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?

But the OP will have a chance to put their case and so then will the retailer. Ultimately the credit card company will decide.

*t's one of the risks of trying to squeeze so much in to a small period of time, especially when you book an independent holiday rather than a package. Even without this issue, all it would take is one delayed flight and the whole thing would be out of whack.

Eight days isn't very much time to fly to Mauritius, then go to South Africa, then fly back to the UK - all with young children and with limited travel options.*

Sometimes life means you have to squeeze stuff. Wish we all had loads of time and the money to fund it.

Well, OP obviously isn't broke if she can afford an 8 day holiday to Mauritius and a safari in South Africa, lol.

Time-wise it would make more sense to do one holiday to Mauritius and then go on Safari another time. Probably cheaper too, tbh.

*Well, OP obviously isn't broke if she can afford an 8 day holiday to Mauritius and a safari in South Africa, lol.

Time-wise it would make more sense to do one holiday to Mauritius and then go on Safari another time. Probably cheaper too, tbh.*m

Who said broke? But you have no idea how much time or money OP has available or will do again.

I know the park you are referring to, but the cubs aren't there anymore.

Not sure if you're coming back OP, but what airline were you meant to fly. Mauritius to OR Tambo. The domestic airline Safair does a Mauritius route now, so this might be an alternative to look at.

Ask away. I live in Jhb. It's not all doom and gloom and you may well enjoy the one night stay. Just depends on where they book you into a hotel tbh.

I wouldn't call this a substantial change

Or she could just go on the holiday and not take the risk.

Anyway, people need the T&Cs to be able to advise.

I think rebooking is a bit dramatic. It is only 1 night but you do need to check your contract. It may be this is not legally considered a significant change.
That said, I appreciate it’s disappointing and not what you had in mind. It might be best to find ways to make the best of it. How much is the extra costing you?

Thanks so much for this. The extra costs they are now asking for exceed 8%.

I had no idea how cruel, dishonest & greedy those parks were. I read up on it after these comments, and wow. Thanks for letting me know that these places that call themselves ‘sanctuaries’ are not actually for rescuing/rehabilitating vulnerable animals but are instead just unethical zoos. My husband and colleagues were spun a much different story about the goals & values of the place they visited 😣So yeah, I take back my suggestion of a fun day out. Yuck.

I hope the OP gets her problem resolved… having one day out of 8 wasted when you paid for something different is infuriating. I don’t think she’s unreasonable for expecting the company to find her a solution she’s comfortable with.

Generally speaking a flight change of over 12 hours is classed as a major change, however as the flight substantially changes the rest of the holiday you could argue that this is a major change. The definition in the PTR is loose as what is major can vary depending on the wider holiday. One thing is clear is that as the package provider they are liable for any increased costs.

I work for a tour operator and in these circumstances we would try to save the booking by covering any costs and possibly adding something to sweeten the deal, or offer a refund.

Surprised so many people think this is unreasonable. You only booked Mauritius four nights so missing one of them is a significant proportion. I would absolutely not be happy in being expected to swap that for a night in Johannesburg with children. DH has family there that he has visited and it is really not a safe city.

If you argue in terms of percentages that you are losing 25% of your Mauritius trip I think it could definitely be defined as a substantial change.

Didn’t get past you selfishly spewing so much carbon into the atmosphere. You are being unreasonable and I have zero sympathy.

Eight days isn't very much time to fly to Mauritius, then go to South Africa, then fly back to the UK - all with young children and with limited travel options

Eight days is plenty of time to have a holiday like the one the OP planned.

I hope you get it sorted out and have a fabulous holiday.

I'd accept the change but would be mightily pissed off at having to pay for the 'privilege' not a privilege!

OP you've asked the wrong place for advice here. There's a cohort of nasty, bitter people on here who simply don't want people to have nice things and are just being bitchy to you because you have the audacity to be able to afford a nice holiday.

I'm not sure where you stand ITO refunds but this is a significant change to your itinary and I'd be fighting tooth and nail. Jo'Berg isn't even that safe and there's nothing there that would anywhere near match a day on the beaches or a day on Safari. Is there no way you can transfer to Safari a day early? Leave for Mauritius a day early? These are solutions that I'd accept, not a random night in a random and unsafe city. Where exactly you stand would depend on how you've booked and how protected the bookings are though I'd imagine

I wouldn’t be happy as you’d have a flight from Mauritius to Johannesburg and then the next day have to travel the safari so two travel days in the middle of a fairly short holiday is a lot.

Could you not fly out a day earlier?

That would have been my immediate feeling, too. I have friends who have left South Africa for this reason.

I would not be agreeing to this particular change either. It is a substantial change from this perspective, you won't feel safe there, you certainly won't be roaming out and about with your children, and I would want to reconsider the whole holiday over it.

This is exactly correct. I work in this area and I can tell you that you'll get no where with challenging it if they have somewhere in the t+C's about changes, and I'll bet my left arm that they do.

Just pack a change of clothes in your hand luggage, no need to unpack in Johannesburg.

I would try to change dates as suggested by the company. The only important date really is the school half term. It’s not vital to be on holiday for your Birthday or Valentine’s Day.

Any place which allows the handling or touching of wild animals is wrong. There are however decent sanctuaries which have contributed to global programmes of breeding and release to the wild or contained areas.