Episode 5 Rip Off Britain: Holidays

We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off

when it comes to your holidays?

The amount of money that it's cost is just astronomical.

It wasn't just the money, it was their attitude.

Whether it is a deliberate rip-off,

a simple mistake or a catch in the small print,

we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.

Your stories, your money, this is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello, a huge welcome to Rip-Off Britain, where this week,

we're on the marvellous island of Tenerife,

looking into one of the topics that you probably contact us about

more than anything else - that of holidays.

Of course, they're supposed to be fun.

But, as you know, they don't always go to plan, do they?

Too true! And, of course, what makes that so much worse

is that the average holiday, these days, does not come cheap.

In fact, aside from what you're going to spend on your home

and your car, the bill that you'll get for your summer break

is likely to be your biggest outlay of the year.

So it is pretty important that you can rely on what you're told about

where you're going and what you're going to get when you get there.

Sadly, as we'll hear during the programme,

it seems that what it said in the brochure or on the website

when you booked isn't always exactly what you end up with.

So, as we look into some of your travel disasters,

we'll also find out what you can do

when you feel that you've not had what you were promised.

Coming up, a five-star luxury break

that ended up with the guests begging to leave.

Usually, I don't want to come home from my holidays.

On this occasion, I couldn't wait to get back on that plane.

And caught on camera - the holiday coach drivers risking

passengers' lives by not keeping their eyes on the road.

I was just horrified.

Using a mobile phone with 50-odd people on board -

makes you wonder how worried he is about our safety.

I think, these days, when we book a holiday, most of us have got used

to the fact that a tour operator may well just embellish the details

of a location a bit to make it seem more exciting, more special.

The one thing that we ought to be able to rely on is that

the destination is where it says it is,

especially if that's the reason why you booked the holiday in the first place.

But the couple we're about to meet not only ended up

where they didn't expect to be, it was even more surprising,

because the name of the holiday was actually rather specific.

The Amazon, the world's mightiest river,

stretching around 4,000 miles through seven countries

and home to an extraordinary variety of birds and wildlife.

And that was a key part of the appeal for retired teachers

and keen photographers Richard and Denise Winston

when they were looking for somewhere extra special to celebrate Richard's 65th birthday.

We decided to go to the Amazon,

because it's somewhere I've always wanted to go.

Ecuador is full of birds, full of wildlife.

They saw an advert for a seven-night cruise

called Into The Amazon, which seemed perfect.

On the headline in the brochure it talked about a seven-night cruise

along the Amazon River, with an abundance of wildlife.

So it seemed like an ideal holiday for us.

The holiday was with one of the most trusted names in the business,

Saga, which specialises in travel for the over 50s

and with whom they had had several good trips before.

Fellow retirees Sue and Bob Furlong from the New Forest

were equally attracted to a week sailing the legendary river.

I think I was looking forward to the fact

that it was off the beaten track.

It was going into a territory that could be quite daunting,

quite exciting, quite adventurous for a couple of our age.

And the brochure-speak that Saga used certainly promised a very special holiday.

So both couples excitedly set off on their great Amazon adventure.

Altogether, there were 12 British travellers on this particular Saga trip

and they all flew down to join their home for the next week -

the Manatee Explorer.

And, at first, all seemed shipshape.

But not for long.

When we got to the boat, we were shown to our cabins

and then we had a briefing, I believe, in the evening, and that,

if I remember rightly, was the first time it really dawned on me

that, actually, we weren't going to the Amazon River at all.

Because we were shown a map on the screen and it showed the Napo River.

I felt pretty disappointed, because the whole attraction, for me,

was the Amazon. As it says clearly in the brochure,

"Enjoy the tranquillity and the wildlife of the world's greatest river."

I felt quite cheated. Sue and Bob were equally upset.

The biggest disappointment was the fact that

I actually really wanted to go to the Amazon. It was quite a shock.

I felt we were trapped, actually, on a boat,

going where they were telling us that they were taking us.

But we weren't going where we wanted to go.

Not only were they not on the Amazon itself,

but their itinerary didn't go to plan, either.

They were starting to feel like they'd been sold down the river.

On the third day of the cruise, we were told that we couldn't do

the excursion for that morning

because the motorised canoe was being used to go back to Coca,

two hours away, to pick up another group of passengers.

But at least they still had a real highlight to look forward to -

a trip to see the area's unique pink dolphins.

Or so they hoped.

Until their boat ran into trouble,

getting stuck on the sandbanks, leaving only one engine working.

When we got stuck on the boat, there was a huge effort by the crew,

I have to say, to try and get it off, and it wouldn't budge.

They used the motorised canoe to try and push it off and that didn't work.

And we went to bed still stuck.

The trip to see the pink dolphins was cancelled, but it had been

one of the main attractions of this cruise for the nature-loving Brits,

so when it didn't happen, it felt like the final straw.

When we got stuck on the sandbank, it changed the complete itinerary.

In fact, it pretty well cancelled the second half of it.

The lowest point, for me, I think,

was not going to the Peruvian border and not seeing the dolphins.

Pink dolphins, that's something so totally different

and you could sort of say, "That was part of the Amazon trip,"

even if we weren't on the Amazon.

By now, all they wanted to do was go home.

It was a shame.

It was a holiday we'd both really looked forward to,

a really exciting holiday.

I felt almost embarrassed to tell people, because they knew it was

an expensive holiday and they were going to be asking me all about it.

But they were determined to turn their disappointment

into action and, on that long journey home, the group resolved

to send a joint complaint to Saga, making plain their frustrations

about an Amazon cruise that didn't actually cruise the Amazon.

My biggest beef with Saga is the blatant misrepresentation of the trip.

I just cannot believe that they can say a cruise down the Amazon -

down the Amazon - not in the Amazon region or a tributary,

but a cruise down the Amazon.

But, to their surprise, initially, Saga was adamant

that the wording used to sell the cruise had been accurate.

Richard spoke on the phone to their customer-services team.

They were quite happy that their description was perfectly OK,

that when they said "an Amazon river cruise",

what they meant was a cruise along one of the rivers in the Amazon Basin.

This is despite the fact that the heading in the brochure is,

"Experience the tranquillity

"and abundant wildlife of the world's greatest river."

The world's greatest river is not the Napo.

So that, we felt, was not right.

So, the group battled on.

We wrote back again and said that this can't be right, this is not the case.

They originally offered us ?90 compensation.

In fact, they called it a "goodwill gesture"

for the time we lost on the boat

because of the motorised canoe - nothing to do with the sand bar.

But that didn't satisfy the group.

They wanted Saga to acknowledge they they'd sold an Amazon cruise

that had not cruised the Amazon

and, finally, the company did agree that the wording

they had used to describe the trip could have been misinterpreted.

Our latest response to this, after four months

and probably four letters backwards and forwards and one or two e-mails,

Saga have, at last, admitted

that the brochure description, they put it, could be misread.

And the icing on the cake -

Saga has now upped their offer of compensation to ?590 per person.

But for Richard, it was always about more than getting some money back.

My satisfaction is in knowing that they've actually admitted that the brochure is wrong.

That's the main thing for me.

When we spoke to Saga, they told us they'd had excellent feedback on this holiday

over the last six years,

but they accept...

They point out, though, that the itinerary sent to all passengers in advance...

..and that when calling customers who are yet to travel on this holiday,

all indicated they were aware they were travelling to Ecuador

on the River Napo, which is in the Amazon Basin,

rather than on the river itself.

Nevertheless, they have given the customers on this particular tour

a goodwill payment to reflect that the holiday did not go as hoped.

The company added that while...

Meanwhile, Richard and Denise have since enjoyed another holiday with Saga,

but they say that they are now a lot more sceptical

about what they see in any holiday company's brochure.

I think it made me very wary of booking another holiday

and being very, very careful and making sure I looked,

found out what was going to happen.

Now, if you're holidaying in the UK, with flights and trains often being quite expensive,

taking a coach can by far and away be the cheapest way

to get to your chosen destination.

It may not be the most luxurious option, but, you know, nine million Brits

go on some kind of coach trip every year and you can understand why.

Someone else does the driving, no arguments with your partner,

somebody worries about the traffic for you

and gets you there without taking a wrong turn.

But, as a passenger, you are relying on that person to be totally focused on the road ahead.

So just wait till you hear what some drivers are up to on the road,

and put yourself in the place of the passengers who caught them in the act.

JULIA SOMERVILLE: This driver was on the M6 when he got out his phone and made a call.

He couldn't have had full concentration on the road,

because he only had one hand on the steering wheel...and doing a telephone call.

And this one was reading as he sped towards Norwich.

I was the only person who could actually see the driver.

And I was quite concerned when he started bringing some paperwork out

and putting on the steering wheel and reading it.

And these weren't drivers for just any old company,

they worked for two of the best-known names in the business.

Dawn Taylor booked her family trip to Blackpool

with Britain's biggest coach holiday company, Shearings,

whose website promises to help you make special memories.

The five-day trip had been looked forward to eagerly by Dawn's granddaughter Chloe.

She'd seen pictures of the Blackpool Tower

and she'd seen pictures of the trams and she was looking forward to going up in the tower.

Chloe was really excited about her holiday.

She kept seeing coaches, saying, "We're going on a big coach like that!"

Sure enough, Blackpool lived up to Chloe's expectations,

but on the coach heading home, they began to get behind schedule

and it was then that the driver started using his mobile.

Dawn couldn't believe what she was seeing. I was just horrified.

But this particular driver had 50-odd people on board,

and actually using a mobile phone with 50-odd people on board

makes you wonder how worried he is about our safety.

Shocked at his behaviour,

Dawn got out her camera and began to take photographs.

As you can see clear on that one,

no way is his hand on the steering wheel. He's only got one hand.

And even Chloe said, "Tut-tut, no, that's wrong, that's naughty."

Chloe was right.

Using a mobile whilst driving isn't just naughty, it's against the law.

Dawn sent the photographs to Shearings, who told us...

They added that the driver was temporarily suspended

and following a full investigation was...

But they say it was a isolated incident, due to the failure of hands-free technology,

and in view of his distinguished and otherwise excellent service record,

they decided not to take any further action.

Dawn also sent the photos to the police

and, following an investigation,

the driver has since pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while driving

and will appear in court later this month.

Now, overall, there's no doubt that travelling by coach is a safe form of transport.

In fact, some figures suggest it's ten times safer than being in a car.

For a start, drivers need a special certificate to carry more than nine people

and the training makes it crystal clear that a coach driver

should not be on the phone or doing anything distracting while driving.

But it does that seem in Dawn's case,

and indeed others we've heard about, that training isn't always followed.

Lee Hedley still can't believe that the driver of the coach

he was on - belonging to another big name, National Express -

started to consult documents while hurtling down the motorway towards Norwich.

I was astounded, astonished. I couldn't believe it.

He's a professional driver and he was reading.

He's putting people's lives at risk.

The driver continued to read the same paperwork all through the journey.

He was still reading as he was driving along the ring road

and the ring road is very, very busy - both lanes, both ways.

And he was still reading.

Lee reported what he'd seen to National Express,

and when we contacted them,

the company tells us that...

adding that they run 17 million journeys a year...

They've taken appropriate action to update their training procedures

and the driver concerned no longer works for National Express.

But are Lee and Dawn right to get so worked up

about experienced coach drivers reading or talking on the phone while driving?

Dr Nick Reed and his colleagues at the Transport Research Laboratory

have researched how distractions, such as using a phone,

even hands-free for talking or texting, can affect your driving.

Using a phone, whether hand-held or hands-free,

does seem to cause a real problem.

We think it increases the risk of collision by up to four times.

In our studies, drivers were taking their eyes

away from the road for as much as 50% of the time.

And if it was taking them a minute to read or write the text message,

their eyes were therefore away from the road for as much as 30 seconds.

To put that to the test,

we asked Lee to have a go in the lab's driving simulator

to see just how distracting reading at the wheel can be.

First, Nick monitors Lee's driving without distractions,

but now things are going to get more tricky.

This time, I'd like you to read this document

when you get up to speed, and we'll monitor how your driving gets on. OK. OK?

OK, Lee, could you start reading for me, please?

As Lee continues to read, he's drifting from one side to the other.

He nearly went into the hard shoulder there, had to make a sudden, jerky correction.

His behaviour was very similar to what we see

with a driver who is texting -

reading or writing a text message whilst driving -

that tendency to drift across the lane and, essentially, lose control of the vehicle.

That didn't feel very comfortable.

I found myself veering onto the hard shoulder

and finding it very difficult to concentrate on the traffic in front

and where I was positioned in the road.

All this has reinforced Lee's concerns,

and he and Dawn remain shocked by the behaviour of the drivers of the coaches they were on.

Until I'd been through the simulator today,

I didn't know how much it affected you.

I'm now angry that he actually put people's lives at risk.

Do what I've done.

Take photos, try and approach the driver, tell the company

and report it to the police, because it is a criminal offence.

Last summer, we opened up one of our pop-up shops,

offering free advice to try and solve your problems on the spot.

And though Liverpool shoppers called in

with a range of issues for our experts to tackle,

holidays were one of the things we heard about the most.

Morning, everybody. Yay! Good morning.

Linda and Gareth Knott were keen to speak to our travel expert Simon Calder

about a problem with their insurance.

We'd booked a holiday in April 2012.

We took out insurance.

Unfortunately, I became very ill and we had to cancel.

When I tried to claim from the insurance company,

they turned round and said that I couldn't have my money back, basically!

Linda was initially told her claim was rejected

because she hadn't declared a pre-existing condition,

though she is adamant she had.

Hang on, hang on.

If you declared any pre-existing medical conditions,

which is exactly, of course, what you should do,

and you paid them some money, then you are insured. Aren't you?!

On this occasion, apparently not.

Then they came back and said that it was because we weren't insured,

we were only insured for the actual term of the holiday.

Sorry, the main reason I say to people whenever you book

a holiday, for goodness' sake, make sure you've got insurance

from that very second, because you never know what's going to happen.

If I were in the holiday company's head office,

I'd want to know about it,

because that's not doing the reputation of my company any good at all.

So, after visiting our shop, Linda did contact head office

and the good news is, she's now been offered a full refund.

Linda's over the moon with the result and delighted that Simon's advice

gave her the confidence to keep going and win her money back.

Simon also ran some special workshops on the street,

giving out advice like this invaluable nugget

to avoid being caught out by rogue holiday websites.

Look for a phone number.

If it's a scam, they won't want you phoning up the hotel.

And there were plenty of you looking for answers to specific holiday queries.

Just advice about visas, really.

We're just starting to book a holiday to Cambodia and Vietnam.

Vietnam, get your visa in advance, and then, Cambodia,

you just turn up and they give you a visa on the spot.

Our case was damaged in travel. Where do you stand on that?

Actually, it's the airline's responsibility.

They have a pretty strict duty of care under the Montreal Convention.

You can find full details

of all the advice Simon gave out on the day on our website.

GLORIA HUNNIFORD: Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,

the package holiday destination with huge flight delays on the way out

and on the way back.

In total, we were delayed for 67 hours.

Not only did it really ruin our holiday,

we've had financial loss from it.

If you're going on your holidays by plane,

all the way to the airport, you'd be keeping your fingers crossed

that you won't be delayed and that your flight will take off on time.

But you may be interested to know that in the first eight months of last year,

over 3,000 flights in and out of the UK were delayed by over three hours.

So if that happens to you and you find yourself facing

an unexpectedly long delay, what sort of compensation are you entitled to,

and will your airline always pay out?

More than 350,000 of us

headed to Mexico for our holidays in 2012,

making it one of the most popular long-haul destinations

for Brits seeking that winter sun.

But Aly Lewis is just one of a number of people who've told us

that getting there, and indeed getting back,

proved surprisingly problematic.

In total, we were delayed for 67 hours.

Not only did it really ruin our holiday,

we've had financial loss from it.

It was 14 months ago that Aly, her husband Garton

and neighbours Rob and Kate Haddon, swapped Bristol's November chill

for the bustle and beaches of Cancun.

Obviously, you don't go on holiday many times a year.

We were looking forward to it immensely, it was two weeks after

a very long, busy period at work for both myself and my husband.

But the holiday, I'm afraid, did not get off to a good start.

Less than an hour into the flight, one of the engines failed,

forcing the pilot to turn the plane around and go back to Manchester.

It was terrifying.

You're stuck in a plane, however many thousands of feet up in the air.

It was very worrying. The plane was deathly silence with the passengers.

The plane landed safely and all the passengers went back to the terminal

to wait for news on when they would be able to take off again.

We sat there for... It must have been hours.

As you do now, all of us had electronic devices and we were all online

trying to find out when our flight was going to be rescheduled.

Aly discovered through the internet

that their new flight wouldn't be taking off until the next morning.

And after a further wait, they were put up in an airport hotel.

But when the flight did take off, it was almost 26 hours behind schedule.

When we arrived in Cancun, we'd already lost a day of our holiday,

so we wanted to make the most of everything, had a fantastic time.

The accommodation was faultless, it was brilliant.

After two weeks in the sun, it was time for the group to go home.

But when they got to the airport, their relaxed moods were shattered

by the news their return flight was also delayed.

But they knew the delay was serious

when Thomas Cook moved all the passengers into nearby hotels for the night.

When we arrived at the hotel we were due to stay at, we checked in,

um, were just told, "Wait, we'll let you know, we'll communicate to you in the morning."

But the flight didn't take off the following morning.

In fact, it didn't take off at all that day.

Thomas Cook staff handed all the passengers a letter

telling them that the delay was down to a dispute with the Mexican authorities

and that they wouldn't be taking off

until almost two days later than they originally planned.

The two days that we were delayed were totally stressful.

It wasn't as if we were able to have 48 hours lazing around on the beach,

or enjoying the extra time there. It wasn't like that at all.

As a self-employed chef,

Aly's husband Garton lost out on two days of work

and Aly, Rob and Kate were forced to take extra leave from their jobs.

And the hassle of having two lengthy delays on the same trip

put a real dampener on the group's whole holiday.

Now, you could be forgiven for thinking that such long delays

both on the way to and from Cancun are unusual.

But from the e-mails you've been sending us,

I'm afraid it seems that that is not necessarily the case.

Less than 24 hours later,

as Aly and her party finally took off on their delayed flight to Cancun,

newlyweds Kevin and Teresa Forrester were eagerly awaiting

the flight that would take them on their honeymoon -

also to Cancun and also with Thomas Cook.

We like to get a bit of sun before the winter sets in in England.

Mexico was the location, two weeks in the sun,

so we were really looking forward to it.

But after arriving at a hotel near Gatwick

ready for their early-morning flight,

the couple received a phone call from Thomas Cook.

Their flight would not now be taking off

until a full day later than planned.

We would be given a hotel bedroom to stay in.

Um, I think we had dinner, as well.

Dinner, breakfast and a room for the entire day,

so, in effect, that was the first day we had lost of our honeymoon.

Once they'd arrived in Mexico,

their holiday was everything they'd hoped for.

But at the end of the trip after they checked out,

news started to filter through of a delay on their return journey, as well.

There was a lady who was on her iPad

and said that she'd got information come through

to say that we were going to be delayed.

So there was like a, "Hmm, here we go again," kind of thing.

Thomas Cook told the couple that unavoidable operational circumstances had caused the delay

and it would be a full 28 hours until the flight would take off.

It's a long time. I mean, you can fly a plane around the world in 24 hours, 36 hours.

You know, "Get us another plane."

Any passenger flying in or out of the EU who suffered a delay

of more than three hours can claim compensation,

in some cases of up to ?500.

Unless, that is, the airline can prove the delay was caused

by what they call extraordinary circumstances, which means, essentially,

anything outside their control.

Well, Kevin and Teresa, and indeed Aly's group

all felt they were entitled to compensation for the delays to their flights,

so each couple wrote to Thomas Cook,

but I'm afraid the reply was not what they wanted to hear.

There was no compensation with regards to the European legislation

because it was a technical problem out of their control.

It's their airline,

it's not out of their control, as far as I'm concerned.

Meanwhile, in Bristol, Aly and her group received similar responses from Thomas Cook.

They knew the delay on their outward flight could be classed

as a technical fault. After all, one of the engines had failed.

But they were surprised to hear the return delay being blamed

on that, as well, when, at the time, passengers had been told

it was because of a dispute with the Mexican authorities.

But Thomas Cook said that both delays

were due to extraordinary circumstances and, as a result,

they would not be paying compensation.

When we contacted the company about the delays to both sets of Cancun flights,

they reiterated their apologies to all those affected and thanked them for their patience,

saying that although they did investigate sourcing alternative aircraft,

ultimately, it wouldn't have shortened those lengthy delays.

They stress that they provided...

..and that passengers were...

But that as the delays resulted from an...

..they do consider them to be extraordinary.

So you may well ask what is an extraordinary circumstance

and how extraordinary does it have to be for it to get an airline off the hook

when it comes to paying out compensation?

Well, apparently anything from unprecedented technical problems

to terrorism, bad weather to staff strikes

can officially be considered exceptional,

meaning that the only way the passengers can get compensation

is if they're covered in their travel insurance.

But if you think that that means the odds are really stacked against you,

don't panic, because the law over what compensation you're entitled to

could be about to change.

EU proposals to introduce new rules to make it clearer

when compensation should and shouldn't apply are currently being considered.

And it's hoped that they will clarify once and for all

what the phrase "extraordinary circumstances" actually means.

But whatever comes of that, it will be too late for Kevin and Teresa

and Aly, all of whom feel that just because a delay is described

as "extraordinary", it shouldn't mean that they end up out of pocket.

We don't want the earth, yeah,

we just want to be recognised as people that have lost out.

ANGELA RIPPON: Spain remains the most popular holiday destination

for the majority of Britons.

Last year, 11 million of us went there

and we helped their ailing economy by spending in excess of ?5 billion.

Of course, most holidays are trouble-free, but, as in any country,

there are always people who are ready to trick you out of your cash,

so travel expert Simon Calder has come up with a few tips

that hopefully will ensure that doesn't happen to you.

JULIA SOMERVILLE: As in many countries,

scammers in Spain can strike before you even get to the hotel.

You're moving your belongings from the car to the hotel,

or vice versa, or maybe you've just arrived at the airport

and you're loading up your rental car.

There's going to be somebody there, quite possibly,

who's offering to help, or someone who's not offering to help

but is keeping a very close eye on you for when your back is turned

and they can make off with your valuables.

If there's two of you, then it's easy to avoid.

Make sure that one of you does the heavy lifting

and the other one keeps their eyes absolutely peeled on what's going on around you.

If you're on your own, just seek help from the people in the hotel,

but don't take your eye off your belongings for a minute.

There are 47 species of shark in the Mediterranean,

but 48 if you include those aggressive sales people

who prey on holiday-makers as they relax by the sea.

Simon says don't be reeled in.

Now, time-share, despite its dodgy reputation,

does have some legitimate organisations.

But they're nothing to do with the touts who bother you on the beach.

Once you've signed up, they will be after you for more and more money.

If you do want some time-share, then just go through the ordinary channels,

but the beach is no place to sign up for anything.

And here's a top tip to keep in mind when paying with plastic on holiday.

Using your card in Spain or the rest of Europe

can leave you wide open to an increasingly common, but unnecessary, charge.

There you are in a hotel, a restaurant, a shop.

You want to pay with plastic and they say, "A-ha, senora,

"we can offer you the chance to pay in sterling.

"You'll know what rate you have locked into."

Well, that sounds tempting, except that the rate

they use will be to their advantage and your considerable disadvantage.

Stick to euros.

The classic example of every traveller's worst nightmare -

you book a holiday destination based on the recommendation

and description of a travel operator.

Only, when you get there, you find that things are not quite as they were painted.

So, picture the scene.

You've just spent thousands on a five-star resort that promises relaxation.

Fair dos, that's exactly what you should expect to find.

However, when you get there, there are hordes of people partying,

and, according to some of the furious guests that we've been talking to,

quite a few of them are doing a lot worse.

Don't try and run too fast, you're getting ahead of the ball.

Tony Walton from Doncaster has a busy job as a sales manager and then, come the weekends,

he uses all the energy that's left coaching kids at five-a-side.

So you can't blame him for wanting a bit of peace and quiet with his family

during his precious weeks off.

As a family, we all want to relax.

Every three years, we take an extensive luxury holiday

that we'll travel long haul and really enjoy ourselves.

So, last summer, for that special trip,

they decided to head back to a destination and hotel

they had been to before -

the five-star, all-inclusive Riu Merengue in the Dominican Republic,

which, as these sunny website photos show, looks like a holiday-maker's dream.

Well, this was the third time to this hotel. We'd always enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the Dominican. It's a fabulous place to go to.

The sun's perfect, the temperature's perfect,

and, usually, the people you meet there are fantastic.

So Tony and his family had no hesitation in forking out a hefty ?8,000

for what was set to be a big family celebration.

It was my wife's birthday

and, also, my brother-in-law's tenth wedding anniversary.

Ten years ago, he got married at the same hotel

and we wanted to go back and celebrate in the same place.

It's quite an expensive, luxury holiday.

We had to save up for this for a few years.

But based on past experience, it would be worth it.

As you can see, the hotel looks like a tranquil, tropical haven,

and the Thomson Holidays website used words like "retreat" and "relaxation".

I expected from the holiday the same as what we'd had in previous years.

We booked not to be overcrowded and really enjoy ourselves

and relax and come back refreshed, ready for going back to work.

But disappointment began as soon as they checked in.

The room itself was a little shabby.

You know, cracked windows, really, I suppose, showing signs of age.

But it was when they turned in for their first night's sleep

that the problems really started.

A lot of shouting outside.

Somebody playing basketball against the side of the bedroom I'm in

and, er, this was four o'clock in the morning.

And over the next few days, things got gradually worse.

More and more new guests were arriving

and the behaviour of some of them left a lot to be desired.

As time progressed, we could see more and more people arriving,

but they became very loud in the night.

Around the pool area, very noisy, sometimes drunk, et cetera.

It was obviously a very dirty area, with cups of drink, et cetera,

just left around, food left at the side of the pool,

people weeing and pooing around the pool area -

even next to my sunbed at times.

The hotel was getting overwhelmed

and didn't seem able to cope with the sheer numbers.

The new arrivals appeared to be large parties of Dominicans -

locals determined to have a very different

and much rowdier kind of holiday

than the relaxed five-star break for which Tony had forked out.

And, as if the noise wasn't bad enough,

the crowds led to quite a problem in the hotel's buffet restaurants.

You had no chance of getting to the food, whatsoever. Everybody saw it.

You'd get to a counter, you'd go for some ice cream, as an example,

the ice-cream containers were being taken out by the people - just taking the whole lot.

You'd go and queue up a pizza. Before you actually got your piece of pizza,

somebody would lean across to you, grab the whole pizza

and take it away for their table.

Coming down to breakfast and finding nothing left to eat

was the final straw for Tony.

He made his feelings plain to the local Thomson rep,

who suggested that if he wanted to escape the mayhem,

the family should take the excursions out of the hotel -

excursions that Thomson would charge for, that is.

I don't find that acceptable, personally,

because you've gone there, you've booked that holiday,

you'd booked that resort to enjoy all the facilities and the quiet areas that you can find.

But those quiet areas were few and far between.

To Tony, the hotel facilities that had cost the family ?8,000

were becoming more like a busy station at rush hour than a five-star retreat.

He wanted the whole family moved to a different hotel.

So I said, "My family are upset, they want to go on a holiday,

"they're not enjoying their holiday, we need to move and I need an answer."

There were other people coming along at this time

and complaining about similar sorts of things.

So, more and more people gathered -

around 60 or 70 people by about two in the afternoon.

As the crowd grew,

the harassed rep sought advice from head office back home.

Tony got an answer, but not the one he wanted to hear.

She got a call from the UK that said we had to pay...

I think it was ?1,800 or so to move hotel.

And I said to her, basically,

"You've not listened to what I'm saying.

"I'm saying I want to move hotel and I want what I paid for.

"It will not cost me anything."

Eventually, there was a breakthrough,

though only, it seemed, because even more people were about to descend

on the already struggling Riu Merengue.

She said that we would move hotel.

There was an influx of visitors coming to the hotel,

2,200 people coming into the hotel over a two-day period,

and she would have us out of the hotel by that point.

My holiday was ruined, so moving to the second hotel,

although it was nice, and nice to get away,

it still didn't make up for what we'd booked.

It didn't have what I paid for.

I've never been so glad to get back in the UK in all my life.

I usually don't want to come home from my holidays,

and on this occasion,

I just couldn't wait get back on that plane and head back to the UK.

Back home, Tony hoped that Thomson would properly compensate them

for the way that the holiday had turned out.

But the company offered less than ?200 each

and insisted that that was all he was getting.

So Tony feels he has no choice

but to pursue Thomson through the courts,

along with other disappointed holiday-makers making similar claims,

also complaining about hygiene and alleged illness.

When we contacted Thomson, the company told us it is...

But as the case is now subject to legal proceedings, it would be...

We also contacted the hotel directly.

Though confirming that they were aware of the complaints and...

..they are satisfied that they took...

But again, they would not comment further,

due to the legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, Tony is determined to carry on with the fight.

My holiday was ruined. I didn't have a holiday.

I didn't enjoy saving up for three years to enjoy a holiday.

It just got washed away. I didn't enjoy one minute of that holiday.

Here at Rip-Off Britain, we are always ready to investigate

more of your stories, and not just about holidays.

Confused over your bills?

Trying to wade through never-ending small print?

When they sit you down to sign up for things,

they don't really give you the chance at the time

to read through all of that small print.

These people have ripped me off, well and truly.

Or you might have a cautionary tale of your own,

and want to share the mistakes you've made with us

so that others don't do the same.

Whatever has left you feeling ripped off, we want to hear from you.

You can write to us at...

Or send us an e-mail to...

The team here is ready and waiting to look into your stories,

so please do get in touch.

Well, as we've been hearing, when the reality of a holiday

doesn't quite match up to your expectations,

whether that's because it's to do with the accommodation or the travel,

well, it might just be as a result of the way

in which things were actually described in the first place.

So you really cannot necessarily take anything on a website

or in a brochure at face value, can you?

And that's good advice,

because sometimes you might want to take some of it

with a decent pinch of salt. But at least these days,

that's not the only information you've got access to.

You can always go online

and do a bit of research to check out in detail -

this is the important bit -

what you are booking before you hand over any cash.

I'm afraid that is where we have to leave you for today.

We will be back,

investigating even more of your stories again very soon.

But until then, we're going to have to say goodbye

to this lovely island of Tenerife, aren't we?

With the sound of the waves, what could be better? Goodbye. Bye.