Episode 8 Rip Off Britain

We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off when it comes to your

holidays and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.

This can't be happening.

It's a nightmare. Wake me up from it, please.

It was just a shambles.

That's the best way to say it. It was just a shambles.

So, whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake,

or indeed a catch in the small print,

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

Your stories, your money.

This is Rip Off Britain.

Hello and welcome to a wonderfully sunny series of Rip Off Britain,

coming to you from the island of Tenerife where

we've come to investigate

some more of your problems with holidays and travel.

And every one of those stories we're going to be looking at today

has exactly the same thing in common.

Their trips were totally derailed by

dramatic events that they just had not seen coming.

In fact, the word dramatic perhaps underplays it

because it's no exaggeration to say that some of these cases

really were a matter of life and death, with the people involved

having to put their fate in somebody else's hands.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, once the dust had settled,

trying to get back some of the money for a holiday that was left

in tatters has proved extremely difficult.

Well, sometimes, it turns out there's very little you can do

to protect yourself or your family against unexpected events,

or to prevent nature taking its course.

But we on Rip Off Britain firmly believe that forewarned is forearmed,

so listen up for some tips on how, even if you can't prevent

such disasters, you can minimise the fallout.

Coming up, a chateau hit by lightning and a family

running for their lives. But with more shocks to come,

could you too face the same terrifying costs

if catastrophe strikes your holiday?

We were just completely shocked.

It seemed ridiculous.

Something that's completely out of our control.

There's no way they can get us on this.

And a race against time

when a baby made an unexpectedly early appearance

thousands of miles from home.

It wasn't until we were told by the doctor they had no facilities there

for a premature baby that we started to panic, really.

Now, one of my absolute favourite holiday destinations is France.

I just seem to love everything about it.

I like the food, I like the people and of course the differences

in culture, but one difference that

I must admit I hadn't really stopped to think about is whether insurance will always work

in the same way over there as it might in the UK.

So, I was genuinely shocked to hear what the family in our next story went

through on their most recent trip across the Channel.

And I imagine that, as it did with me,

their experience will have you double-checking the fine print of your own cover

the next time you're getting ready to go away.

It should have been the most perfect summer holiday.

A week in a 15th-century chateau in the French countryside

with five acres of garden and a pool for the children.

But I'm afraid it ended abruptly with a very scared family fleeing into the night...

We have got to get out of this house now.

..and watching the property they had rented go up in flames.

The roof right properly five feet from where we

were sleeping above our heads, was fully on fire.

It was properly ablaze.

OK, cool.

Danny Webb, his partner and their son Albie from East Sussex

love combining their annual holiday with a proper catch up

with close relatives, and 2015 was no exception.

We all go as a family once a year and this year it was France,

so six adults and six kids.

We found this amazing chateau.

Danny paid 2,000 euros to rent the chateau in Realville for seven nights,

booking directly with the owner.

The family paid a further ?46 for an insurance policy with AXA

so that they would be protected if anything went wrong.

Although at first,

it's very hard to imagine anything could spoil things.

When we got there, it was amazing.

The kids immediately ran off,

they were up, like, the tower and running around.

And, "This is my bed!" "Bagsy this bed!" That kind of thing.

It was a pretty picturesque, beautiful place in France.

It's exactly what you want from a French holiday.

Four days in and everyone was really enjoying themselves.

It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day in Toulouse, it was boiling hot.

The kids were in the pool.

And things got even better with the stunning spectacle of the annual Perseids meteor shower.

It seemed almost perfect, you know.

The kids fell asleep, we were just having a nice,

relaxed evening watching the meteor shower.

It was the perfect day.

But that night, after the family had gone to bed,

a lightning storm broke the beautiful weather.

And as the storm raged throughout the town,

with lightning piercing the sky above the chateau,

Danny was woken by a particularly loud sound overhead.

There was a huge bang and I was lifted out of the bed by about an inch,

I'd say, and literally sat bolt upright in bed, "What was that?"

Danny soon realised that the noise had been

something much more worrying than simply another thunderclap.

The roof of the chateau had been struck by lightning

and worse was still to come.

My partner said, "There's a bright orange light in the corner,

"why is that there?"

And I said, "I've got no idea."

Because the electric... We knew the electrics had gone because we couldn't

switch the lights on. They'd gone with the lightning strike.

And at that point, we realised that the roof was on fire.

The fire very quickly took hold,

ripping through the whole of the chateau.

So, the family had to act fast

and all 12 of them were able to escape unharmed.

And as well as the damage to the chateau,

most of the family's possessions, including their clothes,

all their train tickets and even a passport had been destroyed.

They were very lucky, but in order to return to the UK,

they needed to drive over two hours to the British Consulate in Bordeaux

to get a replacement passport.

And by the time they added to that the cost of replacement clothes, food,

two nights in a hotel in Bordeaux, the new train tickets for 12 people,

they were 3,140 euros out of pocket.

The money had gone. The cash had been burnt.

Luckily, we had two credit cards that we could use.

We were kind of OK with that because we said, "Well,

"we're going to get the money..." You know, by the time we get home,

the insurance will be fine and we'll get it all back.

But on top of all the drama of the fire, once they got home,

the family was about to have two very nasty surprises involving insurance.

And they're both things that you could very well fall foul of, as well.

The first only became clear after they'd been in touch with the chateau owner's

French insurance company called Gan,

which they hoped would reimburse them for the expenses they'd incurred

as a result of the fire.

We knew to keep our receipts,

make a list of everything and my partner e-mailed all the stuff for the

claim and said, "This is what we've lost due to this fire.

"Can you please advise how to proceed from here?"

We kept sending e-mails and it was now getting into like a month,

you know, two months,

and at this point, credit card bills need to be paid.

But with no word from the French insurers,

Danny turned to his own travel insurers to see if that would pay out for

all those additional expenses.

And it was at that point he realised that that policy didn't do quite what

he assumed it would.

The travel insurance would only cover the actual stuff we had with us,

like our baggage and that kind of stuff.

But they wouldn't pay for anything incurred subsequently.

So, like, after the fire, the hotel,

the...you know, getting to and from the hotel, the meals,

the extra clothes that we had to buy because we no longer had any clothes,

all that stuff was not going to be covered.

That's because Danny's policy didn't include what's usually known as

disruption cover, which protects you from all the extra costs you can face

if something on your trip goes wrong.

As a result, the family could only claim back from insurers AXA around ?1,000.

Less than one third of what they had spent as a result of the fire.

Now, many policies do include a disruption clause,

but if your holiday insurance doesn't have it either,

you may still be able to get it as an add-on,

as personal finance expert Sarah Pennells explains.

Travel disruption cover is a really useful part of travel insurance,

but it's something that many people don't realise they need.

What it will pay for is the cost of the extra expenses if you have to

cancel your holiday or for example if the accommodation that you

turn up at has a problem. There's a flood or there's a fire.

Anything like that.

Now, sometimes it's sold as part of a standard insurance policy,

normally the more expensive option.

Or you can buy it as an add-on to your own insurance policy.

Sometimes you can buy it as a stand-alone.

It's not too expensive, it'll cost generally between ?10 and ?20.

Around that mark.

Luckily for Danny,

the family found a solution on their existing home insurance,

so it really is worth checking what your contents cover actually includes.

Someone had mentioned your home contents insurance being able to cover

your contents even though they're not in the home.

So, my partner looked into this and it turned out this was the case.

We could get money back for our clothes that we'd lost as long as could

prove that we had them, photographs or receipts.

Making that claim did mean that the family lost its eight-year no-claims bonus,

increasing their premiums from ?618 to ?848.

But they soon had a much bigger financial headache on their hands and,

goodness, I warn you, this one is an absolute shocker.

Four months after their trip,

the chateau owner's French insurer Gan

finally contacted Danny and his partner with some alarming news.

Gan was holding them responsible for the damage to the property.

That's not as absurd as it sounds because under French law,

the person staying in the property is responsible for damage caused to it

and with the insurer disputing that the fire had actually been started by lightning,

it was now demanding that the couple stump up...

and wait for this, 500,000 euros.

We were just completely shocked, you know.

It was just at... It seemed ridiculous.

We knew it was a lightning strike. Everyone had confirmed that.

It's force majeure, it's an act of God,

it's something that's completely out of our control.

There's no way they can get us on this.

Danny knew that the fire was caused by lightning,

but proving it would be another matter.

Fortunately for him, this time his ?46 holiday cover with AXA came to the rescue.

Now, it might not have included everything he ended up needing,

but in this case it came up trumps because it covered public liability,

which meant it was able to step in and pay for a fire inspector

to go and inspect the site,

and investigate the cause of the fire on the family's behalf,

saving Danny and his family from losing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

But all of this underlines why if you're booking accommodation directly

with the owner, as Danny did,

you should make extra sure that your travel insurance is watertight

and getting adequate personal liability cover is a key part of that.

In France, if you rent a property and something happens to it,

you're liable - it's part of the French civil code

and having looked it up, it is correct.

Certainly relating to fire.

If there's fire damage while you're there and you're renting it,

then you are responsible unless you can show that it was an accident

or an incident beyond your control.

If there's a lesson for all this,

it would be to check the small print of the policy when it comes to

personal liability cover because what that cover does is pay out

if there's something that you're deemed to have been responsible for.

Make sure you've got at least ?1 million worth of cover.

More may be a good idea.

But for Danny, the experience of the fire and unpicking what his insurance

did and didn't cover has left him very cautious about booking the same kind of holiday again.

It does leave a kind of a nasty taste in the mouth, and I suppose we will

consider all that before we think of booking to go again.

It would've been much easier to deal with all that stuff

had it been in the UK.

Our travel expert Simon Calder has all the secrets to save you money

on your travels. He's full of tips on everything,

from how to avoid the crowds,

to the best way to steer clear of those tourist traps.

This time, cruises.

They've become one of the fastest-growing holiday options over the past 20 years,

with almost 1.8 million British holiday-makers

now reckoned to set sail on a cruise every year.

You only have to unpack once -

that's the slogan often used to entice people on board cruise ships.

Once you've checked into your cabin,

you'll drift to a succession of lovely islands or coastal ports,

while enjoying five-star meals.

But how much will it cost you?

Well, Simon says working that out isn't always straightforward.

Let's start with the price.

Let me tell you the deal on most cruise ships.

The headline amount that you pay your travel agent or cruise line is only

part of the revenue you're expected to contribute.

You'll also be expected to tip, probably in US dollars.

The equivalent of around ?10 per person per day.

For a couple on a fortnight's cruise, that's nearly ?300.

Onboard sales are crucial for cruise lines.

While meals are included, drinks generally aren't.

And on everything from morning coffee to postprandial port,

you can expect to pay a service charge of up to 18%,

and shore excursions are handsomely profitable.

Clearly, cruises can be pricey.

But there are deals to be had.

When's the best time to book?

If you're travelling at peak time,

Christmas and New Year in the Caribbean, August in the Baltic,

or you want a specific cabin on a particular cruise,

then book as early as you can.

However, the cruise industry business model

requires that practically every cabin has to be filled.

So, if you're prepared to take a chance at the last minute,

then you could grab a bargain

with just a week or so to go before departure.

One final tip - with unlimited food on board,

it's easy to put on a pound for every day you spend at sea.

The best way to tackle mid-ocean spread, forget the lifts,

stick to the stairs.

stick to the stairs.

Many of us book our summer holidays up to or even more than a year in advance,

either to take advantage of a good deal,

or perhaps to tie in with a special event.

But a year can be a long time

during which your personal circumstances can change dramatically.

They certainly did for the two couples in our next film,

when they found they were expecting a baby

months after they'd booked and paid for their trips.

And as you'll see in both cases,

that led to some rather unexpected complications.

Painting the nursery...

You've missed a bit.

..choosing names...

Hazard.

..and shopping for prams.

I like the colour of that one. Do you?

Yeah. I think I do like it.

All part of the excitement that comes with preparing

for a new addition to the family.

I like him. He's really snugly. He's nice.

And when paramedic Eddie and primary school teacher Lisa

discovered that they'd got a baby on the way in March 2016,

the news was all the sweeter for coming out of the blue.

He's got long ears. He's got nicer ears.

It's hard to put into words just how exciting something like that is.

Especially when we've... We've wanted it for quite a long time, haven't we?

So, yeah, it came as quite a shock to us.

But, yeah, tremendously exciting.

Yeah, it was fantastic.

But there was a bit of a problem.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Four months earlier in November 2015,

Eddie and Lisa had booked a trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas

and San Francisco.

It was a complete once-in-a-lifetime...

Yeah. ..holiday and experience that we wouldn't be able to do

at any other point, really.

Before we had children, as well.

Yeah. So, we planned to get remarried there in the white chapel

and all these crazy things that you do in Vegas.

The flights, booked with Virgin Atlantic via website Expedia,

had cost the couple almost ?2,400,

as they were travelling in the school break.

And however welcome the pregnancy was,

it did throw something of a spanner into their travel plans.

We found out I was 14 weeks.

I remember sitting in the waiting room, didn't we?

And we were looking at the scan, really excited and ringing everybody,

as you do, and texting everybody.

All of a sudden thinking, "Oh, hang on, that will mean that I will be...

.."32 weeks pregnant on the 3rd of August."

Four days before we were supposed to fly.

Come back...

That meant by the time of their return flight,

Lisa would be 34 weeks pregnant.

Try as he might, Eddie couldn't find an insurance policy that would cover

them past 32 weeks and with the cost of health care so high in the US,

they knew they couldn't afford to be in California

if Lisa suddenly went into labour.

To have a baby delivered normally after 32 weeks in America

would cost anywhere between $3,000 and $25,000,

which was just a crazy amount of money

that we just wouldn't be able to afford.

We're not in a position to do that.

So, much to their disappointment,

the couple felt they had no choice but to cancel their holiday.

It just seemed madness, really, that there was no option for us.

It felt like there was no option other than to not go.

Which was a real shame, wasn't it? Yeah.

They contacted both Virgin and Expedia to ask for a refund,

but the response was a shock.

When Virgin told us that we couldn't get the money back, we were just stunned, really.

They basically said because the flights were non-refundable,

there was nothing they could do. It was in the terms and conditions.

It seemed completely unreasonable,

considering especially the amount of notice that we'd given to them.

The couple were told that as Expedia's terms and conditions had made clear,

the flights weren't refundable,

the only money they'd be able to get back was the taxes they'd paid.

The flights cost just under ?2,400

and we'd been told that we could get ?222 back,

which just seemed insane.

There you go, my love. Thank you.

Eddie tried suggesting that they transfer the flights to Lisa's parents,

but was told that wasn't possible, either.

It just seemed completely unreasonable they wouldn't change the names.

Yeah. We would have happily paid an admin fee.

Now, on Virgin, unlike some other airlines, with a doctor's note,

pregnant women can fly right up to 36 weeks.

But doing so would mean travelling without insurance so close to the due date

and Lisa and Eddie didn't want take that risk.

I felt Virgin's kind of response was completely irrational and the fact

that they said, well, it's not our fault,

you can still travel, you can still fly.

Clearly we're not going to be able to fly without travel insurance.

When we put these points to Virgin and Expedia,

both companies reiterated that in this instance,

the fare booked was a non-transferable and non-refundable ticket.

They added that customers are made aware of any terms and conditions at the

time of booking, and went on to say

that if there's a chance changes might be needed,

a flexible ticket should be booked to avoid any disappointment.

Expedia also explained that for security reasons,

the name on a ticket must exactly match the name written in a passport.

So, in the vast majority of cases,

even a name amendment will require a new ticket to be issued.

Well, you can understand why Lisa and Eddie no longer felt they could travel.

And the experience of Sharon Halls from Ipswich just underlines

why they were right to be concerned about what might happen.

Sharon, too, had booked a flight long before becoming pregnant.

This time to the Dominican Republic and for a very special occasion.

When I was asked to be maid of honour to my best friend's wedding,

I was over the moon.

She'd said she was going to get married abroad,

which made it all the more exciting.

13 months after Sharon booked the trip, she found out she was pregnant.

By the time the wedding came out, she'd be 26 weeks.

So, determined not to miss out on her friend's big day,

she checked with her doctor that she would still be safe to travel.

We knew we were OK to fly.

I wouldn't have gone if they'd said, "No, you're not fit to fly."

After being given the medical all clear, Sharon and her partner, Daniel,

double-checked with their insurer that they'd be covered for any hospital bills

should she go into labour whilst in the Dominican Republic.

And after confirming that she would be,

the couple decided to go ahead with the trip.

The holiday was great.

Beautiful beaches, sun all day.

Just relaxing, really.

But two days before the couple were due to return to the UK,

Sharon went into labour.

We were completely in denial.

I was like, "She can't give birth now. She can't give birth now.

"This is too early."

I didn't want to...

to give birth there,

I had a birth plan!

Of course, all plans went out of the window

and Sharon was rushed to the nearest hospital.

But it wasn't equipped to deal with a baby born so early.

It wasn't until we were told by the doctor that they had no facilities

there for a premature baby that we started to panic, really.

The nearest premature baby unit was at a private hospital two hours away.

But before they could move there,

the couple were told that they'd have to pay $10,000 for their care,

so they wanted to be sure their insurer would,

as it had previously suggested, cover the cost.

It was a race against time because my baby had to wait for us to come up with the funds.

We were on the phone backwards and forwards

to the insurance company to try and sort it.

And they just kept saying, "In theory, we're going to pay."

So, in theory, that didn't get us moving.

And we needed to know

as soon as possible what was going to happen.

With Sharon getting ever closer to giving birth,

the couple felt their best choice

was to try and get the $10,000 together themselves.

We pulled as much as we could together,

several credit cards and the rest of it.

And off we went. We just needed to get there and it was scary.

Upsetting.

With the money cobbled together,

Sharon and Daniel raced to reach the specialist private hospital

and they arrived with hardly a minute to spare.

Their baby, Evie, was born on the 28th September 2015

just over 12 weeks premature and weighing only 2lb 10oz.

Compared to all the other babies in the room, she was so tiny.

I couldn't touch her.

I couldn't hold her.

It was a good feeling to see her, though.

But Evie needed round-the-clock care and of course that was going to cost

an extra $2,500 a day.

Rather than pay that, the insurance company recommended that Evie was moved instead

to a local public hospital which was free.

After meeting the dedicated team of doctors and nurses at the public hospital,

the couple were reassured that this was the best place for Evie

to be cared for, after all.

And there was no need to pay privately.

And within seven days of Sharon going into early labour,

their insurers did agree to pay that initial $10,000,

plus any other expenses relating to Evie's care.

That financial support turned out to be invaluable.

Evie's health complications meant it was four months until they made it back home.

It was amazing to just know that we were finally taking her back to see people who... Like his mum.

Yeah, my family, your family.

Yeah. Friends. The people that were on the wedding with us there,

as well. Finally meeting little Evie.

Evie is now thriving after a difficult start to life.

Evie's great.

She's a bubbly little girl.

Always quite content.

She was a fighter from the beginning.

And she'll continue to be a fighter, I'll make sure of that.

Eddie and Lisa, whose baby boy Ethan is now four months old, think that

airlines and insurers should be more flexible if, as happened to them,

plans suddenly need to change.

I'm sure there's lots of other couples that this has happened to the past. Yeah.

I think something needs to change in terms of the rules for the future,

to make sure other people don't get stuck in this

same unfortunate position that we've been put in, really. Yeah.

If you've got a story you'd like us to investigate,

we now have even more ways to get in touch.

You can join in the conversation on our Facebook page.

Just look for BBC Rip Off Britain.

As well as the most up-to-date news,

you'll also find exclusive behind-the-scenes clips and pictures

from the show.

Or you can log onto our website,

bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain,

where there's plenty of advice and fact sheets full of tips on how to

avoid getting ripped off.

If you'd like to send us an e-mail, then our address is...

Or, if you want to send us a letter, then our new address is...

Well, I know they say that lightning does not strike in the same place twice, but I don't know about you,

I have to say that after hearing about the awful consequences of that fire

in the French chateau that we saw earlier,

I am certainly going to be

double-checking the details of both my travel and my home insurance

the next time I go away. How about you, Gloria?

You won't be on your own because I'll be checking mine as well.

Because there's such a strong warning.

And every one of the stories that we've looked at today really does

underline how important it is

to make sure that when you're getting travel insurance

that first of all you're getting the right kind,

and crucially from the right date.

And remember the only way that you'll be covered if you do need to cancel

is if you take it out from the very moment that you book your holiday.

Well, with that precious nugget of advice,

I'm afraid we've reached the end of today's programme.

We'll be back very soon to investigate more of the stories you've asked us

to look into on your behalf.

But in the meantime, do keep letting us know your own experiences.

We look at every single one and it's on that basis that we decide what we're

going to cover in the future, isn't it?

And I loved today's programme because of the diversity.

I love when people share their stories and of course it prevents other people being in a trap.

Absolutely. It helps everybody. It does.

And it's all down to you.

Well, that's all from us.

From all of the three of us in sunny Tenerife, goodbye.

Bye-bye. Goodbye.

From the depths of our forests and rivers,