Livid with holiday company

[Sickandtired1]

Here’s my early morning rant!

Myself and my partner have booked with TUI to go away in June. We have been offered a refund credit towards a holiday next year but want a full refund, as we are entitled to.

We have tried to ring their helpline no less that around 50 times over the last week and a half. We can never get through. I wouldn’t mind being put on hold but you are immediately disconnected everytime due to “a high volume of calls”

I’ve tried ringing this morning again, it’s after 9am now. Their telephone line now states they aren’t taking calls right now as their opening hours have been adjusted to 9am - 7pm on the weekdays. Unless I’m living in space it’s after 9am and they should be open!!!

I’ll just go back to trying their number another 50 times in vain; getting absolutely nowhere and getting cut off.

Like I said, I wouldn’t mind if I was put on hold for an hour as long as you could get through. Their customer service is beyond poor and I’m a bit pissed off.

I really don't see what work there is to do - no-one should be needing to contact them.

Customers are not banks, they need to get their banks to provide loans to ensure they provide refunds. No manual effort is required, they simply o through every payment and refund it.

You have every right to be livid. Interesting how payments can be made any time, yet it is no more difficult to do a refund. They simply want to keep your money and are putting in barriers. You are not a bank, if they need temporary loans, they need to go to a bank.

My holiday was cancelled back in March due the destination going into lockdown. I was offered another holiday later in the year but refused and requested a refund. I am still waiting for the refund, when I chased it up was told it could take up to 8 weeks to process, I've already waited Seven!

Thats fifteen weeks in total! I'm willing to be patient but seriously!

Good luck with getting your money back. We had to take TUI to court two years ago over a refund. We did win the court case - TUI were at fault and being extremely stubborn and unreasonable. We only got our refund at beginning of this year! Will never book with them again!

You will be waiting a long time for your refund so I would just chill out and stop getting so stressed, complete waste of time.

Website says they’re open 9-5 on bank holidays. I got through yesterday eventually, not on their free number though which wasn’t working.

YABU for inappropriately using the reflexive pronoun in your opening post.

Strap yourself in for the long haul OP.

20th March, holiday due to depart on 22nd march cancelled. They rang to tell me and offered credit. No thanks said I, I’ll have a refund.

TUI put through my refund request and said it would take 5 days.

5 days later I received an email stating four weeks.

Four weeks later I rang them. Took three days to get through. They said it would be in my bank by 1st may.

Rang them 1st may, got through on the 2nd may, so they’ve improved there. Got told would now be 15th May.

5th may. Received an email with a credit code attached so I can rebook for a later date. I spontaneously combust.

3pm 5th may. Sent a legal demand for the money to the directors by email (husbands day job is collecting money). 4.50 5th may, get a read receipt for said email. 5.45 directors office on phone. 10am 6th may money in bank.

I work for a holiday company (not TUI) and at the moment it is rough. We have so many customers to get through, it's just not possible for us to contact everyone, although we're trying our best. I'm usually in a different department but we've all been reassigned to customer services at the moment.

You should note with the credit note refund that a lot of companies will issue you a cash refund when it expires, as per the ABTA/ATOL guidelines. It causes a huge cash flow problem if we refund everyone now, as a lot of suppliers are already paid and only giving us credit notes.

Please be kind to the staff when you contact them, we know it's not your fault that your holiday is cancelled but it's not ours either, and we're all just following company policies.

It is a mess and it’s fine that you’re cross. Lots of people are unexpectedly struggling with money now and need their money refunded.
I am still waiting for a refund on my holiday that was cancelled in March.
I was told it would take 7 to 10 days. I think the way TUI are handling the situation is poor. They are randomly processing refunds rather than doing them in date of travel order which would be much easier for customers to understand.
I hope TUI survive but I don’t think you are unreasonable to need your money back.

Just to give you an idea of how bombed out they are, my daughter works for a travel company and is working from home. She regularly has 350 calls waiting. I’m in the same position as you re trying to get a refund, it’s very frustrating. Hopefully it will all get sorted in the end.

Im waiting for a refund for a holiday back in April. Its going to take some time getting a refund. Don't waste your time stressing about it.

I am due £8k
I think we just have to be patient
Way I am trying to look at it that it was already spent money and by now I would have been home having spent another few £1000