0:00:02 > 0:00:05We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off when it comes to your
0:00:05 > 0:00:09holidays, and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12It happens all the time, that somebody else has paid less for
0:00:12 > 0:00:14their holiday that I've paid more for.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17The costs of these things is certainly going up and up.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21I always think someone's trying to rip me off somewhere along the line.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26or a catch in the small print,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Your stories, your money.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Hello, and an especially warm welcome to Rip-Off Britain, which is
0:00:40 > 0:00:43coming to you from the sunshine of Tenerife, which is where we've come
0:00:43 > 0:00:46to try and get to the bottom of some of the problems that you've been
0:00:46 > 0:00:48telling us you've had with your holidays.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51And I have to say that, in recent months, we seem to have had even
0:00:51 > 0:00:55more of those than ever before, no doubt because this really has
0:00:55 > 0:00:59been an especially turbulent year for the industry as a whole.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It certainly has. Whether it was airlines going bust
0:01:02 > 0:01:05or hurricanes tearing through resorts,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08tens of thousands of holiday-makers have found themselves in some cases
0:01:08 > 0:01:11quite literally in the eye of the storm as a succession of travel
0:01:11 > 0:01:16dramas and disasters, some man-made, others natural,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18played out, with the whole world watching.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Well, of course, the situations that so many of you had the misfortune to
0:01:21 > 0:01:25be caught up in meant big customer service challenges for the airlines
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and companies involved.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30And while some of those businesses did treat those affected very well,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32that wasn't always the case.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35So, today, we're going to look at what went wrong.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37We're going to try and see if lessons can be learned,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and prevent something similar happening again.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Coming up - holidays in the headlines,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47as thousands of you were caught up in 2017's biggest travel dramas.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52The wind was so fierce that it was pushing the water through the double
0:01:52 > 0:01:56doors off the balcony, and obviously the room was flooding.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01What impact will those events have on your travel plans this year?
0:02:02 > 0:02:06And how holiday-makers talked into making bogus sickness claims
0:02:06 > 0:02:10threaten to change the face and price of family holidays forever.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Well, it certainly seems that 2017 was a year when travel stories
0:02:25 > 0:02:29dominated front pages and headlines like never before.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33Some of the reasons for that, such as civil unrest,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38particularly violent hurricanes, are always really difficult to predict.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42But other situations, like airlines cancelling flights,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44airlines going bust,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49with hindsight seem to have been bubbling away for quite some time.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Either way, what all of those stories have in common is
0:02:53 > 0:02:57the devastating effect that they had on those holiday-makers that were
0:02:57 > 0:03:02caught up in the very heart of the story, and often hundreds of miles
0:03:02 > 0:03:04away from home.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09From emergency evacuations...
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Asking us to leave is unnecessary, I think, at the moment.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15But I understand that we need to do it.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17..to wildfires sweeping across coastlines.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23The shocking thing about it was how quickly it took hold.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27For some of you, the holidays you booked in 2017 will stick in
0:03:27 > 0:03:29the mind for all the wrong reasons.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Whether because of a man-made disaster...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- ..or Mother Nature flexing her muscles.- It was quite frightening.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41We had to just wait for it to hit and hope for the best, really.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44British holiday-makers were caught up in a succession of dramatic
0:03:44 > 0:03:49events that threw their holidays into turmoil and, in some cases,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51left them reliant on others to get home safely.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It all started in January, when hundreds of British tourists,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01enjoying some winter sun in the Gambia, were flown home on
0:04:01 > 0:04:05emergency flights when the country faced political unrest.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Thousands of European tourists, mostly from the UK,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12being flown back home on special flights.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15With the Government on the cusp of a military coup,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here in the UK took the rare step of
0:04:18 > 0:04:23advising holiday-makers against all travel to this popular African
0:04:23 > 0:04:27tourist destination, and more than 3,000 Brits already there were told
0:04:27 > 0:04:30that their holiday company would be flying them home
0:04:30 > 0:04:32as soon as possible.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36The crisis was short-lived, and the official advice now is that trips to
0:04:36 > 0:04:38the area are mostly trouble-free.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But this was just the first of the year's stories to highlight two
0:04:41 > 0:04:43key nuggets of advice.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47First, make sure you're up to speed on the latest official guidance for
0:04:47 > 0:04:51wherever you're going. Some travel insurance policies may allow you to
0:04:51 > 0:04:55claim if the UK Government is warning against travel somewhere.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58That's sometimes the case after terror attacks, too.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Always check your policy to see if you're covered for a cancellation pay-out.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Second, check your travel insurance covers you in the way
0:05:05 > 0:05:07you'd expect if you miss out
0:05:07 > 0:05:10on some or all of your holiday.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Some policies have exclusions that mean you won't be protected as you
0:05:14 > 0:05:17might have thought - as became clear when two very different
0:05:17 > 0:05:18calamities came along.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24In March 2017, French air traffic controllers went on strike,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and 100,000 passengers were left stranded.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Tempers flared at airports across the UK and France.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The way that people have been here disrupted today, it's, um, well,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- it's totally unfair. - Just two months later,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41a major IT crash in Heathrow left 75,000 British Airways passengers
0:05:41 > 0:05:46facing long queues and massive delays over a busy
0:05:46 > 0:05:49May Day bank holiday weekend.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Flights from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports were cancelled,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and around the world, aircraft were grounded and passengers left stuck
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- on planes and in terminals. - They could have done so much better.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And I work in IT, and to blame this on IT problems,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08it's basic enterprise practice to have a disaster recovery solution.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Many travel insurance companies took the view that IT failures and
0:06:12 > 0:06:16air traffic control strikes were not covered by their policies.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Others, like the airlines involved,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23were prepared to reimburse the cost of flights but not any consequential
0:06:23 > 0:06:28losses, such as accommodation, which highlights a very clear benefit
0:06:28 > 0:06:31you will get from booking a package holiday.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34If the tour operator can't get you to your destination,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36you will get a full refund.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41But whilst any sort of delay can be hugely frustrating,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44it shouldn't put any lives in danger.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Unlike the situation faced by hundreds of British tourists in
0:06:47 > 0:06:49the South of France, two months later.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53A heatwave in the region turned the woodland into a tinderbox,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and fires spread quickly along the coast.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It's little patches of fire that keep breaking up,
0:06:59 > 0:07:00they are the most dangerous ones,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03they're the ones that can lead to widespread bushfires,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05and then they become out of control.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08As the blaze spread across Southern France,
0:07:08 > 0:07:1210,000 residents and holiday-makers had to be evacuated.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Diana and John Wardle from Yorkshire were staying near St Tropez,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20in an area just metres from the flames.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25I think the shocking thing about it was how quickly it took hold.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28First of all, we saw smoke, then we saw a bit of flame,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33and then it shot right up the hill, and the whole hill was on fire.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37While more than 4,000 firefighters tackled the flames,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41all holiday-makers like Diana and John could do was watch.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43We just stood there for quite a long time, watching the flames
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and watching the fire planes coming in with water buckets,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52and the bellies of the fire planes that just doused...
0:07:52 > 0:07:54to try and douse the flames.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57As the fires spread along the Riviera,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00John and Diana were forced to sleep on the beach,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03along with dozens of other peak season holiday-makers.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08We sat in the car on the promenade, looking back towards the, um,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11the nature reserve, and that was, I mean, that was just ablaze.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It looked like Dante's Inferno, really.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Worldwide, forest fires are on the rise.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But as they are classed as acts of God,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25travel expert Simon Calder says that finding a travel insurance policy
0:08:25 > 0:08:29that covers you from any losses you may suffer because of one can be tricky.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33The forest fires in the Cote d'Azur in Southern France devastated
0:08:33 > 0:08:36a beautiful region,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40and of course proved traumatic for thousands of holiday-makers.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43If you find yourself in that situation,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46evidently, all you can do is follow the advice of the local emergency services.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51And, once you're safe, perhaps consult your travel
0:08:51 > 0:08:56insurance policy to see if you're covered for any extra expenses.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59But perhaps the strongest reminder of the force of Mother Nature came
0:08:59 > 0:09:04in August, when hurricane season started in the Atlantic,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and the first to make itself known was Hurricane Harvey,
0:09:07 > 0:09:13killing 82 people and causing 190 billion worth of damage.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16It was the scariest thing we've ever seen. There's no words for it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19This is just devastating for everybody.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23But hot on its heels was Hurricane Irma, which made landfall
0:09:23 > 0:09:25in the popular holiday destination of Cuba,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28where British tourist Jenny Hill was staying,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33before tearing across the Caribbean en route to the US mainland.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36The British Virgin Islands look like they've been hit by the blast wave
0:09:36 > 0:09:39of a bomb. Houses have been ripped apart,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and contents scattered for miles.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45The most powerful hurricane ever recorded,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Irma caused devastation everywhere it hit,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53killing 75 people and leaving thousands more homeless.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56It was quite frightening when you realised, you know,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58it was actually going to happen.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02There was probably about 15 of us or so, maybe 20.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04We were just there, and so,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07we just obviously all went to our rooms and that was that.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11We had to just wait for it to hit and hope for the best, really.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Jenny was travelling with tour operator Thomas Cook, which probably
0:10:16 > 0:10:19had the greatest number of British tourists on the island -
0:10:19 > 0:10:214,800 in all.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25With evacuating that many people simply not feasible,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29the company's priority was to keep everyone safe until the storm
0:10:29 > 0:10:33passed, so with all its hotels built to be hurricane-proof,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36that's where it advised its customers to remain, and while that
0:10:36 > 0:10:39was undoubtedly the right decision, the whole experience,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42which Jenny filmed for us while she was there,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44is one she will never forget.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49The wind was so fierce that it was pushing the water through,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51through the double doors of the balcony, and obviously,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54the room, the room was flooding.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59So you tried to stop the water that way, and ended up pulling
0:10:59 > 0:11:02the sheets off the beds to stop the water, but it didn't work.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05It was still coming in. And then, obviously,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07the corridor flooded on the other side of the door,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10so the door swelled on that side.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'This is Cuba this morning.'
0:11:13 > 0:11:17At its peak, Hurricane Irma stretched 6,050 miles from east to
0:11:17 > 0:11:23west, with record 130 miles an hour winds turning streets into rivers,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26ripping down power lines and uprooting trees.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Forecasters predicted the worst of it would last for 24 hours, but
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Jenny says she was unable to leave her hotel room for three days.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38The days were so long, because there was no water.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41It was so hot, there was no air conditioning.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44And it was so damp, because of all the flooding,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48because it was seawater that had come through, it smelled really bad.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- It was just awful. - Despite the severity of Irma,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55there's no concrete evidence to suggest that hurricanes are getting stronger.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58But as Simon Calder points out, there's a very simple way
0:11:58 > 0:12:03to lower the chances of getting caught up in one.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08You get great prices on Caribbean holidays in September and October
0:12:08 > 0:12:10for one very good reason.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11It's hurricane season.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Most of the time, people get away with it and have great holidays.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18On this occasion, they very clearly didn't, but I think the holiday
0:12:18 > 0:12:22companies have responded as generously as they could and should,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25giving everybody their money back.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Next time, if you don't want to be caught up in a Caribbean hurricane,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32don't go to the Caribbean in hurricane season.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Well, as the weather calmed,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37another storm was brewing on this side of the Atlantic.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39And the focus of the anger?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Ryanair e-mails 400,000 customers,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45telling them their flights have been cancelled.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Chief Exec of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, was forced to cancel 20,000
0:12:50 > 0:12:54flights after admitting it had made a mistake scheduling pilots' leave,
0:12:54 > 0:12:59meaning the airline had too few pilots to service all its flights.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02The error affected over 700,000 passengers,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04among them Carol Milligan,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07who was just about to board the plane home from Portugal when she
0:13:07 > 0:13:10found out it had been cancelled.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16My friend checked her phone and had received a text message from Ryanair
0:13:16 > 0:13:19to say that the flight was cancelled.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21No explanation,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25just telling us that we could rebook the flight
0:13:25 > 0:13:27or apply for a refund.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Carol desperately needed to get home to her children, who are disabled,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34but the first alternative flight Ryanair could offer was
0:13:34 > 0:13:37an indirect one, later the following day.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42So Carol felt she had no option but to pay out almost £307 for flights
0:13:42 > 0:13:46on another airline that would still get home later than planned,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49but earlier than Ryanair could manage.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51By the time we eventually got something booked,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53it was 10:30 at night.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58There was no accommodation that we could see or we could find
0:13:58 > 0:14:01for five people at that short notice.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Well, when we contacted Ryanair,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08it told us that, whilst it sincerely apologises for this flight
0:14:08 > 0:14:12cancellation, it was Carol and her friends' choice to take a full
0:14:12 > 0:14:16refund of their unused flight and to make alternative arrangements,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20despite being offered free flights the next day.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It added that, as well as a refund of the cost of her original Ryanair
0:14:23 > 0:14:28flight, Carol has also received around 400 euros compensation,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31in line with the EU guidelines.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36But Carol says she's lost trust in an airline that she previously
0:14:36 > 0:14:40relied on, and she doesn't think the options she was given by Ryanair
0:14:40 > 0:14:41were good enough.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45For us not to be able to get home to our children when we told them
0:14:45 > 0:14:49we would be home for them was really distressing.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54It was extremely difficult, and all I can say, for myself,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I just felt completely numb.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00And Simon Calder says that the Ryanair story,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03though completely unprecedented,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07does raise some concerns over how well consumers are being protected
0:15:07 > 0:15:09when something like this happens.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13If an airline cancels your flight and it can't offer you a reasonable
0:15:13 > 0:15:18alternative, then it has to buy you a ticket on a different airline.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22And if Ryanair is refusing, well, of course,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25you could go to Alternative Dispute Resolution, or indeed take them
0:15:25 > 0:15:30to court, but write them a polite letter first.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Ryanair's issues with its pilots resurfaced in the run-up to
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Christmas, but if it ended the year with its reputation bruised,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43it is an airline that always bounces back - unlike one of its rivals.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45After half a century of flying,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Monarch was grounded for good on Monday.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50The company was simply losing too much money.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51News that Monarch -
0:15:51 > 0:15:55the country's fifth biggest airline - was out of business
0:15:55 > 0:15:58for good came at a bad time for Stephen Hardy,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01who'd just paid for flights to Spain later in the year.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04We first heard the Monarch problems on the smartphone, and it was just
0:16:04 > 0:16:08a little headline. We followed the news on the Saturday and Sunday, and
0:16:08 > 0:16:12on the Sunday they'd gone bust, and that left us wondering where we went
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- with our holidays.- While Stephen was at home, trying to find out if he
0:16:16 > 0:16:19had lost the money he'd paid for his flights, the British Government was
0:16:19 > 0:16:24faced with the largest peacetime repatriation ever, as over 100,000
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Monarch passengers stranded abroad had to be brought home,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31but though some of those people had their holidays cut short,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Stephen feared he now wouldn't get any time away.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I went on the site to try and see what was happening.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39There was no way onto the site,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42because then you're hearing stories of people losing thousands of pounds
0:16:42 > 0:16:44in flights and things. I'm thinking,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48"Thank goodness it's only £216," but that's our holiday gone.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51We can't afford to rebook until I get the money back.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Stephen used PayPal,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56but because he paid for his flights outside the company's
0:16:56 > 0:17:00buyer protection scheme timeframe, he wasn't eligible for a refund.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04The company did however offer him a full pay-out as a gesture of
0:17:04 > 0:17:08goodwill, two months later, which came just in time for him
0:17:08 > 0:17:10to book another trip.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14And while there's no imminent sign that 2018 will see any other big
0:17:14 > 0:17:18names go bust, the best way to ensure peace of mind when booking
0:17:18 > 0:17:21a holiday is to do it in a way that gives you protection
0:17:21 > 0:17:23if anything goes wrong.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26So, an ATOL certificate if you're buying a package,
0:17:26 > 0:17:31or paying by credit card if you're getting flights only.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33And remember, forest fires,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36cancellations or even hurricanes notwithstanding,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39the majority of holidays do run smoothly,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44which is why even after a year of high holiday drama,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Simon Calder is keen to emphasise that there's never been
0:17:48 > 0:17:50a better time to travel.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53However awful the headlines look, however anxious you might
0:17:53 > 0:17:56understandably be feeling about travelling abroad,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58please trust me on this.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03I spend an awful lot of time looking at the risks to travellers,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and I can assure you that there has never been a safer time
0:18:07 > 0:18:10for British holiday-makers going abroad.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14There's never been better value either, so go and make the most it.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Now, the phrase, "The customer is always right," was really put to
0:18:22 > 0:18:25the test in 2017 for some of the biggest names in the business,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30and that's because, following a sharp rise in the number of reports
0:18:30 > 0:18:34of food poisoning cases, investigations by the holiday
0:18:34 > 0:18:38companies discovered a string of entirely bogus claims being made,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40in the hope of getting ill-deserved compensation.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46but the finger was pointed very much at British holiday-makers for being
0:18:46 > 0:18:51the worst culprits in this, and the consequences of that have led to
0:18:51 > 0:18:54some companies implementing some serious measures
0:18:54 > 0:18:56that could very well affect your next holiday.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03First introduced in the UK as holiday camps in the 1930s,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07the all-inclusive holiday has spread worldwide, but it's still most
0:19:07 > 0:19:13popular with the British, making up 17% of all the holidays we take.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16But some recent behaviour by some of that number has put the future
0:19:16 > 0:19:19of this kind of holiday in serious jeopardy.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Natalie Needham is the service manager for the tour operator
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Thomas Cook, and around three years ago, her company, along with other
0:19:30 > 0:19:33major tour operators, began to notice
0:19:33 > 0:19:36something very, very strange was happening.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39There'd been a sharp increase in the number of holiday-makers returning
0:19:39 > 0:19:44to the UK and then suddenly claiming that they had suffered a bout
0:19:44 > 0:19:48of food poisoning while staying at their all-inclusive resort abroad.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51This probably increased around 50%.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55It didn't really come as known to us in resort.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00It was more back when they got back to the UK, and then
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the hoteliers obviously started to get a little bit worried of why
0:20:03 > 0:20:07the increase was so high in a short space of time.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Although some cases of holiday-makers falling ill is to be
0:20:11 > 0:20:15expected, the number of people reportedly doing so
0:20:15 > 0:20:19had risen from 5,000 in 2013
0:20:19 > 0:20:22to around 35,000 in 2016 -
0:20:22 > 0:20:24a staggering 500% increase.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26It started off with one, two,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30three families claiming and getting money, and then obviously
0:20:30 > 0:20:33they've seen how easy it is to be done,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35and then it's just progressed from there.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37When resorts across Spain,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41the Balearics and the Canaries all spotted the same trend emerging,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45the holiday companies began to investigate, and a very worrying
0:20:45 > 0:20:48pattern of behaviour was soon discovered.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It became clear holiday-makers were being approached in their resorts
0:20:52 > 0:20:55by what holiday companies have dubbed "sickness touts"
0:20:55 > 0:20:58or even "illness farmers" -
0:20:58 > 0:21:01people who've been employed by claims management companies to make
0:21:01 > 0:21:04tourists some very tempting offers.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06They say that, for very little effort,
0:21:06 > 0:21:11you can make a tidy profit out of submitting a claim via them
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to be compensated for food poisoning suffered after eating at
0:21:13 > 0:21:18- an all-inclusive resort.- One of the biggest hotels on the island,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21there was probably about 80 people outside with clipboards,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24so as people was in and out of the hotel,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27they were being approached by these illness farmers and asking them,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30taking all their contact details, asking them to make a claim,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33telling them to go to the pharmacy, get receipts.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34And we could see it happening a lot.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And their tactics seemed to be working.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44Over a year, hoteliers across Spain paid out an estimated £88 million
0:21:44 > 0:21:48to holiday-makers who all claimed they'd fallen ill after eating
0:21:48 > 0:21:51the food at an all-inclusive resort in which they were staying,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and rather than going to the expense of defending sickness claims,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59some hoteliers have been settling out of court to save money.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03I think the hoteliers are a little bit scared. Over the last year or two,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06they've been paying out a lot of money for these fake illness claims.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Suspecting that holiday-makers were being encouraged to submit false claims,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15one tour operator, Jet2, hired private investigators to catch
0:22:15 > 0:22:18some of these illness farmers at work, and the results could not
0:22:18 > 0:22:20have been clearer,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23with hotel guests being told that simply buying medication would be
0:22:23 > 0:22:26sufficient proof to earn them a big pay-out.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Oh, right, OK.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Now, it's these sort of practices that have got the hotel industry
0:22:49 > 0:22:53concerned, and perhaps the worst part of it is that the only people
0:22:53 > 0:22:56that seem to be involved in the deception are us Brits.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I think there was just a lot of worry,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01because we'd seen such a high increase in the previous year.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It was the thought of, "What are we going to do about it?" So, yeah,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08there was talks of the hoteliers not wanting to serve the Brits any more.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12One hotelier in Mallorca, who works in partnership with Thomas Cook,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14is Sebastian Darda.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16A 40-year veteran of the trade,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20his hotel has been hit with numerous false sickness claims, and he's in
0:23:20 > 0:23:23no doubt as to who the culprits are.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27100% of false sick illness claims
0:23:27 > 0:23:31are coming from the British... British persons.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36In my hotel, at the end of the year,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40we have more people coming from Asian countries,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45and then they have been having the same meal as the British,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and we never had any claims at all.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Those concerns are echoed by quality control officer Agnes Meyer who,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58at another hotel in Mallorca, is carrying out her usual routine notes
0:23:58 > 0:24:00and observations.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Hotel providers employ her to carry out rigorous checks on a hotel's
0:24:04 > 0:24:08health and safety, which can include everything from the water quality of
0:24:08 > 0:24:11the swimming pool to the lettuce at the salad bar.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14We do quality checklists.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18We check on cleanliness, we check the room service, the food.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22We also eat a lot in hotels.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Then, for those hotels who do not meet our targets,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28we will set up quality improvement plans.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32But some of the hotels that have passed all Agnes's meticulous
0:24:32 > 0:24:37checks have still seen a spike in the numbers of sickness claims
0:24:37 > 0:24:40coming from British holiday-makers who've stayed there.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43We have German or Polish or Belgian guests in the hotel,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and they're not sick,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50so it's most likely that it's not the fault of the hotel.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55In the hotel where 1,000 people are in, it can be normal that one, two
0:24:55 > 0:24:59or three are ill, but it's not normal that all have food poisoning,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and this is, yeah, quite ridiculous.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Solicitor Marc Ripoll is a Spanish lawyer representing some of
0:25:07 > 0:25:10the hotels and insurers in Mallorca.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Now, he says the rise in fraudulent claims is jeopardising the future
0:25:14 > 0:25:16of this type of holiday.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Some hoteliers were seriously considering
0:25:18 > 0:25:20withdrawing from all-inclusive.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23That was for the last year.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I think that some of them still consider it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29It's still something that can happen.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Marc believes that certain UK solicitors' firms aren't doing
0:25:34 > 0:25:39the correct medical checks or indeed asking for sufficient evidence from
0:25:39 > 0:25:42their clients, which has a knock-on effect for hotels
0:25:42 > 0:25:44and insurance firms in Spain.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49They've been unethical, some of them,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52especially as to the fraudulent claims.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59They haven't really taken the sufficient measures
0:25:59 > 0:26:04to make sure this claim was genuine or not.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And these concerns are shared by authorities back in the UK,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11including the travel organisation ABTA.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Its Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer, has a theory as to why some
0:26:15 > 0:26:19claims firms are focusing their attention on these food poisoning cases.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22In 2012, the Government changed the law so that legal fees that could be
0:26:22 > 0:26:25charged for personal injury claims arising in the United Kingdom
0:26:25 > 0:26:29were capped, so that made it less attractive for people to pursue
0:26:29 > 0:26:31whiplash claims and so forth for the lawyers.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33So then, they switched their attention overseas,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36where there isn't currently a cap on those fees, and that can be
0:26:36 > 0:26:38a very lucrative business.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But Mark is concerned that holiday-makers don't fully
0:26:42 > 0:26:45understand the consequences of making a false claim.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50In fact, in 2017, it launched a campaign to spell all of that out.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Hmm.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Fake sickness claims have created an enormous amount of damage.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06They've risen very, very steeply over the last 12 to 18 months.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09If you make a false claim, the penalties are very severe.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11It's a criminal offence, it's fraud,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13and what we've been trying to do through our campaign is to
0:27:13 > 0:27:15make people aware of that, and we have seen a lot of people are now
0:27:15 > 0:27:17withdrawing claims, saying they've put them in, but actually
0:27:17 > 0:27:21they now wish to withdraw them, which suggests that they hadn't realised quite how serious a step
0:27:21 > 0:27:24they were taking when they made these accusations.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And just how severe the consequences can be was highlighted by the recent
0:27:27 > 0:27:30case of Deborah Briton and Paul Roberts.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Thomas Cook took the pair to court after they had submitted a claim
0:27:34 > 0:27:37for £20,000, alleging they'd been struck down with food poisoning
0:27:37 > 0:27:40while staying at one of the company's resorts.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42The courts ruled in favour of Thomas Cook.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45The couple were found guilty of fraud and sentenced
0:27:45 > 0:27:48to nine and 15 months respectively.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55And in an attempt to deter holiday-makers from submitting
0:27:55 > 0:27:57false claims for sickness in the future,
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Thomas Cook says it's been forced to take other drastic action.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05One of the biggest hotels on the island, what they use is
0:28:05 > 0:28:10a wristband, so if you go in and out of the restaurant, you have to sign yourself in. If you go out on
0:28:10 > 0:28:14the beach bus, you have to sign yourself out, so it's not like keeping track
0:28:14 > 0:28:17on the customers, but we would know if they've been out and about.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22If holiday-makers leave and possibly eat away from a resort,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26it's then very difficult for them to suggest that the food poisoning they
0:28:26 > 0:28:30suffered was due to food they'd eaten on the site and not elsewhere.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33We're just trying to obviously put higher measures in place to stop
0:28:33 > 0:28:35these people trying to make fake claims.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38We don't want to follow their every move,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41but this is the way we're clamping down on it.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45And Thomas Cook is also keeping a close eye on individuals who have
0:28:45 > 0:28:49submitted claims for food poisoning in the past that are suspected
0:28:49 > 0:28:51- to have been fake.- Every month,
0:28:51 > 0:28:55we receive a report to say, this is a list of people that have made
0:28:55 > 0:28:57a previous fake illness claim.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00We obviously put all measures in place to keep a further eye
0:29:00 > 0:29:02on these particular people.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07As for the coming 2018 season, although the holiday companies
0:29:07 > 0:29:11recognise that most of us customers are honest people, there's no doubt
0:29:11 > 0:29:14that, should these types of pay-outs continue, the future of
0:29:14 > 0:29:18all-inclusive holidays very much hangs in the balance.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21We don't want to, obviously, take our customers to court, but if we
0:29:21 > 0:29:26obviously know or understand or have got the evidence that it's actually
0:29:26 > 0:29:30a fake illness claim, we have to do something to try and stop
0:29:30 > 0:29:34everybody else following suit, and I think...
0:29:34 > 0:29:36and this was the only way to do it.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Still to come on Rip-Off Britain...
0:29:45 > 0:29:48the Dubai dream that turned into a nightmare.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Although you're telling yourself you're not going to prison,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52we all knew I was going to prison over there.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54And you try and fight it, but there's no...
0:29:54 > 0:29:56you can't fight anything over there.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Our travel expert Simon Calder is full of the secrets to save you
0:30:03 > 0:30:07money on your travels. He's also got tips on everything from how to avoid
0:30:07 > 0:30:11the crowds to the best way to steer clear of those tourist traps.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13This time, it's Western Australia.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21In 1947, the "Kangaroo Route", the journey from the UK to Australia,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25took four days and involved nine stops.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Today, taking a trip down under is much quicker.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30In fact, in 2017,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34the first 17-hour flights from the UK to Perth were introduced,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36but they don't come cheap.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39So you've spent maybe the best part of £1,000 on your
0:30:39 > 0:30:41return flight to Australia.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44What is there to do for free in Perth?
0:30:44 > 0:30:49Well, if you go along to the iCity information kiosk on Murray Street,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53there's a really good 90-minute daily guided walking tour,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56and it won't cost you a bean.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59You'll get to see the sights of Perth, and what's more,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02with no tipping expected, it's genuinely free.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05And if the heat of the city gets too much for you,
0:31:05 > 0:31:09then Simon suggests heading to the very relaxed ocean suburb of
0:31:09 > 0:31:13Fremantle - around half an hour by train or slightly longer on a trip
0:31:13 > 0:31:16down the Swan River by boat.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20For somewhere cheap and quirky to stay, check in to Fremantle Prison.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25It's a UNESCO world Heritage site that's been converted into
0:31:25 > 0:31:27a backpacker hostel.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31You could pay as little as around £70 a night for a family room,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34or just £13 for a dorm bed.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39With huge distances between cities and towns, and an extreme climate,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43the Australian Government urges tourists and inexperienced drivers
0:31:43 > 0:31:47who want to head off the beaten track to be well prepared.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48For outback driving,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52the Australian authorities recommend that you have at least three days'
0:31:52 > 0:31:56emergency supply of food and water.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Hire or buy a satellite phone,
0:31:58 > 0:32:03and don't underestimate the dangers of crocodiles, sharks and snakes.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11A news story that you probably see regularly in the headlines concerns
0:32:11 > 0:32:15holiday-makers being arrested and detained in the increasingly popular
0:32:15 > 0:32:17destination of Dubai,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21often for offences that the majority of people reading about them
0:32:21 > 0:32:24might consider to be relatively minor.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Such experiences can be horrendous for those involved, and it can take
0:32:27 > 0:32:31an awful lot of persuasion from people in some very high places
0:32:31 > 0:32:32to get them released.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Whether it's the people, the food or the culture,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41one of the pleasures of travel can be experiencing the unfamiliar.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44But whilst the difference between cultures is generally
0:32:44 > 0:32:47something to be celebrated, there are some places where simple
0:32:47 > 0:32:52misunderstandings can lead to catastrophic consequences.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55And there's one country in particular where holiday-makers have
0:32:55 > 0:32:58found that out the hard way - Dubai,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01as Jamie Harron from Stirling knows all too well.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04He was on a short stopover in the country when he was charged with
0:33:04 > 0:33:08public indecency after he allegedly touched a man's hip
0:33:08 > 0:33:10in a bar in 2017.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Very good. Very happy to be home.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Jamie spent five days in prison
0:33:14 > 0:33:17before being released without his passport,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20but then had to remain in the country for another three months,
0:33:20 > 0:33:25accruing over £32,000 in expenses and legal fees, trying to get home.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29It was only after he was eventually sentenced to three months in prison
0:33:29 > 0:33:32that campaigners say the case was dropped on the orders of
0:33:32 > 0:33:35the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Even now, when I'm home, I still can't actually believe that
0:33:38 > 0:33:41it was three and a half months, four months, for what it was, like.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44As Dubai's reputation as one of the world's leading tourist destinations
0:33:44 > 0:33:48has increased, and tourists have flocked to its seductive mix
0:33:48 > 0:33:50of sand, sea and shopping,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53so the risk is increased for a cultural clash to end up
0:33:53 > 0:33:55falling foul of local laws.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58In fact, there's been such a rise in cases like Jamie's,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02that there's now a special group of UK lawyers stationed out in Dubai
0:34:02 > 0:34:06to assist those who find themselves in similar situations to get home.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Radha Stirling is one of the team.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12The UAE is quite a contradiction of countries.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16On the one hand, it's marketed as the Vegas of the Middle East,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19and on the other hand, the laws don't reflect that.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22The law is still very clear, and it's still as you would expect
0:34:22 > 0:34:26a Middle Eastern country to be around 30 years ago,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28so even though the marketing has caught up,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31it's very, very confusing to a traveller.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33It's very easy to get in trouble.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Billy Barclay from Edinburgh is someone else who found himself
0:34:37 > 0:34:41in trouble in Dubai, during a family holiday in 2016.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44He and his wife and two children had always enjoyed the country as one of
0:34:44 > 0:34:46their favourite destinations,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49and the family was always respectful of local laws.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51We knew it was a Muslim country.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54We knew it had laws, but we just thought, if we go, you know,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58about life, our normal routines, everything would be fine.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00As on previous holidays to Dubai,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03the family just kept themselves to themselves
0:35:03 > 0:35:04and didn't have any problems.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07That was until Billy went to a bureau de change
0:35:07 > 0:35:11to exchange some of his British money for the local currency.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14The chap had said to me that he couldn't understand why we had
0:35:14 > 0:35:16sort of different notes, you know, some English,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18some Scottish and different Scottish ones, you know,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21because in Scotland, you have several £20 notes.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22They couldn't understand that.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Not recognising one of the Scottish notes
0:35:24 > 0:35:26that Billy was trying to exchange,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29the cashier claimed it was a fake and called his manager,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31who immediately phoned the police.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Billy and his family were then taken in for questioning.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37They took me and my family away to the CID police station
0:35:37 > 0:35:39in Ras Al Khaimah,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42about half an hour drive from the Al Hamra Mall.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44We were there for about 13 hours.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48While the Dubai police carried out their investigation,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52which included searching the family's hotel room for any more "fake" notes,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54his wife Monique and two children
0:35:54 > 0:35:57were told to wait at the police station
0:35:57 > 0:36:00until Billy was released and told he could go free.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Then eventually, we got the passports back.
0:36:03 > 0:36:04They'd cleared us of any crime.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06They said, "No charges are being brought,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09"we're very sorry this has happened to you and you're free to go."
0:36:09 > 0:36:11And that's when I asked them, you know, "Is everything OK?
0:36:11 > 0:36:14"Can we come back or are we..."
0:36:14 > 0:36:16And they say, "Yes, no problem. This is an accident."
0:36:16 > 0:36:19So, despite the day spent in a police station and with
0:36:19 > 0:36:22reassurance from the Dubai police that no charges would be brought,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Billy and his family went on to enjoy the rest of their stay.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28In fact, they had such a good time,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31they booked a return ten-day holiday in 2017.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33But as soon as the family arrived back in Dubai,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36the police took Billy to one side.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Well, the chap tapped me on the shoulder and pulled me back
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and I said, "Is there a problem?"
0:36:40 > 0:36:42And he said, "Come with me," and from there,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44they were going to take me to the police station.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47I said, "No, I want to see my family. I need to know...
0:36:47 > 0:36:49"I need to tell my family what's going on."
0:36:49 > 0:36:51And she came up to the police station with us
0:36:51 > 0:36:55in the airport and they said I had a case in Ras Al Khaimah from last year.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00The police told Billy that the case involving the so-called fake £20 notes a year earlier
0:37:00 > 0:37:03had been reopened and that he was to go with them
0:37:03 > 0:37:04to face further questions.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07And I was like, no, this was all solved.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09And they just couldn't take it in.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12You know, I was trying to explain my case to them that it was cleared
0:37:12 > 0:37:15and they kept saying, "No, it's a paperwork error. This is a paperwork error.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19"You will stay with us. Your family will go to the hotel and you will be
0:37:19 > 0:37:21"with them within an hour."
0:37:21 > 0:37:24But an hour came and went and Billy wasn't released.
0:37:24 > 0:37:25In fact, this was only the beginning
0:37:25 > 0:37:28of what was to be a long drawn-out legal process.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Just sitting in a room, you know.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32A room maybe the size of a couch.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34It was just horrendous.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37No water or nothing in there, you know.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41I was in there from eight o'clock in the morning to 4:30,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45and that's when they arrested us, shackled us,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48and took as away to the headquarters police in Dubai.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Billy spent the next three days in custody,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55locked up in a cell with other inmates and without any contact with the outside world.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57So, that's when I started to worry, and I thought, you know,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00I'm up on a fraud charge here.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02This isn't a petty crime over here.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05There's chaps in there, for, you know, holding hands or turning up,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07being drunk in the street, you know,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10that are facing years in prison and I'm charged with fraud,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13and that's when I know this is getting bad now, you know.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15After four days in custody,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Billy was released, but his passport was confiscated,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21meaning he couldn't leave the country.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23For the remaining six days of the trip,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27the family battled to get his passport returned, without success.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31So Billy's wife and children had no choice but to return to the UK without him.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36The worst moment for me was saying goodbye to my kids, you know -
0:38:36 > 0:38:38letting them go to the airport on a plane,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41coming home and I'm stuck there not knowing and them not knowing when
0:38:41 > 0:38:43they are going to see me again.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48Billy remained in Dubai while his case made its way through the country's legal system,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and when, after three weeks, he was told his case had been
0:38:51 > 0:38:56referred to the Abu Dhabi High Court, he feared the very worst.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00I'm facing prison and although you're telling yourself that you're not
0:39:00 > 0:39:03going to prison, we all knew I was going to prison over there.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07And you sort of try to tell yourself you're not and you try and fight it,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09but there's nothing you can... You can't fight anything over there.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Back at home, his family were desperately worried,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14and in the middle of the ordeal,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Billy's mother suffered a stroke, which he believes was brought on
0:39:18 > 0:39:19by the stress of his situation.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24With nowhere else to turn, Billy's family got in touch with Radha Stirling,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27who encouraged them to talk to the press about their ordeal in the hope
0:39:27 > 0:39:31that it would put pressure on the authorities to release him.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34As soon as we went to press, within around 24 hours,
0:39:34 > 0:39:35the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Board
0:39:35 > 0:39:38intervened in the legal process and got his passport back,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42so you can see how important it is that people actually get
0:39:42 > 0:39:44their story out into the media.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47All charges against Billy were dropped and he was flown home,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50but he's racked up debts of over £12,000,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53thanks to the legal fees and expenses he incurred
0:39:53 > 0:39:56during the four weeks he spent in Dubai.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Even worse, his mother went into a coma just before he got home
0:40:00 > 0:40:01and died a few days later.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I missed out on, you know, my mum's last days.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09She might have wanted to say a couple of things to me that she couldn't say to me.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13I was robbed of that, being detained in Dubai.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18What's also so sad about Billy's case is that as a regular visitor,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21he was well aware of the country's regulations and restrictions
0:40:21 > 0:40:25and respected them, but to avoid falling foul of the law in whatever country
0:40:25 > 0:40:28you're visiting, it's worth ensuring that you too
0:40:28 > 0:40:31have checked out on the Foreign Office website
0:40:31 > 0:40:34the traditions and culture of your destination.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Emma Rowland from the charity Prisoners Abroad says that not only will that
0:40:38 > 0:40:40leave you better prepared, but it could actually save you
0:40:40 > 0:40:42from getting into trouble.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44It's always worth doing a bit of research before you go
0:40:44 > 0:40:47to a destination, because that's part of the fun of planning your holiday,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50learning a bit about where you're going to go,
0:40:50 > 0:40:51what you're going to be doing.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It's all part of the anticipation, and then, of course,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57if you do learn a bit about local laws and customs that you might not
0:40:57 > 0:41:01expect, it can also help you to avoid any potential pitfalls when you get there.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Billy says he will not return to Dubai,
0:41:05 > 0:41:06the country he once loved,
0:41:06 > 0:41:11and all he and his family can do now is come to terms with the loss of his mother
0:41:11 > 0:41:14and try to repay the huge legal bill that he's stuck with.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17It's completely ruined our life.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Obviously, I've lost my mum over all this carry on, you know.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23And thousands of pounds. Everything is gone.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26You know, they've just completely ruined our lives.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Rip-off Britain wouldn't be here
0:41:35 > 0:41:37without your stories and we've got plenty
0:41:37 > 0:41:39of ways you can get in touch.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Send us an e-mail:
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Or write to us:
0:41:54 > 0:41:57But please don't send original copies of any documents.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03And even if you haven't got a story you'd like us to investigate,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05you can join in the conversation on our Facebook page.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Just search BBC Rip Off Britain.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Well, I'm afraid that's all we've got time for in the programme today
0:42:14 > 0:42:18and I have to say, I hope that your holiday was nowhere near as dramatic
0:42:18 > 0:42:20as so many of those that we've actually featured today,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22and I don't know about you guys,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26but I still can't quite get over some of those pictures
0:42:26 > 0:42:28that we saw from the very heart of the hurricanes.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30I tell you, that was seriously scary stuff.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Very scary stuff, and I'm going to be really honest -
0:42:33 > 0:42:35I'm not very good in extreme weather conditions.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37I end up, for some reason or other,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40in my head, rolling every disaster movie scenario into one,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43and it really does make me feel extremely nervous.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46I'm a wuss, really! So I do feel for all those people affected,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49but remember, if something goes wrong when you're away,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52it doesn't have to be a major event, as we've just seen today.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55We're always interested in hearing from you while you're still
0:42:55 > 0:42:57at the centre of the action.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Yes, no need to wait till you get home.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02You can just get out your smartphone and tell us right away what's been
0:43:02 > 0:43:06going on. But rest assured, however and whenever you get in touch,
0:43:06 > 0:43:09we'll be reading every single one of the messages and letters that you
0:43:09 > 0:43:12send us and even if yours isn't featured on the programme,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15it helps us work out which topics we should be covering,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17so keep them coming.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19And we'll be back with more of your stories very soon.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- But until then, from the three of us, goodbye.- Goodbye.- Bye-bye.