:00:00. > :00:12.and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.
:00:13. > :00:16.It's a nightmare. Wake me up from it, please.
:00:17. > :00:20.It was just a shambles, that's the best way to say it.
:00:21. > :00:24.ANGELA: So, whether it's a deliberate rip-off,
:00:25. > :00:27.a simple mistake or a catch in the small print,
:00:28. > :00:31.we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
:00:32. > :00:37.JULIA: Your stories, your money, this is Rip Off Britain.
:00:38. > :00:41.Hello and a huge welcome to Rip Off Britain where for this series we're
:00:42. > :00:45.on the very sunny island of Tenerife and investigating a whole range of
:00:46. > :00:49.Ones that you've had while you've been on holiday.
:00:50. > :00:53.One of the biggest gripes you write to us about is when you've had no
:00:54. > :00:57.choice but to make a change of some sort, or even cancel your plans and
:00:58. > :01:00.you've been hit with a big old charge for the privilege.
:01:01. > :01:04.Now that can be the case whether you've made very simple mistakes,
:01:05. > :01:08.say at the time of your booking, or at the other end of the scale,
:01:09. > :01:12.if you can no longer actually go on holiday at all because someone very
:01:13. > :01:16.ill and now needs urgent medical treatment.
:01:17. > :01:20.Now either way to get penalised, or worse still, to actually lose
:01:21. > :01:23.the money that you've paid altogether, can seem not just harsh
:01:24. > :01:31.So why is it so difficult to amend or cancel a holiday
:01:32. > :01:34.without being hit by some kind of extra cost?
:01:35. > :01:36.That's something you've been asking us for years
:01:37. > :01:40.and now it seems that the regulators too are starting to question
:01:41. > :01:43.the way we're treated if we need to change our holiday plans.
:01:44. > :01:48.Let's see if your experiences can help make up their minds.
:01:49. > :01:52.Coming up... Why even after the most devastating diagnosis,
:01:53. > :01:56.you may not be able to cancel your holiday without losing your cash.
:01:57. > :01:58.But could there be a way to fight back?
:01:59. > :02:02.I couldn't understand why a company should behave like that to somebody
:02:03. > :02:09.and traumatic stage of their life that they're going through.
:02:10. > :02:14.They spotted a mistake with their flights just minutes after booking,
:02:15. > :02:31.And at that point, I cannot tell you what I was thinking and feeling,
:02:32. > :02:39.Now although we can sometimes bag a bargain at the very last minute,
:02:40. > :02:43.often some of the best holiday deals can be found a long time in advance.
:02:44. > :02:47.Indeed, it's not unheard of for some people to plan and pay for a
:02:48. > :02:50.particular trip up to two years beforehand.
:02:51. > :02:54.But, you know, a lot can happen in that time and all of life's great
:02:55. > :03:03.long-awaited and hard saved for time away.
:03:04. > :03:06.Of course, the trouble is that holidays aren't something
:03:07. > :03:10.you can just get out of, cancel and then get your money back,
:03:11. > :03:13.which can seem especially inflexible if there's still plenty of time for
:03:14. > :03:16.the company you booked with to resell your seats,
:03:17. > :03:27.An endless horizon, and the luxury of a modern cruise ship.
:03:28. > :03:31.More of us than ever are choosing to take to the ocean waves with not far
:03:32. > :03:36.off two million Brits going on a cruise in 2015.
:03:37. > :03:39.And when many ships now boast casinos, health spas,
:03:40. > :03:45.cruise ships are now floating cities of luxury and extravagance.
:03:46. > :03:49.It was exactly that sort of indulgence that Harry and Kay Smith
:03:50. > :03:54.when they booked flights to South Africa
:03:55. > :03:59.what would be a holiday of a lifetime.
:04:00. > :04:04.There were lots of reasons why they were desperate to get out there.
:04:05. > :04:07.We'd lived in South Africa for 25 years before.
:04:08. > :04:16.was recovering from a fairly severe spinal operation.
:04:17. > :04:21.Last but not least, I had never seen our great-granddaughter.
:04:22. > :04:25.Well, the couple booked their trip through a company called
:04:26. > :04:30.It was to begin with flights to Johannesburg where they would
:04:31. > :04:32.spend a few weeks with family before heading to Cape Town
:04:33. > :04:36.to embark on that cruise to Venice.
:04:37. > :04:38.All of that came with a big price tag.
:04:39. > :04:44.but the couple felt that every penny was worth it.
:04:45. > :04:47.The family, when we said we were coming out,
:04:48. > :04:52.They were so excited and we were so looking forward to it.
:04:53. > :04:54.We'd saved our money, we'd retired,
:04:55. > :04:57.we wanted to have something to remember.
:04:58. > :05:04.We'll never be able to afford this kind of money again.
:05:05. > :05:07.But it was soon after they had booked and paid for the holiday
:05:08. > :05:11.that Kay received some life-changing news from her doctor.
:05:12. > :05:19.The tears rolled down my eyes and I thought,
:05:20. > :05:22."Oh, my God, I've got to tell my husband,
:05:23. > :05:25."I've got to phone him and tell him."
:05:26. > :05:32.and I phoned him and I told him on the phone and he...
:05:33. > :05:41.He just said, "Oh, God, not my baby, please, not my baby."
:05:42. > :05:43.As you might imagine, it was devastating news
:05:44. > :05:47.and while Kay hoped she might still be able to take her holiday,
:05:48. > :05:50.it was immediately clear that that wouldn't be possible.
:05:51. > :05:56.The consultant said, "If you've got anything planned, unplan it."
:05:57. > :06:01.I said, "Can I not put the chemo off for a month or so until I come back
:06:02. > :06:07."we've just paid out all this money for this holiday of a lifetime,
:06:08. > :06:10."to South Africa to our family" and she said, "No, I'm sorry,
:06:11. > :06:13."you're not going to be able to get on a plane."
:06:14. > :06:18.It was even more than a double blow, we couldn't spend time with my son,
:06:19. > :06:22.who was emotionally and physically ill
:06:23. > :06:26.and suffering and having to come to terms with major dramas
:06:27. > :06:31.in his life, I couldn't be supportive of him.
:06:32. > :06:43.As the trip was still a full three months away,
:06:44. > :06:45.Harry immediately called Infinity Cruises,
:06:46. > :06:53.He even sent medical evidence to prove the diagnosis.
:06:54. > :07:00.and I just assumed that this was part of the
:07:01. > :07:07.But Infinity Cruises told the couple that they wouldn't get back any of
:07:08. > :07:15.Because in line with its terms and conditions,
:07:16. > :07:18.it stated clearly that there are no refunds.
:07:19. > :07:21.She said, "Have you read the small print, the terms and conditions?"
:07:22. > :07:28."Well, I'm sorry, it clearly states that if you cancel...
:07:29. > :07:32.And I couldn't get my head round this.
:07:33. > :07:38...out of somebody's tragedy, I couldn't...
:07:39. > :07:41.I couldn't envisage anybody doing this.
:07:42. > :07:45.I couldn't understand why a company should behave like that to somebody
:07:46. > :07:53.and traumatic stage of their life that they're going through.
:07:54. > :07:58.Infinity Cruises told Harry that the only way to get his money back would
:07:59. > :08:00.be to make a claim on his travel insurance.
:08:01. > :08:03.But Harry, of course, hadn't yet taken a policy out.
:08:04. > :08:05.He'd planned to do that nearer the trip.
:08:06. > :08:08.So in a desperate bid not to lose his cash,
:08:09. > :08:12.he suggested that a family member could take the trip in their place,
:08:13. > :08:15.but the company said the holiday was not transferable.
:08:16. > :08:18.We could have brought family from South Africa
:08:19. > :08:22.and gave them a trip of a lifetime if we could have changed the names.
:08:23. > :08:37.Harry and Kay believed that the company would easily be able to
:08:38. > :08:40.resell the holiday and therefore wouldn't lose any money,
:08:41. > :08:44.but Infinity Cruises was not prepared to budge.
:08:45. > :08:47.I said to them, "What happens if you resell them?
:08:48. > :08:57."This is immoral. How do you sleep at night?
:08:58. > :09:03.Infinity says that once a holiday is cancelled,
:09:04. > :09:06.the various elements are sent back to the suppliers and therefore,
:09:07. > :09:10.the company itself does incur cancellation costs
:09:11. > :09:13.and it was reiterated that the staff who dealt with Harry
:09:14. > :09:16.were sticking to the company's terms and conditions.
:09:17. > :09:19.But Harry firmly believes he didn't receive those terms
:09:20. > :09:22.and conditions until after he had paid and although the company
:09:23. > :09:25.has made it clear that the terms and conditions are available to view
:09:26. > :09:32.Harry didn't look at these at the time of booking.
:09:33. > :09:36.But it's not at all unusual for travel companies to refuse
:09:37. > :09:38.to refund the cost of a holiday that's been cancelled,
:09:39. > :09:40.even when that's because of ill-health,
:09:41. > :09:43.or some other life-changing event.
:09:44. > :09:48.That is usually stated very clearly in the terms and conditions and the
:09:49. > :09:52.reason, of course, is that if the company can't resell the trip
:09:53. > :09:56.in whatever time is available, it could end up out of pocket.
:09:57. > :10:00.But Harry and Kay aren't the only people to get in touch saying they
:10:01. > :10:04.considered such a hard line stance a little too inflexible.
:10:05. > :10:06.Plenty more of you have been in touch,
:10:07. > :10:09.unhappy that after being forced to cancel a holiday for similarly
:10:10. > :10:19.Jane from Pontypridd, for example,
:10:20. > :10:22.she cancelled a family holiday to Benidorm after her father died.
:10:23. > :10:25.It was six weeks before the scheduled departure
:10:26. > :10:27.but the company she had booked with
:10:28. > :10:32.would only refund ?208.50 of the ?694 she paid.
:10:33. > :10:36.Gaynor and her friend Sylvia had to call off the trip they'd booked to
:10:37. > :10:39.Mexico when Sylvia sadly had a stroke.
:10:40. > :10:42.They were told they couldn't move the dates and were entitled
:10:43. > :10:48.Now Gaynor did claim her money back on her insurance, but again,
:10:49. > :10:59.Meanwhile Nicky Oliver from Arbroath booked a family holiday to Lanzarote
:11:00. > :11:09.She too was denied any of the ?800 she'd paid for the trip,
:11:10. > :11:12.even though they cancelled three months in advance.
:11:13. > :11:16.Now in all these cases it would seem the only way to avoid being left out
:11:17. > :11:20.of pocket would be to have had insurance in place to give
:11:21. > :11:24.protection for exactly this kind of situation.
:11:25. > :11:28.But what really rankles with the people we've spoken to
:11:29. > :11:31.is that they all feel there probably was enough time for their holiday
:11:32. > :11:38.which, as far as they're concerned, means it should have been possible
:11:39. > :11:42.As any loss to the holiday company would be negligible.
:11:43. > :11:46.And solicitor Gary Rycroft agrees with them.
:11:47. > :11:49.If a holiday company sells on your cruise, or your flight,
:11:50. > :11:53.or your hotel room, they are mitigating their loss.
:11:54. > :11:56.They could be recovering two sets of money,
:11:57. > :12:01.money from you and money from the person they sell your cruise,
:12:02. > :12:07.Now it's not fair if they keep both sets of money,
:12:08. > :12:09.I think that could be legal sharp practice.
:12:10. > :12:11.What's more, Gary believes that holiday companies should
:12:12. > :12:15.keep in mind the revised Consumer Rights Act of 2015
:12:16. > :12:18.which updated the laws around the terms and conditions
:12:19. > :12:21.of most types of consumer contracts.
:12:22. > :12:26.The Consumer Rights Act 2015 also makes it clear that unfair contract
:12:27. > :12:32.Now it could be argued that it is an unfair contract term if the holiday
:12:33. > :12:36.company is allowed to keep all of your money if you have to cancel the
:12:37. > :12:38.contract through no fault of their own
:12:39. > :12:41.and they then go on and resell the holiday to someone else
:12:42. > :12:44.and keep all of the money from the second person as well.
:12:45. > :12:46.That is inherently unfair and not reasonable.
:12:47. > :12:58.Of course, proving that a holiday company has treated you unfairly
:12:59. > :13:06.These days, because booking online has become so simple, we've become
:13:07. > :13:10.used to organising our holiday travel 24-7. Which is fine when
:13:11. > :13:14.everything goes to plan, but it may not be so good if you've got a query
:13:15. > :13:19.or problem that has to be sorted out there and then - as there was for
:13:20. > :13:22.the family we're about to meet in our next film, who urgently needed
:13:23. > :13:26.to speak to someone as soon as possible. In their case, it turned
:13:27. > :13:30.out that every second really did count, and not being able to get a
:13:31. > :13:32.response ended up costing them far more than they could have ever
:13:33. > :13:40.imagined... Mary Mutimer is used
:13:41. > :13:43.to doing things in a hurry With four children,
:13:44. > :13:47.her work as a paramedic and a husband who is in the same
:13:48. > :13:50.unpredictable job, she could always do with more hours
:13:51. > :13:53.in the day than there actually are. just keeping everything going is
:13:54. > :13:58.really difficult at times and for So, organising a family holiday to
:13:59. > :14:05.Orlando where her eldest daughter
:14:06. > :14:07.Gemma was studying, seemed set to provide a welcome
:14:08. > :14:11.opportunity to press pause for a while and spend some time
:14:12. > :14:14.relaxing. And in January, 2016, Mary started
:14:15. > :14:19.hunting online for the best deal. When you do a search,
:14:20. > :14:22.lots of companies come up. Some of them I had heard of and some
:14:23. > :14:26.of them I hadn't heard of. One of those companies she hadn't
:14:27. > :14:30.heard of was Omegaflightstore, a well-established online travel
:14:31. > :14:32.agent which has been offering flights on many international routes
:14:33. > :14:36.for 20 years. With the price quoted for all five
:14:37. > :14:40.return flights to Orlando coming in at ?2,045, more than ?350 under
:14:41. > :14:45.their budget, At that time, I'll be honest,
:14:46. > :14:52.adrenaline was pumping, because I thought I had found a
:14:53. > :14:55.really good deal, this is it, we're going on this dream holiday,
:14:56. > :14:58.everything seemed to be going fine, found this fantastic price that
:14:59. > :15:01.fitted in with budget, Mary hadn't wasted a second booking
:15:02. > :15:10.the flights and at 17:58, she got confirmation
:15:11. > :15:15.that payment had been taken. I was feeling so superchuffed with
:15:16. > :15:19.myself because I had found this bargain deal that was at least
:15:20. > :15:21.50% cheaper than what a lot of
:15:22. > :15:23.people had been telling me that I would have to pay
:15:24. > :15:27.for a family of five. So, it was a case of crack the
:15:28. > :15:30.champagne out, toast all round, I was feeling really pleased with
:15:31. > :15:33.myself and excited that we were going to be going on
:15:34. > :15:36.this holiday of a lifetime. But the celebrations came to an
:15:37. > :15:39.abrupt halt, just a couple of minutes
:15:40. > :15:41.after they had begun. My oldest son, Jacob,
:15:42. > :15:44.he was like, "Mum," and I thought something is terribly
:15:45. > :15:47.wrong here, what could it be? And that's when he announced to me
:15:48. > :15:51.that the flights I had just booked clashed with the exams that he had
:15:52. > :15:54.told me were in June, However, I thought,
:15:55. > :16:00."Well, that's OK, "I will just call them back and I
:16:01. > :16:04.will just change the flights." But all she got through to was a
:16:05. > :16:18.recorded message. because I truly believed that it
:16:19. > :16:23.would be something that I could just sort out.
:16:24. > :16:27.were open at nine o'clock the next morning and I thought,
:16:28. > :16:29."That's OK, "I will just give them a ring
:16:30. > :16:32.in the morning." Mary booked the following morning
:16:33. > :16:36.off work to sort it all out she was straight on the phone to
:16:37. > :16:41.Omegaflightstore. When I explained to Omega flights
:16:42. > :16:44.what had happened, and that I had booked at literally
:16:45. > :16:48.two minutes to six and then their office was shut and I needed to
:16:49. > :16:51.change the dates, "Yes, no problem, that will be
:16:52. > :16:55.absolutely fine. "Let's see what we could do."
:16:56. > :16:58.I thought this is going well. Having checked the terms and
:16:59. > :17:01.conditions on the company's website to be charged a ?30 per person admin
:17:02. > :17:08.fee to change the flight details. But she wasn't ready for what
:17:09. > :17:11.she was told instead. So simply he said to me,
:17:12. > :17:17."That will be ?900 to change." And at that point, I cannot tell you
:17:18. > :17:21.what I was thinking and feeling, "I booked these at two minutes to
:17:22. > :17:30.six, your office was shut." But the operator was adamant that
:17:31. > :17:34.Mary had missed the deadline by which the details could be
:17:35. > :17:39.changed for that ?30 per person fee. And as a result, the cost had
:17:40. > :17:41.rocketed. He started to talk at me some facts
:17:42. > :17:46.and figures about well, if you had changed by midnight,
:17:47. > :17:49.it would have been OK. I said, "Well, your office was shut
:17:50. > :17:53.at six o'clock, I couldn't do that. But Omegaflightstore would not
:17:54. > :17:59.budge, insisting the only way she could
:18:00. > :18:01.change the flights was by paying that
:18:02. > :18:04.further ?900. They said, this ?900, was ?180
:18:05. > :18:09.per person, ?30 that they were charging for the
:18:10. > :18:12.detail change, name change, flight change, and ?150 per person
:18:13. > :18:18.which was some flight void cancellation charge,
:18:19. > :18:22.which was nowhere on their website at the time that
:18:23. > :18:26.I had seen the day before. Mary says Omegaflightstore told
:18:27. > :18:30.her that the ?900 was for fees charged by the airlines, but when
:18:31. > :18:34.she contacted both Delta and Virgin, the companies with whom
:18:35. > :18:37.she was due to fly, they told her that wasn't the case
:18:38. > :18:40.and in fact, if she had booked directly with
:18:41. > :18:42.either of them, she would have had a 24-hour cooling
:18:43. > :18:46.off period during which she would have been able to cancel or change
:18:47. > :18:50.her flight free of charge! So, if the charges weren't being
:18:51. > :18:52.made by the airline, Mary couldn't understand what on
:18:53. > :18:57.earth they were for! "Sorry, madam, it's not the case,
:18:58. > :19:06.this is procedure, that we were saying,
:19:07. > :19:12."I've just spoken to Virgin, "they have told us that they do not
:19:13. > :19:17.impose this ?150 per person charge, With their pleas falling on deaf
:19:18. > :19:22.ears, Mary and Paul felt they had no
:19:23. > :19:26.choice but to pay the extra fees, after scraping the money together
:19:27. > :19:31.with help from relatives. We borrowed the money
:19:32. > :19:34.off Paul's parents, And whilst, of course, the family
:19:35. > :19:43.was still thrilled to be going away, the unexpected extra cost rather
:19:44. > :19:47.took the shine off it all. It made me not even want to go on
:19:48. > :19:50.the holiday. So I e-mailed them the next day,
:19:51. > :19:52.a formal complaint. Now in the US, there is special
:19:53. > :19:58.legislation in place to protect consumers from falling
:19:59. > :20:01.foul of what can be confusing cancellation
:20:02. > :20:05.and amendment policies. The rules there say that any
:20:06. > :20:08.American airline, or indeed any flight
:20:09. > :20:10.departing from the US, must either offer a 24-hour hold
:20:11. > :20:13.guaranteeing your fare before purchase, or a 24-hour
:20:14. > :20:19.risk-free cancellation entitling the But here in the UK, consumers
:20:20. > :20:25.have no such protection. And as a result, different airlines
:20:26. > :20:29.have different policies and charges, if you want to make an immediate
:20:30. > :20:33.change to a booking. For example, BA and Virgin both have
:20:34. > :20:38.a 24-hour cooling off period, allowing flights to be cancelled,
:20:39. > :20:41.or rebooked. Although Virgin advises that if the
:20:42. > :20:45.flight was booked through an agent, it's the agent that should be
:20:46. > :20:48.contacted for a refund. Thomas Cook doesn't operate a
:20:49. > :20:52.24-hour grace period and its charges for flight changes
:20:53. > :20:57.range from ?35 to ?50 per person. But that's a long way from the
:20:58. > :21:00.?150 per person Rip Off Britain regular and Trading
:21:01. > :21:06.Standards Officer Sylvia Rook thinks that although
:21:07. > :21:10.Omegaflightstore is entitled whether or not that's fair
:21:11. > :21:15.is another matter. The difference between two minutes
:21:16. > :21:18.and one day and the beginning of the If the airline says 24 hours,
:21:19. > :21:23.that's a 24-hour period, then there shouldn't be a charge if
:21:24. > :21:27.the airline doesn't impose one. There can still be the
:21:28. > :21:29.administration charge for the company to do all the paperwork and
:21:30. > :21:32.that's fair enough, but certainly ?900 for the sake of
:21:33. > :21:37.two minutes does seem ridiculous. Omega certainly should not have
:21:38. > :21:40.charged her the extra fee. But when we spoke to
:21:41. > :21:42.Omegaflightstore, it insisted it acted in line
:21:43. > :21:46.with fair rules, telling us that by the time Mary
:21:47. > :21:49.spoke to the company, it was already too late to avoid
:21:50. > :21:53.incurring a charge, because their 24-hour cooling off
:21:54. > :21:56.period applies from a minute past midnight to a minute to midnight,
:21:57. > :22:01.the same day of purchase, rather than 24 hours
:22:02. > :22:04.across two days. It says the need to get changes made
:22:05. > :22:08.by six o'clock the same day Omega goes on to say it does not
:22:09. > :22:14.compromise its customer satisfaction And while it says a negotiation with
:22:15. > :22:19.Delta resulted in the airline agreeing to cancel the flights
:22:20. > :22:23.for a full refund, Mary preferred to change the date
:22:24. > :22:27.rather than cancel altogether, so the company had no choice but to
:22:28. > :22:30.apply the rules of charging ?150 per person, plus a
:22:31. > :22:38.?30 administration fee. She regrets being swayed by what was
:22:39. > :22:47.initially a lower price, but that ultimately ended up costing
:22:48. > :22:50.a lot more than if she had booked which wouldn't have charged her
:22:51. > :22:54.for correcting her mistake. I have never dealt with a company
:22:55. > :22:57.like that before and we're a modern-day family that
:22:58. > :23:00.buy on the internet, book things
:23:01. > :23:02.through search sites, just absolutely shocking
:23:03. > :23:05.in this day and age, it seems backwards to me
:23:06. > :23:08.that an office shuts at 6pm. There are a lot of companies now
:23:09. > :23:11.that are 24/7 and you can speak to them,
:23:12. > :23:13.you know, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
:23:14. > :23:17.all year round. It's ridiculous. A man who wasn't prepared to take
:23:18. > :23:32.no for an answer when his holiday By operating their scheme
:23:33. > :23:40.telling people, you're bound by our terms
:23:41. > :23:42.and conditions, you've got to forfeit the money
:23:43. > :23:45.you've paid, smacks of profiteering, out of somebody else's
:23:46. > :23:54.personal calamity. Our travel expert,
:23:55. > :23:56.Simon Calder, has all the secrets to
:23:57. > :23:59.save you money on your travels. He's full of tips on everything
:24:00. > :24:02.from how to avoid the crowds to the best way to steer clear of
:24:03. > :24:07.those tourist traps. This time, Simon's exploring the
:24:08. > :24:11.Greek islands. Greece, acquired civilisation,
:24:12. > :24:15.centuries before we did in Britain and it's still a highly civilised
:24:16. > :24:19.place to go on holiday. If you're after the simple pleasures
:24:20. > :24:23.of travel and enjoy shimmering blue Simon says Greece definitely
:24:24. > :24:30.delivers. I first went island hopping in
:24:31. > :24:33.Greece 40 years ago, and I've been exploring the mainland
:24:34. > :24:39.and islands ever since. After four decades of tireless
:24:40. > :24:42.research, If you're after history as well as
:24:43. > :24:50.hedonism then Simon recommends you focus on the three most popular
:24:51. > :24:54.islands - Crete, Corfu and Rhodes. On Crete, the largest Greek island
:24:55. > :24:57.of all, a local bus from the capital
:24:58. > :25:01.Heraklion will take you to Knossos, the power base of the Minoan
:25:02. > :25:04.civilisation. Corfu is closer to Britain and cheap
:25:05. > :25:08.to reach, with plenty of low-cost, But far away from beach resorts like
:25:09. > :25:13.Kavos, you can find unspoiled coast and
:25:14. > :25:17.countryside. And finally, Rhodes was transformed
:25:18. > :25:21.by the Knights of St John, whose palace of the grandmasters
:25:22. > :25:25.dominates the old town. consider a cut-price alternative to
:25:26. > :25:30.the beachfront hotel. Rent a room in town and use that as
:25:31. > :25:35.a base for exploring the rest of the island by cheap and
:25:36. > :25:39.cheerful public transport. For a picture perfect taste of the
:25:40. > :25:42.Greek islands, Simon reckons Kos is a must see,
:25:43. > :25:46.with so much more than just beaches. There you can find cottages rising
:25:47. > :25:50.from the quayside to a pretty white church, with a hilly hinterland
:25:51. > :25:54.draped in pine. Or go one step beyond Kos itself,
:25:55. > :25:57.take a ferry to nearby Patmos, where the reward is a pace of life
:25:58. > :26:02.turned down a couple of notches. And the final slice of Greece
:26:03. > :26:07.Simon recommends is its capital. To supercharge your Greek
:26:08. > :26:10.experience, The Greek capital was handsomely
:26:11. > :26:17.transformed for the Olympics in 2004 and is now one of my favourite
:26:18. > :26:21.European cities - the very definition of ancient
:26:22. > :26:29.and modern. Earlier in the programme we looked
:26:30. > :26:33.at just how tricky it can be to get your money back for a holiday you
:26:34. > :26:36.have to cancel. And the pain of that is made even
:26:37. > :26:40.worse if the company you booked with is able to go ahead and sell your
:26:41. > :26:43.place to someone else, while you are left seriously
:26:44. > :26:47.out of pocket. Well, it seems it's not just the
:26:48. > :26:50.people who have contacted us With regulators now issuing some
:26:51. > :26:55.very strong criticism of the way the whole cancellation process is
:26:56. > :26:59.handled could the tide, at last, Harry and Kay Smith from Bolton had
:27:00. > :27:08.planned the trip of a lifetime, then taking a cruise from
:27:09. > :27:14.Johannesburg to Venice. But they had to cancel when Kay was
:27:15. > :27:18.diagnosed with cancer, and the company they booked with,
:27:19. > :27:20.Infinity Cruises, said that in line with its terms and
:27:21. > :27:24.conditions, they couldn't have any of their
:27:25. > :27:26.money back. I couldn't understand why a company
:27:27. > :27:30.should behave like that to somebody and traumatic stage of their life
:27:31. > :27:38.that they're going through. Well, something very similar
:27:39. > :27:41.happened to this man, Rip Off Britain viewer
:27:42. > :27:44.John Cartwright from Rutland. So, when he was told
:27:45. > :27:52.he wouldn't get a refund, it wasn't something
:27:53. > :27:56.he was prepared to accept. John had booked a trip to Hong Kong
:27:57. > :28:01.with travel company Hayes Jarvis, He'd paid a ?1,178 deposit for the
:28:02. > :28:04.flights but then, due to a serious heart problem,
:28:05. > :28:08.he was unable to fly. My doctor said that in view
:28:09. > :28:13.of the surgery, I should not be taking a nine-hour
:28:14. > :28:18.long haul flight So he said, "Well, you'll have to
:28:19. > :28:33.cancel your holiday". But when John called the travel
:28:34. > :28:37.company to do just that, the company said he wouldn't be able to get a
:28:38. > :28:38.refunding, pointing to its terms and conditions.
:28:39. > :28:48.Saying they had enough time to refund them to someone else.
:28:49. > :28:52.In my case, the tour operator had at least four months' notice before
:28:53. > :28:55.departure, so had plenty of time to resell the flights.
:28:56. > :28:57.And the hotelier probably found somebody else to sleep
:28:58. > :29:01.John used his legal expertise to fight the travel firm
:29:02. > :29:07.He referred to an Office of Fair Trading report from 2004,
:29:08. > :29:10.which says that if a customer cancels a trip,
:29:11. > :29:22.With no fear about arguing his position in court,
:29:23. > :29:29.John demanded that Hayes Jarvis disclose exactly what it had lost
:29:30. > :29:35.John demanded the travel company disclose exactly what it had lost in
:29:36. > :29:38.his case in the small claims court. In the end, that didn't prove
:29:39. > :29:43.necessary, as the travel company sent him a refund, minus its lost. I
:29:44. > :29:46.felt vindicated, but I also felt angry because, by operating their
:29:47. > :29:50.scheme of telling people "You're bound by our terms and conditions,
:29:51. > :29:54.you've got to forfeit the money you've paid" smacks of profiteering
:29:55. > :30:00.out of somebody else's personal calamity. The travel company told us
:30:01. > :30:04.that high cancellation charges are usually imposed by suppliers, but
:30:05. > :30:09.are calculated so that they represent a genuine pre-estimate of
:30:10. > :30:13.the overall loss to the business. However, it does recognise that,
:30:14. > :30:18.from time to time, these costs are not a true reflection, and it's
:30:19. > :30:20.since introduced a more flexible approach to cancellations
:30:21. > :30:24.surrounding unforeseen circumstances. It said, in John's
:30:25. > :30:27.case, after being successful in getting money back from its
:30:28. > :30:31.suppliers, it was able to offer him a suitable refund. But the company
:30:32. > :30:35.went on to say that most customers cancelling on medical grounds would
:30:36. > :30:41.seek a refund through their travel insurance.
:30:42. > :30:44.But for those of us without John's legal expertise,
:30:45. > :30:47.including Harry and Kay, this kind of battle isn't that easy,
:30:48. > :30:50.nor is it always clear where to turn next.
:30:51. > :30:53.So John has agreed to look at Harry and Kay's case,
:30:54. > :31:02.If you remember, Harry and Kay paid almost ?4,300 for a holiday they had
:31:03. > :31:07.to cancel three months before they were scheduled to leave.
:31:08. > :31:10.But John believes that, as in his case,
:31:11. > :31:14.the company they booked with had plenty of time to resell their trip
:31:15. > :31:16.to someone else. So, as far as he's concerned,
:31:17. > :31:19.the couple have a strong argument for getting back a good chunk
:31:20. > :31:26.of their money, minus any administrative costs, of course.
:31:27. > :31:31.I understand that you asked Infinity Travel what their losses, if any,
:31:32. > :31:34.amounted to, resulting from your cancellation?
:31:35. > :31:37.Well, what I said to them, John, was that
:31:38. > :31:42.I don't mind paying any reasonable costs incurred by the company,
:31:43. > :31:47.and I would expect to pay for administration costs, etc.
:31:48. > :31:50.A cancellation fee. Yeah, so I have no problem with that whatsoever,
:31:51. > :31:55.but please advise then what they are and what we can expect to receive.
:31:56. > :31:59.All I got basically, again, was, refer to our terms and conditions,
:32:00. > :32:02.you're not entitled to anything, and go away, really.
:32:03. > :32:05.That was the sort of attitude, you know?
:32:06. > :32:09.For John, a crucial factor in Harry and Kay's case lies in exactly when
:32:10. > :32:12.the couple were made aware that if they cancelled their trip,
:32:13. > :32:17.for whatever reason, they wouldn't be entitled to any refund.
:32:18. > :32:21.You paid the money before you ever had a chance to see the terms
:32:22. > :32:30.Well, if that is right, that's a very good start to your situation,
:32:31. > :32:44.sale. It's no good taking money off somebody and then telling you,
:32:45. > :32:51.because they've already got your money. Yeah.
:32:52. > :32:54.And though the terms and conditions are available on the company's
:32:55. > :32:59.Harry is adamant that the fact that the cruise was non-refundable wasn't
:33:00. > :33:03.made explicitly clear to him as he handed over his money,
:33:04. > :33:07.John's opinion is that Harry and Kay have a very strong case.
:33:08. > :33:12.convinced that you will win your case and not only win the case,
:33:13. > :33:15.but you should get a big chunk of your money back.
:33:16. > :33:28.John, thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated. A pleasure.
:33:29. > :33:31.You've given us a lot of food for thought and a way forward.
:33:32. > :33:38.Well, it seems John's not alone in arguing that some travel companies
:33:39. > :33:41.may not always treat customers who cancel fairly.
:33:42. > :33:50.to stop companies profiting from non-refundable deposits on goods
:33:51. > :33:58.And it's warned that companies who continue to breach consumer rights
:33:59. > :34:05.in this area could face action, including fines.
:34:06. > :34:08.But when we put Harry and Kay's case to Infinity Cruises,
:34:09. > :34:12.the company told us that though it sincerely apologises for the added
:34:13. > :34:14.anxiety this situation may have produced,
:34:15. > :34:16.it's acted entirely within the allowed constraints
:34:17. > :34:20.of the holiday and cancellation process.
:34:21. > :34:23.It accepts, however, that more could have been done to help the couple
:34:24. > :34:25.try and recoup the cost of their holiday.
:34:26. > :34:29.Going on to explain that while the air fares had been
:34:30. > :34:30.paid in full and were non-refundable,
:34:31. > :34:33.the company had as yet only paid its supplier a deposit
:34:34. > :34:35.for the cruise element of the holiday.
:34:36. > :34:40.As such, it is able to give the couple a partial refund of ?1,634
:34:41. > :34:49.along with an additional ?115 as a goodwill gesture.
:34:50. > :34:53.That's a huge step in the right direction for Harry and Kay,
:34:54. > :35:06.If we have to go through the small claims court, then so be it.
:35:07. > :35:16.and we've given this company every opportunity to treat us fairly.
:35:17. > :35:25.So if we have to go to the court, then that's what we'll do.
:35:26. > :35:28.Well, we'll let you know what happens next and, in the meantime,
:35:29. > :35:31.if you've found yourself in a similar position to Harry and Kay,
:35:32. > :35:34.then there's more information about how you might be able to pursue
:35:35. > :35:48.Welcome to our Rip Off Britain pop-up shop.
:35:49. > :35:57.You know, throughout the year we get hundreds of letters and e-mails from
:35:58. > :36:12.in particular at our pop-up shop is constantly kept busy.
:36:13. > :36:18.and here in the Trafford Centre this year has been no exception.
:36:19. > :36:24.Well, of course, there's very little our Simon doesn't know when it comes
:36:25. > :36:27.to foreign travel and one of the complaints he just keeps on hearing
:36:28. > :36:32.is about the sky-high cost of going away during school holidays.
:36:33. > :36:37.If we go on holiday during half term,
:36:38. > :36:39.the price seems to escalate rather quickly.
:36:40. > :36:41.I did a search just before, for instance,
:36:42. > :36:45.and I'm going on holiday next year in February, we're going to Austria.
:36:46. > :36:50.To book four flights today it's like ?3,000 for four flights,
:36:51. > :37:01.Yes. And you obviously have a problem with this?
:37:02. > :37:05.Of course I do. I just think it's profiteering off families,
:37:06. > :37:10.and the fact that we're stuck to times when we have to go,
:37:11. > :37:13.because we don't want to take our children out,
:37:14. > :37:15.because we want the best for our children,
:37:16. > :37:19.so we want to make sure they stay in education for all they can,
:37:20. > :37:22.not even for a day, because even taking the kids out
:37:23. > :37:29.OK, and I can hear in homes all across Britain people saying,
:37:30. > :37:40.Those flights you were saying, ?1,200 the week before,
:37:41. > :37:44.But at ?1,200 they're losing money on it.
:37:45. > :37:46.?3,000, they're making it back in spades,
:37:47. > :37:49.but that keeps the whole show on the road.
:37:50. > :37:53.And it looks as though those hugely inflated prices during peak season
:37:54. > :37:57.are here to stay, despite the many complaints and even a petition
:37:58. > :38:00.being handed in to Number 10 demanding change.
:38:01. > :38:03.But our seasoned traveller Simon knows ways to beat the system.
:38:04. > :38:08.take advantage of the fact that in Scotland school holidays
:38:09. > :38:13.and you'll find that flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow,
:38:14. > :38:20.at times when English schools are on holiday but Scottish schools
:38:21. > :38:22.are not, they offer much better value.
:38:23. > :38:26.Sure, it's a three or four hour drive and all the extra petrol
:38:27. > :38:34.Well, we looked into the price of flights to Barcelona from Scotland
:38:35. > :38:37.during term time, and compared them to flights leaving England
:38:38. > :38:40.at the same time, when the schools there are on holiday.
:38:41. > :38:43.We found some of the Scottish flights were as much
:38:44. > :38:48.which, for a family of four, adds up to a huge saving.
:38:49. > :38:51.And Simon has another money-saving trick up his sleeve.
:38:52. > :39:03.OK, fantastic. So have a look at going straight after school,
:39:04. > :39:07.be waiting at the school gates on the last day of term with the engine
:39:08. > :39:10.running, get yourself across to Liverpool John Lennon Airport,
:39:11. > :39:13.get on a flight then. Quite often you'll find that a Friday
:39:14. > :39:26.Some of the flights were ?70 cheaper,
:39:27. > :39:34.And Simon's final tip would be to fly home from an airport
:39:35. > :39:39.It's slightly more hassle, but there can be big savings.
:39:40. > :39:43.Just looking last October half term, flights to and from Alicante were,
:39:44. > :39:46.coming home, something like ?300 one-way.
:39:47. > :39:51.But if you hop on a train which takes two hours and costs about ?30
:39:52. > :39:54.to Madrid, suddenly flights galore for 50 quid.
:39:55. > :39:58.So that's the way to do it, just come up with an alternative.
:39:59. > :40:00.Just think smart with your choice of airport and destination.
:40:01. > :40:08.Good. Thank you very much for your time.
:40:09. > :40:11.But anger over the way prices rocket out of term time
:40:12. > :40:18.It's just a constant nightmare for a family of five.
:40:19. > :40:25.so you're actually penalised for having children who are in school.
:40:26. > :40:29.As parents, we're put under so much pressure to either work harder
:40:30. > :40:36.I feel that I can pay three or four times more to go away at that time
:40:37. > :40:54.It's just ridiculous and I think something needs to be done about it.
:40:55. > :40:56.If you've got a story you'd like us to investigate,
:40:57. > :40:59.then get in touch with us via our Facebook page,
:41:00. > :41:06.our website, bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain,
:41:07. > :41:26.Or, if you want to send us a letter, then our new address is...
:41:27. > :41:30.Well, the question of refunds on a holiday booking is one that we know
:41:31. > :41:32.a lot of you feel very strongly about.
:41:33. > :41:35.And you've made it crystal clear in your e-mails and letters
:41:36. > :41:43.Now obviously we do appreciate that there is usually some cost involved
:41:44. > :41:46.in either amending or cancelling a booking, but it's very easy,
:41:47. > :41:50.I think, to understand why so many people feel that to lose
:41:51. > :41:58.even when the company has then gone on and been able to resell it
:41:59. > :42:00.to someone else, does not feel entirely fair.
:42:01. > :42:02.And I have to say, I agree with them.
:42:03. > :42:04.I'd call it profiting from misfortune, possibly.
:42:05. > :42:07.Well, let's see if that's what the regulator ends up thinking, too.
:42:08. > :42:13.so we hope you never need to cancel any of your holiday plans
:42:14. > :42:15.and that everything goes without a hitch.
:42:16. > :42:17.And remember, if it doesn't, you know what to do,
:42:18. > :42:23.We'll see you again very soon, but until then, from all of us, goodbye.
:42:24. > :43:11.MUSIC: Mad World by Gary Jules
:43:12. > :43:13.A murder has been committed and we have a duty to solve it.