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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think I deserve more compensation?

132 replies

Birdsongsinging · 28/05/2023 09:54

We were due to go on a cruise holiday and the flight we were on was cancelled so we missed the boat. The holiday company have said they will refund us the cost and give us each £300 in their company vouchers.

I am thinking that £300 of vouchers isn’t very much for us now having taken a weeks holiday for nothing. Sat at an airport all day on the day we were meant to go and the following day had to wait to hear what was happening.

AIBU for thinking we should get more? And if so how do I go about it?!

OP posts:
throwaway78 · 28/05/2023 11:37

I wouldn't be happy with vouchers, either.

Womencanlift · 28/05/2023 11:38

Birdsongsinging · 28/05/2023 10:21

Surely most people can’t rearrange leave? You book your leave in advance when it doesn’t overlap with other people.

I think it does depend on the job. If that happened to me and DP, with both our jobs we could walk back in on Monday if we wanted and say you will never guess what happened, cancel leave and rearrange

But both of us are in jobs (not self employed) where we own our diary and so can take leave when we want.

Swansandcustard · 28/05/2023 11:39

You only get one week’s AL? It’s end of May, you have the rest of the year! And I would still call work and try to save the leave.

SeemsPointless · 28/05/2023 11:41

flumpalamp · 28/05/2023 11:35

I wouldn't accept £300 vouchers for that amount of inconvenience. £300 cash maybe but not vouchers.

You lost a day at least waiting to find out, then have lost the whole holiday, so more inconvenience.

^^I agree with this entirely.

Giving you vouchers is shit. That's not compensation - that's a way of ensuring that you put more money back into their pockets in the future because a holiday is likely to cost more than £300 each.

I wouldn't consider their shitty vouchers as any form of compensation for a wasted day sat at the airport, and the enormous disappointment of losing my entire holiday.

TheRussiansAreComing · 28/05/2023 11:42

@Birdsongsinging I completely agree with you. Can’t believe people put such a cheap price on their time.

NewNovember · 28/05/2023 11:43

Is the "we" a friend not half of a couple? Struggling to understand why it's not £600.

Barleysugar86 · 28/05/2023 11:43

I'm not sure what travel insurance would do here- the OP has no monetary loss and is not stranded anywhere.

Do you get some kind of payments for loss of enjoyment? I don't think this is a standard thing for a policy to offer, so might be worth checking your policy for what cover you think you've bought here.

sleepwhenyouaredead · 28/05/2023 11:50

As a PP said definitely get the airline recompense on top - the amount depends on how long the flight is. If more than a 4 hour flight it can be £520 each and is easy to claim for
Good luck

Moveoverdarlin · 28/05/2023 11:57

I think £300 is sod all.

DogInATent · 28/05/2023 11:59

Setting aside the vouchers, you've been refunded the full cost of the cruise and the flights. And you say you can't find anything else to do with your booked time off except sit around the house? YABU.

I understand you didn't know for definite yesterday but you could have been looking for alternatives, and you could be booking something last minute today. It's unlikely to be a cruise, but you could find something to do and somewhere to go rather than just practice your compo face whilst typing on MN.

itsgettingweird · 28/05/2023 11:59

If be happy with the £600.

But as cash not vouchers.

SweetBirdsong · 28/05/2023 11:59

It's very annoying to have taken your holiday leave for nothing. And it's disappointing. But I really don't think you deserve any more compensation, sorry. A full refund plus £300 each worth of vouchers. I think that's fairly decent. You're being unreasonable IMO.

As for the people saying, 'just go back to work and cancel your leave.' A lot of companies would already have arranged cover for that time, and logged in your time off etc. They wouldn't just let you cancel the leave when you're already on it. A few jobs may allow the withdrawal of it, and for you to just go back to work tomorrow, Many companies would not.

JudgeRudy · 28/05/2023 12:01

Changeling78 · 28/05/2023 10:12

When ours was cancelled, we booked another straight away. As we were on the phone to the travel company getting the refund, we asked if anything else was leaving and we had to leg it across the airport to get it. Have you checked to see if something else is available so your week isn’t wasted?

I like your style. You looked for a solution, not a problem. Hope you had a great time.

raincamepouringdown · 28/05/2023 12:07

pleasehelpwi3 · 28/05/2023 11:24

It's not £300, it's £300 in vouchers with a company that has proved unreliable and probably have a short expiry date and probably are non transferable.
When my partner received compensation for not being allowed to use facilities based on skin colour on a Greek island from the tour operator, it was worthless to us as we would never book a holiday with that tour operator again.

Show quote history

Not only that, it was £300 EACH, so £600 in vouchers for a company that they may not want to use again, and gives them zero outside options for use this week.

Unbridezilla · 28/05/2023 12:07

Vouchers is shit, so fight that.

And as you can't take leave another time, I'd book something last minute for this week: you can still do a 6 day holiday, and popular places like Spain usually have daily flights, so you can book a package holiday now for the week. (Packages just for simplicity seen as it's so last minute). Don't waste your leave!

Stoic123 · 28/05/2023 12:09

Amount is ok (ish) but I agree that should be cash for the wasted day - not vouchers.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 28/05/2023 12:09

Not only that, it was £300 EACH, so £600 in vouchers for a company that they may not want to use again, and gives them zero outside options for use this week.

They got a full refund as well, so they can use the refund to go elsewhere, and then use the vouchers another time too.

Iwantamarshmallowman · 28/05/2023 12:13

Were you refunded for the cruise and all other costs? personally I think vouchers for their company is not good enough. I'd want cash to spend elsewhere.

Soapyspuds · 28/05/2023 12:13

I think the flight company needs to refund you the full price of the flights in pounds not vouchers. Your insurance company needs to deal with the missed cruise.

towriteyoumustlive · 28/05/2023 12:19

I just looked on lastminute.com and there are sooooo many holidays leaving this afternoon or tomorrow. If you've got your refund then book one and just go!!

Use the £600 vouchers for a holiday next year.

CabernetSauvignon · 28/05/2023 12:24

Riverlee · 28/05/2023 10:26

It’s not the holiday company’s fault you’ve used all your leave. Can you book something for Monday-Friday so you have a holiday?

It's not a question of fault, it's a question of whether it's a reasonably foreseeable consequence of their breach of contract. Given that most people only have limited holiday entitlement, clearly it is.

OpalescentFly · 28/05/2023 12:30

Have you checked your travel insurance? Ours would have paid out for a delayed departure or cancellation, on top of a refund

kitsuneghost · 28/05/2023 12:32

Who booked the flights?

  1. Did the cruise company allocate the flights?
  2. Did the cruise company recommend the flights?
  3. Did you choose the flights?
  1. More compensation
  2. About right
  3. No compensation
kitsuneghost · 28/05/2023 12:33

kitsuneghost · 28/05/2023 12:32

Who booked the flights?

  1. Did the cruise company allocate the flights?
  2. Did the cruise company recommend the flights?
  3. Did you choose the flights?
  1. More compensation
  2. About right
  3. No compensation

Sorry spacing went a bit mad there.

Nat6999 · 28/05/2023 12:37

Better to book a cruise that leaves from Southampton if you book another one, too many flights get delayed or cancelled.