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Would you cancel this holiday?

78 replies

tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 14:12

My husband and I are going around in circles with this. I just wanted some outside opinions.

We have a holiday booked for 3rd June to Portugal. This was booked almost a year ago, pre quarantine etc and absolutely no idea that this would ever even be an issue.

We have so far paid two deposits of £400 each, so currently the company has £800 of our money. The final balance (£3000) is due beginning of March.

Now currently we have no option to cancel/rebook or anything without incurring fees or losing our deposit entirely. People who book now or have booked in the last few months are better off than we are as there's all sorts of free amendments/Covid cover etc but we seem to be excluded from all this. All they can say is that they expect holidays from May onwards to be going ahead - not interested in discussing anything past this.

Now, I don't even really want to go anymore I'm not bothered about the holiday - if we had a crystal ball then obviously we never would have booked. But I don't really want to lose £800.

My husband is adamant that we should just pay the balance because then if it ends up getting cancelled due to travel being restricted we will be entitled to a full refund. However I just can't shake the feeling of us paying all the money and then getting caught up in some kind of drama/small print loophole and ending up out of pocket by a lot more than £800. Of course there's also the risk of getting Covid and being unable to go!

So many people are like "oh it's June it's a while yet I'm sure it will be fine" but I really can't see that happening. It's just so frustrating not having a definitive answer - which I know is expected with the way things are at the moment.

So yeah, would you cancel and lose £800 for good or would you be inclined to pay the balance and then see how it plays out?

Thanks.

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LagneyandCasey · 24/01/2021 14:22

June is quite a way off but I wouldn't want to be shelling out 3k in March with everything still so uncertain. I would contact the travel agent just before the balance is due and ask if you can cancel and take a voucher for your deposit. Good luck.

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SpudsandGravy · 24/01/2021 14:45

Assuming that you'd still like to go if it's possible by June, I'd speak to the travel agent and check whether your DH is correct when he says that if you pay the balance, but the company cancels it, you'll get the whole lot back. If that's correct, and if they'd give me something in writing to confirm, then I would pay the balance.

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wishywashywoowoo70 · 24/01/2021 15:14

Who are you booked with?

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peak2021 · 24/01/2021 16:13

Read the small print, see if you can find out the experiences of others who have had to cancel with this company so far.

Also, do you wfh so could manage quarantine if it came in at short notice?

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dramaqueen · 24/01/2021 16:18

I’d check your insurance documents. Should you be unable to go, many will pay out if it was booked pre COVID .

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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 16:31

@LagneyandCasey

June is quite a way off but I wouldn't want to be shelling out 3k in March with everything still so uncertain. I would contact the travel agent just before the balance is due and ask if you can cancel and take a voucher for your deposit. Good luck.

From reading other people's comments on the Facebook page I don't think they are offering any credit or vouchers. It's either pay or lose your deposit.

Thank you. Smile
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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 16:32

@wishywashywoowoo70

Who are you booked with?

First choice.
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ireallyamthewalrus · 24/01/2021 16:34

I would park the issue for now and revisit in March when more is known.

It must be a pretty mega holiday if it’s costing nearly £4K for two people to go to Portugal!!

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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 16:35

@peak2021

Read the small print, see if you can find out the experiences of others who have had to cancel with this company so far.

Also, do you wfh so could manage quarantine if it came in at short notice?



Looking at the Facebook page there's other people who are having the same issue as us, unhappy that they aren't receiving any cover or incentives even though they booked before all this.

No I don't wfh but I only work part time and could hopefully just work some extra days to make up for it.
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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 16:37

@ireallyamthewalrus

I would park the issue for now and revisit in March when more is known.

It must be a pretty mega holiday if it’s costing nearly £4K for two people to go to Portugal!!



I never said it was for two people. Grin

There is 5 of us going and the only reason it's even affordable for us is because our youngest will be a week shy of turning 2 when we return so is basically "free" - if we have to go next year it will cost a lot more. One of the reasons we chose to go when we originally booked.
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Justthebeerlighttoguide · 24/01/2021 16:38

I would be nervous about the company collapsing and being unable to pay any money at all back no matter how much is due.

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Mammaaof · 24/01/2021 16:42

We are due to go to Spain on may 10th tui are offering people up to the 30th April free amendment 😢 but they want to charge us £250per person to move it plus the extra it will cost next year! I've paid my full balance so I'm just having to wait now. I really want to go. It was a holiday that was moved from last may before testing and quarantine came in! So nothing I can do now just wait x

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Mammaaof · 24/01/2021 16:43
  • I really DONT want to go I meant!!
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DobbleDobble · 24/01/2021 16:45

We had this situation last year with a holiday to Italy booked for June.we entered the first wave of virus and obviously Italy was rising fast.
We decided we were going to loose our £450 rather than pay the full balance of 3.5k and did not want to go even if was deemed safe to travel which it would have been come June.
Better to be in your bank account rather than fight a holiday company to get it out of their account !! Unless you can afford the money and the fight ,keep it in yours!

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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 16:52

@Mammaaof

We are due to go to Spain on may 10th tui are offering people up to the 30th April free amendment 😢 but they want to charge us £250per person to move it plus the extra it will cost next year! I've paid my full balance so I'm just having to wait now. I really want to go. It was a holiday that was moved from last may before testing and quarantine came in! So nothing I can do now just wait x



Sorry you are in the same situation. So frustrating with the cut offs. I wish they could be more flexible. The other thing is what is the holiday even going to be like?!
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Tier10 · 24/01/2021 16:58

If you really don’t want to go you may as well cancel.

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Mammaaof · 24/01/2021 17:00

@tiredmama25 I know and also it would be my 2 children's first holiday abroad it's cost us a lot and want to make it special and I really don't think it will be anything like normal in may! I really hope they do offer us a refund. I moved it last year but definitely won't be moving it this year as tbh like others have said what if the company's go bust x

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M0rT · 24/01/2021 17:04

The Spanish Leader has said they don't expect to welcome tourists till next September and Portugal has just held a presidential election.
So I would wait a few more weeks because if it becomes Portuguese policy not to allow international tourism you would be entitled to a refund.

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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 17:04

[quote Mammaaof]@tiredmama25 I know and also it would be my 2 children's first holiday abroad it's cost us a lot and want to make it special and I really don't think it will be anything like normal in may! I really hope they do offer us a refund. I moved it last year but definitely won't be moving it this year as tbh like others have said what if the company's go bust x[/quote]
I thought the whole ATOL protected thing was protection against companies going bust? Or am I naieve?

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tiredmama25 · 24/01/2021 17:05

@M0rT

The Spanish Leader has said they don't expect to welcome tourists till next September and Portugal has just held a presidential election.
So I would wait a few more weeks because if it becomes Portuguese policy not to allow international tourism you would be entitled to a refund.


Oh really, thanks.

I'm hoping there will be more information before the payment is due in March.
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Kazzyhoward · 24/01/2021 17:07

Cancel and lose the £800. Prices could be very low when flights/holidays are allowed again, so you may well find a similar holiday would cost you £800 less anyway, so you wouldn't be out of pocket in the long run.

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Mammaaof · 24/01/2021 17:08

@tiredmama25 yes it does but the atol process is very long and I'd rather the money in my bank rather than the lengthy time it takes for atol as they would have to refund every single person who had a holiday booked which takes A LOT of time x

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Mammaaof · 24/01/2021 17:09

@Kazzyhoward I wouldn't be too sure as I priced to move to next year and it's £1200 more than what I've paid for the exact same holiday this year, companies want to make their money back that they have lost the past 2 years 😢

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Thewiseoneincognito · 24/01/2021 17:11

A lesson why booking holidays right now is not a good idea. Far too much uncertainty both here and abroad. We have a few trips we had to postpone from last year which I’ve resigned myself to not going on this year. It’s crap.

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gottakeeponmovin · 24/01/2021 17:41

I would push it back - a lot of holiday companies are being quite flexible

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