Egypt Sharm - Any way to get deposit back?

[angel1976]

Hi,

Have paid a £450 deposit so far for a week AI in Sharm with Thomson at Easter. Balance due at end of the month. At the moment, of course they are still saying Sharm is okay to go though to be quite honest, I am not quite sure I want to go now especially with two little ones! IF the violence did start to affect Sharm, will Thomson then cancel the holiday and return all monies paid? Basically, I'm thinking of cancelling now but rather gutted at losing £450. I guess we could try and re-book somewhere else and paid the extra to change the booking, but to be honest, everywhere else is looking pretty expensive at this stage! Any ideas/suggestions???

Thanks, Ax

You will lose the deposit if you cancel. You may even lose more depending on how close to departure you cancel.

My travel agent is charging me £35 per person per change

I will only lose the deposit if we cancel before paying the balance, that much I understand! Argh! It's so difficult. I really don't want to risk our lives (no matter how safe they say it is now!). Think might just have to take the 'hit'. :(

It's shit isn't it. I'm in a similar situation, set to lose 600

have you looked at changing it? Tom cook charges 35 pp per change to a max of 105 pp.

I would wait til latest date to cancel in case they cancel it anyway. If they do you should get deposit back.

That's the thing... Our final payment is due 21st Feb so we have 2 weeks to think about cancelling it before it gets even harder to get your money back! We can change it but like you said it's £35pp so it's £220 for 4 of us. And we wanted to go to Sharm for a particular reason - DH to drive, their great kids' club and me to relax. Nothing comes close and I don't know if we should just cut our losses now... :( ENormaSnob Have you looked into alternatives?

I am booked to go to a red sea resort with Thomson - and I am aware of the work that goes on in the back office at Thomson with regards to ensuring safety of its customers and if you ask people stuck in the snow/ash crisis the majority would be able to tell you that they look after you. Their excellent treatment of us when stranded during the ash crisis means i would never book with another company.

They do not tell you it is safe to go when it isnt. IF it becomes unsafe then they would cancel/offer alternatives at which point you are entitled to a refund if you want rather than booking another holiday.

If I was seriously considering changing my holiday I would pay the charge to change my holiday...dont forget that you could pay that charge on top of your deposit and buy a cheaper holiday! What is naughty is that the hotels are increasing the room charges which gets passed on to the tour operartor then then customer. Its naughty but inevitable.

My holiday is just after easter and I am confident in the decisions that they make with regards to passenger safety and also in the event of something happening - their crisis team are deployed and they have a plan in place to bring back customers to the UK safe and sound.

Bearing in mind the trouble in Tunisia...there were still people who ignored the offer of a flight home and stayed in resort! And that was violence and riots on the doorstep of the hotels! Sharm is untouched at the moment as are the red sea resorts.

The size and geography of Egypt is on the holiday makers side. It is only if problems start spreading but to be honest - egypt will hang itself if so!

Bottom line is - If there is a risk to your life these holidays would not be sold anymore (Like Tunisia!) by any of the reputable UK tour operators (Thomson/First Choice/Thomas Cook)

My one concern is that for those who havent booked insurance with them - not all insurance companies will now supply cover for egypt due the trouble (All good insurers should so you can get it) so you might need to shop around and check you are covered.

Good luck choosing! I would be losing £200 in deposit if I cut and run and theres no chance of that!

Only when the holiday is cancelled by your holiday provider (an ATOL Package Holiday), do you have more options, by UK law

The holiday will only be cancelled by the Tour Operator or their agent, if the FCO change the status of travel, or if there is major unforeseeable circumstances (such as the volcanic eruption in Iceland).

Search on google for
Travel Package Regulations: Disruption of package holidays by unusual and unforeseeable circumstances
it is a pdf file from : www.bis.gov.uk
First published June 2010

When it is cancelled contact your tour operator or, airline or travel agent and find out what options are available. These will vary depending on who you have booked with and the type of travel you booked. Customers of travel firms who have provided an ATOL package holiday to the affected areas of Egypt but have not yet travelled will be entitled to receive suitable alternative arrangements (of a similar or better value but not of a less superior value), rebook for a later date or, where these options aren't available, a full refund. If at this stage you have only paid a deposit and they cancel you get a refund of your deposit.

If you cancel by your choice, then you will lose the money you have paid, as if it were a normal cancellation because you decided you didn't want to go.

NOTE: None of this applies if you have arranged and booked your own components on a DIY website like Travel Republic. If you are not sure, then make a call an see if your "Complete holiday is ATOL Protected" and ask for the ATOL number of the Tour Operator.

Sharm is meant to be fine as far as I know. They are desperate for your tourism - I would not cancel.

I am a travel agent and have many customers in the same situation as yourself . The tour operators are saying it is safe to go to Sharm as they take the advice from the FCO
My thoughts wuld be to change it now and pay the admin fees dont leave it untul nearer the time and there are no holidays left and when charges start to go up for canceling . Good luck any if you need advice just contact me

The rules are going to be relaxed soon it's been reported today. Is looking better than it was. Fingers crossed for us all!
Friend has just returned from sharm and said u wouldn't know there was trouble she reckons more people panicked once hearing about it despite being no where near harms reach!

No frills airline Jet2 announced last night that it had suspended all flights and holidays to Egypt from March 1 (Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada). Customers will automatically receive a full refund for the cost of their flights or holiday, plus a discount off a new booking if you have booked with them directly.