. > :26:04.every time we looked online, it had gone up another �20 or something.
:26:04. > :26:07.Our daughters were going, so it ended up a lot more than what we
:26:07. > :26:14.envisaged by the time we booked it. So, yeah, there is something going
:26:14. > :26:16.on, isn't there? Now, most of us come back from a trip abroad with
:26:16. > :26:19.nothing more than some pleasant memories. A few good photographs,
:26:19. > :26:23.perhaps a bigger than normal credit card bill and the odd souvenir that
:26:23. > :26:26.really seemed to be a good idea at the time but will end up gathering
:26:26. > :26:29.dust in the corner. So, spare a thought for those who've been left
:26:29. > :26:33.with a much less welcome reminder of their holiday. They're being
:26:33. > :26:35.chased for a bill of hundreds of pounds that, as far as they were
:26:35. > :26:38.aware, the company they travelled with should have already taken care
:26:38. > :26:47.of. Unfortunately, that was only the start, because what arrived in
:26:47. > :26:51.Sri Lanka, a paradise island shaped like a tear drop in the Indian
:26:51. > :26:57.Ocean. It was once described by explorer Marco Polo as the finest
:26:57. > :27:04.island of its size in all the world. And Les and Pauline Marks from
:27:04. > :27:08.Gravesend would definitely agree. It's a beautiful island as you fly
:27:08. > :27:15.in over the palm trees and the sparkling water. Why do you lose
:27:15. > :27:18.your heart to these places? But Sri Lanka took ours anyway. The food is
:27:18. > :27:21.very good, the people are very helpful. Yeah, it's just everything,
:27:21. > :27:24.Keen to introduce the island to their friends, John and Shirley,
:27:24. > :27:27.with whom they share a passion for cricket, the couple organised a
:27:27. > :27:33.trip to Sri Lanka at a time when England would be playing a Test
:27:33. > :27:40.series. And Pauline went straight to the company with whom they'd
:27:40. > :27:43.booked trips to the island with before - Mercury Direct. I didn't
:27:43. > :27:49.actually look anywhere else for this holiday because we had been
:27:49. > :27:53.pleased with Mercury before and they had the hotel that we wanted.
:27:53. > :27:55.So, Pauline booked and paid for 14 nights at the Villa Ocean View
:27:55. > :28:04.Hotel, going for an all-inclusive package at a total cost of
:28:04. > :28:07.�1,089.50 each. We're pensioners. It's nice to know that, once you
:28:07. > :28:10.have paid up front, you have paid for everything really. With their
:28:10. > :28:15.costs covered, the only additional spend was in order to hear the
:28:15. > :28:19.whack of leather on willow at the Test match. I don't think we saw a
:28:19. > :28:26.wicket fall all day long and the ladies actually fell asleep. I did,
:28:26. > :28:29.yes. Both of them were like this. But England's performance on the
:28:29. > :28:33.pitch didn't hamper the rest of the holiday. I enjoyed it even more
:28:33. > :28:38.this time because we can show John and Shirley things they hadn't seen
:28:38. > :28:44.before. We found the hotel comfortable, the food was good. As
:28:44. > :28:48.far as the hotel is concerned, we had nothing to complain about.
:28:48. > :28:50.at least, not at the time. But four months after getting home, long
:28:50. > :28:53.after their tans had faded, Pauline and Les received something through
:28:53. > :29:03.their letterbox that really took the colour from their cheeks It was
:29:03. > :29:06.A shock to receive the letter. thought there had been a mistake.
:29:06. > :29:09.The letter was from a Sri Lankan lawyer, claiming their hotel bill
:29:09. > :29:14.was unpaid, and they'd need to pay 966 US dollars to settle it, or
:29:14. > :29:21.face going to court. That's the hotel bill that Les and Pauline
:29:21. > :29:24.assumed had been settled months ago by Mercury Direct. I e-mailed
:29:24. > :29:27.immediately and said, you know, "Have you got the right room
:29:27. > :29:34.number? Because we booked our holiday all-inclusive with Mercury
:29:34. > :29:38.Direct Holidays." Les and Pauline couldn't understand why they were
:29:38. > :29:44.being hit with a bill for a holiday they'd already paid for. It seemed
:29:44. > :29:48.unbelievable. It all started to become a bit frightening.
:29:48. > :29:50.couple rang Mercury Direct to find out what was going on and were
:29:50. > :29:53.reassured to be told that they should ignore the letter they'd
:29:53. > :30:00.received from Sri Lanka, which was all apparently down to a dispute
:30:00. > :30:05.between the two companies. They had an issue with the hotel, and
:30:05. > :30:10.nothing to do with us. We shouldn't be involved so just forget it,
:30:10. > :30:15.ignore it. But a few days later, another letter came through the
:30:15. > :30:18.door. I think, when we received the second letter, which was an
:30:18. > :30:21.acknowledgment of the fact they were very aware that we had bought
:30:21. > :30:28.and paid for an all-inclusive holiday with Mercury but, hard luck,
:30:28. > :30:31.Mercury hadn't paid, so now we are coming after you. Down to you, yes.
:30:31. > :30:35.And the pressure kept mounting. More letters arrived with the Sri
:30:35. > :30:37.Lankan postmark they had begun to dread. To make things worse, their
:30:37. > :30:42.friends, Shirley and John, were also getting the same threatening
:30:42. > :30:46.letters. Everything that has been sent to us has been sent to them.
:30:46. > :30:50.Pauline and Les were desperate to get to the bottom of it all, and
:30:50. > :30:56.terrified by the tone of the letters. I was very distressed
:30:56. > :30:59.about it. And I felt we were being harassed. I felt it was unfair that
:30:59. > :31:04.we had been involved in something through absolutely no fault of our
:31:04. > :31:09.own. And then, the letters from Sri Lanka started to warn of much
:31:09. > :31:11.scarier consequences. To then be told, that unless we pay this money,
:31:11. > :31:19.court proceedings will be instituted against us in the
:31:20. > :31:22.District Court for recovery of the money. And, following that, a
:31:22. > :31:25.letter stating that our names and addresses were going to be
:31:25. > :31:35.published in the hotel trade magazine as defaulters against the
:31:35. > :31:36.
:31:36. > :31:44.The last thing Les and Pauline wanted was anything that might
:31:44. > :31:47.threaten their ability to return to the island they love so much.
:31:47. > :31:57.were marked down as defaulters, would we ever be able to travel in
:31:57. > :32:00.Sri Lanka? Would it impact on Well, by this stage, they were
:32:00. > :32:05.getting very worried. But when they went online, they found that they
:32:05. > :32:08.weren't alone. Other people who'd stayed at the same hotel, after
:32:08. > :32:13.booking with Mercury Direct, had left reports on the internet saying
:32:13. > :32:16.they too were receiving the same threatening letters. I was very
:32:16. > :32:20.concerned and very worried but comforted a bit by the fact that,
:32:20. > :32:22.because I have been in touch with all these other people on Trip
:32:22. > :32:30.Advisor, every bad thing that happened here, every nasty letter
:32:30. > :32:33.that came was also going through their doors. We were all talking
:32:33. > :32:41.about it together on the internet and it made you feel like you
:32:41. > :32:44.weren't alone. We contacted both the hotel and holiday company
:32:44. > :32:48.Mercury Direct to find out why their dispute has left innocent
:32:48. > :32:51.holidaymakers harassed. The hotel reiterated its position that
:32:51. > :32:54.they're owed money withheld by Mercury Direct but also claimed
:32:54. > :32:57.that they'd sent people like Les and Pauline letters in order that
:32:57. > :33:04.those former guests might persuade the holiday company to settle the
:33:04. > :33:08.dispute. Which, of course, isn't how any of their letters came
:33:08. > :33:10.across. For their part, Mercury Direct have told us they've found
:33:10. > :33:17.the letters shocking and inappropriate and they can well
:33:17. > :33:20.understand the stress and upset caused. They say that not only do
:33:20. > :33:25.they disagree with the hotel's claims but it's enormously
:33:25. > :33:28.regrettable their customers have been dragged into it all. They
:33:28. > :33:33.advise anyone getting these letters to ignore them, saying there is no
:33:33. > :33:36.valid legal claim against them and the letters sent are spurious.
:33:36. > :33:38.They've made clear to the hotel what they think about its
:33:38. > :33:48.oppressive conduct and their website no longer advertises the
:33:48. > :33:51.But, until the two sides sort out their differences, Les, Pauline -
:33:51. > :33:58.and everyone else in the same position - can only wait to see
:33:58. > :34:02.what threats the next delivery will bring. You wonder what is coming in
:34:02. > :34:05.the post the next day. You just don't know. So, yes, it has been
:34:05. > :34:15.upsetting. Some nights you go to bed and you think about it. So,
:34:15. > :34:16.
:34:16. > :34:22.When it comes to holidays, many of us are creatures of habit. We find
:34:22. > :34:25.a hotel we like, so we stick to it. That way, you know what you'll be
:34:25. > :34:28.getting, and there won't be any horrible surprises later on. But
:34:28. > :34:32.that doesn't mean you can assume the facilities will stay the same
:34:32. > :34:36.each time you visit, as our next viewers found to their cost. On
:34:36. > :34:40.their return to a much-loved hotel, they weren't able to enjoy the very
:34:40. > :34:42.thing that had made them want to go back in the first place. So, if a
:34:42. > :34:50.major part of your holiday isn't going to be available, shouldn't
:34:50. > :34:58.Year-round sunshine has made Tenerife a favourite destination
:34:58. > :35:01.for Brits. And among the one and a half million people to visit last
:35:01. > :35:04.year were Maggie, her sister, Kathleen, and her husband, Brian,
:35:04. > :35:10.and also their friend, Maureen. They like to holiday together and
:35:10. > :35:14.had enjoyed a perfect week relaxing by the hotel pool. We went to the
:35:14. > :35:18.resort last year and it was lovely, absolutely beautiful. So we just
:35:18. > :35:21.thought we'd go back again this year. As they wanted exactly the
:35:21. > :35:24.same holiday experience, at the same hotel, it made sense to use
:35:24. > :35:30.the travel agent they'd booked with last time - Broadway Travel of
:35:30. > :35:33.Luton - not to be confused with other firms with similar names. So,
:35:33. > :35:39.all was quickly arranged, and they looked forward to another
:35:39. > :35:43.successful trip. It is a major treat for us because we are all
:35:43. > :35:48.pensioners. We were really looking forward to it and it is a great
:35:48. > :35:52.treat for us to go on holiday now. This is the hotel that they'd
:35:52. > :35:56.enjoyed so much on their first visit. But, this time, the Dream
:35:56. > :36:04.Villa Tagoro didn't live up to its name. Because, when they arrived,
:36:04. > :36:08.it looked very different. We just stood on the top from the reception,
:36:08. > :36:11.which is high up and looked down. And we just looked down at a
:36:11. > :36:13.building site. The pool was gone, it was all fenced off, building
:36:14. > :36:18.going on. The bar was gone, everything. It was awful,
:36:18. > :36:21.absolutely awful. We couldn't believe it. Maggie and her friends
:36:21. > :36:24.were devastated. And they were confused. Why had no-one told them
:36:24. > :36:26.just how extensive the building work was? And, in particular, why
:36:26. > :36:31.hadn't they been warned that the pool area they'd previously enjoyed
:36:31. > :36:40.so much would be out of bounds? were let down. There's no other
:36:40. > :36:44.word for it. Very disappointed. they left it until Brian, after
:36:44. > :36:47.they have booked us all in and give us our keys, and then said, there
:36:47. > :36:51.is a slight problem with the pool and that is really bad, really bad.
:36:51. > :36:54.With all the group in their 70s, the pool area had been a key part
:36:54. > :36:57.of the hotel's appeal. They didn't want to be negotiating their way
:36:57. > :37:00.across the island to the beach. And though the hotel did organise
:37:00. > :37:03.facilities they could use elsewhere, that wasn't what they'd booked and
:37:03. > :37:07.paid for. By this stage, the friends were getting more than a
:37:07. > :37:10.little cheesed off that their break wasn't going the way they'd hoped.
:37:10. > :37:14.So, in desperation, Maggie tried to contact Broadway Travel back in the
:37:14. > :37:24.UK, to see if she and her friends could be moved somewhere with fewer
:37:24. > :37:26.
:37:26. > :37:30.cement mixers and rather more pool loungers. She just couldn't get
:37:30. > :37:33.through. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves and we couldn't. We were
:37:33. > :37:36.literally sort of phoning, phoning, phoning all the time. With no
:37:36. > :37:42.prospect of being able to change hotel, the group had no choice but
:37:42. > :37:45.to grin and bear it. We just literally wasted our money. OK, we
:37:45. > :37:48.went out to the sun but you could do that anywhere but have a good
:37:48. > :37:51.holiday. We didn't want to sit round a building site. Once back
:37:51. > :37:55.home in the UK, Maggie contacted Broadway Travel again. We wrote an
:37:55. > :38:00.e-mail too. Sent an e-mail and attached all the photos I had taken
:38:00. > :38:03.and sent them to them. For six months virtually, it has been e-
:38:03. > :38:11.mails backwards and forward, backwards and forwards and had no
:38:11. > :38:13.joy from them at all. Because Maggie hadn't managed to get
:38:13. > :38:17.through to the company while she was away, Broadway Travel disputed
:38:17. > :38:20.that she'd even tried to contact them. We hadn't got through to them
:38:20. > :38:23.but we were continually trying, you know. Three days and then we gave
:38:23. > :38:27.up trying to get through to them. Broadway Travel also insisted to
:38:27. > :38:30.Maggie that this wasn't their fault. Instead they blamed their
:38:30. > :38:34.accommodation supplier, a company called Low Cost Beds, who they said
:38:34. > :38:38.hadn't made them aware that the building works were under way.
:38:38. > :38:48.Maggie contacted Low Cost Beds too. And so began a classic round of
:38:48. > :38:54.pass the buck. They just didn't seem to want take responsibility.
:38:54. > :38:57.They blamed Low Cost Beds. Low Cost Beds blamed Broadway Travel and
:38:58. > :39:01.that's how it went on. I just think that that is just totally wrong.
:39:01. > :39:06.They were just making excuses and they were just trying to get out of
:39:06. > :39:15.it. One passes it to the other, then passes it back and they can't
:39:15. > :39:18.do nothing. You are booking hotels for people then you have got to
:39:19. > :39:21.find out what is going on in that hotel. We are really angry. Well,
:39:21. > :39:24.we contacted both the companies Maggie's been dealing with.
:39:24. > :39:26.Broadway Travel told us that, as the travel agent, they're just the
:39:27. > :39:30.intermediary in all transactions. And again say they've no record of
:39:30. > :39:33.any contact from Maggie while she was in Tenerife. And while she did
:39:33. > :39:36.manage to speak to their supplier, Low Cost Beds at the time, that
:39:36. > :39:39.company told us they couldn't help because their relationship was with
:39:39. > :39:43.the travel agent, not Maggie, so any changes to the booking could
:39:43. > :39:45.only be made by Broadway Travel. They told us the work at the hotel
:39:46. > :39:50.hadn't been planned in advance but was urgently required after the
:39:50. > :39:53.discovery of a leak in the pool. But there was good news too.
:39:53. > :40:01.They've agreed to refund in full the entire cost of the
:40:01. > :40:07.And though that does bring to end all the hassle, Maggie's still
:40:07. > :40:11.frustrated at how the trip turned out. I felt awful because I did the
:40:11. > :40:21.booking for us four people and I felt responsible. It was just
:40:21. > :40:25.absolutely awful, ruined the Here at Rip Off Britain, we're
:40:25. > :40:28.ready to investigate your stories on any subject, not just holidays.
:40:28. > :40:38.Confused over your bills? Trying to wade through never-ending small
:40:38. > :40:43.
:40:43. > :40:46.print? It is not been plain English. Unsure what to do when you discover
:40:46. > :40:52.you've lost out, and that so-called "Great Deal" has ended up costing
:40:52. > :40:56.you money? You get home in get your bail and it is �75 when it is meant
:40:56. > :41:00.to be 35. You get ripped off, don't you? You might have a cautionary
:41:00. > :41:06.tale of your own and want to share the mistakes you made with us, so
:41:06. > :41:16.others don't do the same. We paid them good money to act in our best
:41:16. > :41:24.
:41:24. > :41:34.interests. They did not. You can Or send us an e-mail to... The Rip
:41:34. > :41:35.
:41:35. > :41:38.Off team are ready and waiting to The days when we all booked our
:41:38. > :41:42.holidays through a high street travel agent are long gone. And
:41:42. > :41:45.while we may now have a lot more choice of where to go and who can
:41:45. > :41:49.take us there, there are also a lot more ways you can get caught out,
:41:49. > :41:51.or end up losing your money. Too true, and in an age of booking
:41:51. > :41:55.online with faceless companies you've probably never heard of, I'm
:41:55. > :41:58.afraid you can't take anything at face value, and you really do need
:41:58. > :42:01.to check exactly what you're buying before you hand over that hard
:42:01. > :42:04.earned cash. If, for whatever reason, the worst really does
:42:04. > :42:07.happen while you're away, or a holiday fails to deliver, then you
:42:07. > :42:11.must do exactly as you would at home - gather as much evidence as
:42:11. > :42:16.you can and arm yourself with all the facts that you need to fight
:42:16. > :42:21.your corner once you get back home. And, if that doesn't work, bring it