Sunmaster Holidays...mis-selling?

[Jolleigh]

I booked a holiday online a few days ago, tagging on to a holiday my cousins are going on. They'd booked theirs using the Sunmaster website just a few hours before. They'll be sharing a room so I'd expected mine to be more expensive as I always like a room to myself, as does the other lady coming with us. It came up to around £80 more online. I was alright with that.

The sales team called me yesterday to check the availability of the flights and hotel and confirm the booking. I was told that unfortunately, due to me being a single traveller, the price is higher than previously stated on the website. I'm not underoccupying a room as I've booked a single. It's around £90 more than the website quoted and the sales rep said "don't worry, we're not asking you to pay the difference" which I'd taken to mean they'd swallow that cost. I said thanks, continued with the call, added a suitcase to the flight costs etc. Later in the call, I began to realise that he wasn't discussing the original quoted price but rather the inflated price, but as many salespeople do, he kept talking very enthusiastically, changing what we were talking about etc and despite being vaguely aware that his earlier statement obviously wasn't true and trying to do some fast maths in my head, he did manage to get me to put a deposit down.

I feel a fool...I'm not normally easily duped by salespeople. But it really bothers me that he specifically said they're not asking me to pay the difference when this has clearly turned out to be untrue.

This was said during a part of the call that I don't think was recorded (they let you know when they start recording as the recorded segment serves as the contract).

I do want to go on the holiday but I'd obviously rather go at the original quoted cost plus the cost of a suitcase. And failing that, I'm very keen to try to do what I can to stop them mis-selling in this way.

AIBU to expect to be paying the cost quoted on the website as it was already quoted as a single traveller? AIBU to expect to have paid the original cost after the salesperson's statement? And how can I do something to stop them misrepresenting their packages then running rings around customers to pay inflated prices??

[Jolleigh]

Nobody with any experience of this type of thing?

[HappyAgainOneDay]

There must be someone with knowledge about this (not me unfortunately, OP).

[Jolleigh]

Thought my luck was in then Happy .

[olgaga]

Why on earth don't you call them back and say what you've said here?

[UncrushedParsley]

I'm wondering if or how distance selling regulations might apply to online holidays, maybe giving you a right to cancel. Hopefully this will bump for someone who knows...

[Jolleigh]

Think I will be doing, I'm just not sure whether or not I've got a leg to stand on Or whether maybe there's some official body governing this type of thing that I can report the incident to when they basically tell me I've already entered into a contract at the inflated price.

[Jolleigh]

Thanks Uncrushed that's something for me to look into.

[wheresthelight]

is sunmaster not one if the companies where the website price in only a quote and not a live price? I think they then ring you as they have to check flight availability and the seats always cost more the less there are available etc hence why it always costs significantly more than the quote.

unfortunately perfectly legal as all written into their t&c's although the morality of it is somewhat dubious. however as the previous poster said the distance selling laws give you 14 days to change your mind and cancel for a full refund

[Jolleigh]

I'm in an email rut with them at the moment in which they're refusing to acknowledge what their rep stated yet are very keen to remind me about the parts of the call where I agreed to the inflated price.

I've now told them that if they're having difficulty finding the section of the call I'm talking about, to please send me a copy of the audio and I'll be happy to pinpoint it for them.

How long before they tell me they can't release a copy of the call do you reckon?

[mcdog]

Morally dubious, but I don't think illegal. It's still shit though, hope you get some joy with them soon.

[cricketpitch]

You do have a legal right to a copy of the audio I am pretty sure. ( A lawyer friend told me that when I was in a dispute at one point)