To ask for a refund as holiday has changed substantially?

[Loveabathtub]

Not really a AIBU, more can anyone help me with where we might stand legally?

We booked a tailor made holiday through a company called Dial A Flight on 23.09.2023. It was to be a holiday of a lifetime that straddled the exact dates of February half term, my birthday and Valentines day. It cost a considerable sum of money. It took weeks to plan and book and involved choosing direct flights to Mauritius where we would stay for 4 nights before flying onto Johannesburg from where we would travel directly onto our safari lodge. There we would spend a further four nights before flying on a direct overnight flight home.

However, yesterday we received a phone call to say that the flight between Mauritius and Johannesburg had been cancelled which meant that we would now only spend 3 nights in Mauritius and would then have to spend one night in Johannesburg before flying onto safari.

This is bitterly disappointing. We would never have booked or paid out so much money to travel all the way to Mauritius for just three nights. Neither would we have ever booked to stay one night in Johannesburg. I certainly do not relish packing and unpacking three times over the course of a week for me and my children. The holiday company are suggesting we change dates but this does not work with school holidays. They say we cannot get a refund just for the Mauritius hotel. Neither could we fly directly straight to Johannesburg from UK without considerable extra costs. We feel that this holiday has now turned into something we would never dream of booking.

We paid Dial a Flight for a specific holiday that we have in writing as being as being four nights in a specific Mauritius followed by four nights at a in a specific safari lodge in South Africa, it is now turning into something completely different. To add to this Dial a Flight are expecting us to shoulder all extra costs and losses.

We would like a full refund to be able to reconsider and rebook at another date. Dial a Flight say this is not possible as they have found an alternative flight that will be less than seven hours delay on the original. However due to the knock on effect on the connecting transfers this new flight results in more than a 24 hour delay in getting to safari.

Our contract is with Dial a Flight. We booked the whole thing as a package. We were only informed of this yesterday, three weeks before travel is about to take place. Can anyone help advise us of our rights?

To be honest I suspect Op wanted lots of 'they are being unreasonable' to name and shame the company given how many times she mentioned their brand.

I think a better use of time is to ask them to look for alternative flights between Mauritius and the Safari. Even if it still involves an overnight there are better places to do so.

To be honest I suspect Op wanted lots of 'they are being unreasonable' to name and shame the company given how many times she mentioned their brand.

And not for the first time…

Yes, I’ve spent quite a bit of time there, with plenty of downtime which I would have loved to be able to fill. And DH worked for a SA company for years and also traveled there several times a year and had the same experience.
Local colleagues would happily take us to their hang outs but it’s not a city with any sight seeing options

plus city is sketchy enough that you don’t really want to leave Stanton for any length of time, or one of the airport hotels if you’re killing time between transits

When my husband worked in Johannesburg, he visited a lion sanctuary where people were able to play with the baby lions (about the size of border collies) so that might be fun for you.

The animals in those places are generally drugged so that they're docile towards humans.

It's all a matter of what the contract says. If it says it can be subject to changes then you sort of got what you paid for.

Please don’t do that. It’s never run well, the ‘orphaned’ cubs have often been stolen from the game reserves, they’re drugged etc. it’s an awful practice considering the huge game reserves both private and public that are just around the corner.

as above joburg isn’t exactly a wander round and experience the sights and sounds, especially for foreign tourists.

to your question I don’t think it would be enough but that would be entirely dependent on the TCs. Out of interest, if you go on flight checker can you find an alternate flight that works the same?

Yes, it’s definitely important to look into animal activities to make sure the facilities meet your ethical standards.

I didn’t hear anyone say these particular baby lions were docile or subdued - the guests were warned how to behave in order not to get roughed up, as they were playful and prone to nipping if they got overstimulated. I know 3 people who attended and the one who behaved foolishly got nipped when the cat got too excited.

They said it was like playing with really strong and boisterous puppies.

Stolen from the wild? That’s gross.

My husband and colleagues were told these were born in captivity/needing assistance to thrive. But yeah, shady companies do shady things for sure.

Anyhow........TBF to the OP if the fix is one night in Jo'burg then depending on timings there may not be much if any time for lions, museums or much else....

I've found the booking conditions on their website:

The price of the package may only be increased if specific costs rise (for instance fuel prices), and if expressly provided for in the contract, and in any event not later than 20 days before the start of the package. If the price increase exceeds 8% of the price of the package, the traveller may terminate the contract. If the organiser reserves the right to a price increase, the traveller has a right to a price reduction if there is a decrease in the relevant costs.

Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee and get a full refund of any payments if any of the essential elements of the package, other than the price, has changed significantly. If before the start of the package the trader responsible for the package cancels the package, travellers are entitled to a refund and compensation where appropriate.

It depends on what changed significantly means...
...but if the extra costs incurred are more than 8% sounds like you can cancel.

A mugging or two

@GothConversionTherapy

"A mugging or two"...sadly, yes, many a true word etc...

I think they will say the essential elements are Mauritius and safari.
You could go back to them and say you don't feel comfortable staying in Johannesburg and therefore this is significant etc however I think your best bet to to argue that they cover a very very nice hotel near the airport at no additional cost to you.

It does depend what significant means. It doesn’t feel like that is a significant change to me though. It feels like a pretty minor change.

It doesn’t sound like a substantial change to your holiday. Also, do they just drop you off in a hotel in Jburg in the evening and then pick you up the next morning for Safari, or do you have a full day to kill?

Tbh i don't think you should pay any extra like they are asking. You have booked and paid for a specific holiday, any changes are not your fault. I would read the T&C's very carefully and possibly contact your insurance.
Had a very similar case in work where there was a 10 day holiday split over a few places - however the delay/cancellation cost them 3 days of their holiday so they did end up getting money back x

is the safari in madikwe? Can you not get a flight straight to the lodge when you land in Johannesburg? I agree that nobody wants to be wandering around Johannesburg with kids/at all really.

OP isn’t coming back

As someone said upthread, this was probably a name and shame thread for us to get outraged about, and now it hasn’t happened, OP won’t come back

Anyway, I stand by my suggestion of one extra night in Mauritius and cutting the safari by a day as the best option

Just make sure the hotel in Johannesburg has a pool, and you can rest, relax and recuperate before the next part of your holiday.

I am still a bit unclear on the itinerary and timings- is your flight from Mauritius 7 hours earlier? We're you having a long wait in the airport anyway?

I think asking things like flying straight to Johannesburg is just muddying the waters.

Decide what you want and ask for it.
You could put together an email explaining why it is significant; if there was more time before it started then I would be inclined to argue but with three weeks to go you don't want the uncertainty, it might be best to just look forward to it.

That’s a long way to go for 8 nights in total?
or is it just me?

We did Mauritius and south africa for our honeymoon. Didnt love Mauritius tbh but loved South Africa. Don't cancel. South africa was the highlight of our holiday. Also stayed in Johannesburg for a night and loved it. The square is really interesting

Agree - it’s not the type of city for tourists to wander around. We have done a stopover there and only went to the restaurant complex opposite the hotel.

OP, you have a right to a refund under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/11/made