To not pay TUI cancellation fees

[StudentMummy92]

Holiday is end of June 2021.

I received no confirmation, wasn't showing on my TUI account. I left it for the rest day. Still no sign. Couldn't get hold of them on the phone. I just assumed my booking wasn't confirmed and something went wrong. I booked a holiday again for them same time later that day and that still hasn't showed up on my account even today! The day I did both bookings I sent a message to their pre travel support team and they still haven't got back to me (29th Nov). Finally get through to their twitter on 4th. They then had the cheek to tell me that was the first time I'd got in touch. Apparently they can't find the message on their system - I sent them a screen grab so they have the ticket number.

I'm so pissed off as the majority of messages are just rude and patronising and have been told today to cancel one of them will be £600! They are refusing to let me speak to a manager because they have already done it.

I've not paid anything yet.

What did your Ts and Cs say about cancellation? Are you sure they won’t just automatically charge the card you paid on?

So you booked the same thing twice because you thought it hadn’t gone through and are trying to cancel one of them? They’re being a bit mean then,aren’t they!

YANBU. Is there a branch near you? If so, might be easier to go in and speak to somebody face to face. I booked with them last year and couldn’t go because of pregnancy, I went in and spoke to them and they rescinded the deposit without any argument.

*refunded

I think they'll be another one to go bust. So many companies undervaluing customer service at the moment and then being surprised when their profits drop.

What does it say in the contract about cancellation fees? Normally you only lose a small amount if you cancel very early. Is it a very expensive holiday?

I'd make an official complaint. They can't argue that they can't resell a holiday booked more than 18 months in advance, so given that their system seems to be a problem, surely they should cancel the duplicate holiday without charge? Can you send them proof of the messages you sent them or any acknowledgement to prove that you contacted them, or call logs from your phone account or screenshots from your phone, or anything?

Dont pay it.Stick to your guns and speak to someone higher up.We did this and got the fee waived.

@BarbaraofSeville I sent a screen grab of the acknowledgement of my message to their pre-travel support team. I've sent them call logs everything. They aren't budging, I've sent everything I have. What's annoyed me even more is that one of them said I could have it cancelled free of charge if I could show what the message said, I can't I only recieved a message confirming my message had been received. The holiday is £1800 for 3 of us, so they want £200pp cancellation. It's a 3rd of the holiday!

@CluelessNewMama I tried that, they said because it wasn't booked in branch they can't deal with it.

@Honeyroar was a different holiday but over the same time as I couldn't find the one I'd originally booked!

@StillCoughingandLaughing they don't have card details. Set up a direct debit, but I've cancelled it now as I didn't want them collecting any money.

That is ridiculous. They are being very unreasonable.

I get that you’re cross but it does say on their website that if you cancel more than 70 days in advance you lose the whole deposit.

With that much time surely it would have been better to get confirmation of booking sorted one way or the other before booking a second time it’s not like it’s last minute.

Hopefully they will help you but I don’t really think they’ve done anything wrong.

Why did you book twice without getting on to them to see if the first one had booked, first?

That's really annoying. I'd carry on complaining and complaining and complaining. Keep reminding yourself that they Can refund you but are choosing not to.

My friend and I have found out the hard way that booking TUI holidays online can be problematic, phone line help doesn’t really exist, online help takes weeks to get a generic reply to a query. It really is best to go into a shop and speak to the staff.

We have found that TUI will refund deposits, as long as it is a problem that is their fault rather than the customers. If they will admit that they ‘lost’ your booking they should refund you.

Are you sure that they are not doing anything because they are waiting for notification of flights? We had a problem with this, a holiday we booked quite far in advance was affected, because the flight was no longer going from the airport we had booked in the package. We found this out entirely by chance. The manager in store said we couldn’t cancel or change the booking to another airport without paying a fee, because it was our choice to do that, even though it was TUI who has changed the flight! They said the only option was to wait and see what transpired. Three months later, we had an email informing us that yes the flights weren’t going, and we could now cancel and get full deposit back, or change the booking free of charge. We opted to cancel as did my friend, because the only other flight from another airport would have changed the hotel booking by three days, and we couldn’t guarantee they could accommodate this (very small hotel, usually fully booked at the time we wanted to go.) But due to the waiting for TUI to get their notifications out we lost time choosing another holiday.

The reason behind all this was started off by the Thomas Cook collapse and flights were being changed to different airports to try and cater for lots of passengers using less planes. And they were mostly waiting to find out what would be happening, it was a difficult situation but not well managed. Our August holiday this year is cancelled and we have to find something else, but it seems that the flights to the original holiday are now reinstated for 2021.

My friend will now be booking in the store in future.

@OlaEliza it took six weeks to get in touch! I'm an overtired working, studying mum. I just clearly made an assumption that was wrong. I feel they are being very unfair.

If you paid for it on a credit card talk to your bank. If they agree it is unreasonable they can reclaim on your behalf from TUI. TUI then have to dispute with the bank and not you (if they dispute it at all). I learnt this when I had a problem with concert tickets and thought I would lose £700, but the bank refunded me and the ticket company never refuted the chargeback - so could be worth it.

@Inforthelonghaul its horrendous trying to get in touch with TUI. The rudeness doesn't help.

They are unfair

TUI are the Ryanair of travel agents.

There is a reason their holidays are cheap. If you have any problems you are on your own. Most times you can't even speak to a real person.

I wouldn't pay a penny and wait for the court papers.

Write to the travel page of a national newspaper - most have a column each week where they solve problems like these and write them up - I know the Times has on a Saturday. The fact that you've assembled the evidence in terms of screen grabs and call logs means you've made it fairly easy for them.

After you made the first booking, did you check your bank to see if the deposit had been taken.

@huuskymam as I said, no deposit or payment has been taken.

Their mistake so, I wouldn't be paying a penny. Get onto their head office and if you get nowhere, lodge a complaint with the consumer regulations.

The cheek of it! They have just sent me a booking amendment saying hope you are looking forward to your holiday!

If no money has been taken and you’ve cancelled the direct debit I’d just notify them you’re cancelling both holidays and book elsewhere. Surely they won’t chase after you will they?

I wouldn't pay a penny and book with another company. Let them pursue you if they see fit.