Anyone have an August holiday booked with On The Beach?

[harper30]

Hi all,
Just wanted to see if there's anyone in the same boat. We have a honeymoon (but with our toddler) booked in Tenerife for a week in August and I really don't know what to do.
On The Beach really seem to have no options to talk to anyone (such an expensive phone number) and no real option to message them as we've tried several times and had no reply. The 'change dates' option on our booking is greyed out.
We don't want to go, travelling with Covid restrictions and a toddler will be a nightmare, my partner is asthmatic and therefore terrified of catching it (whether that's a reasonable fear or not I don't know) and we just worry that if we go, to avoid losing money, the hotel will be half shut, or no pools or restaurants etc.
Anyone in the same position? I've paid £900 so far and we're due to pay the other £1750 on the 30th of July. To cancel id have to pay another £160 on top of the current £900 just to cancel

@mairyhinge @norri
We have the government shielding letter for her and have spoke to travel insurance today who said with a doctors note stating she is unfit to fly we may have a case for claiming a refund of her place, but at this stage they can’t gurantee and they would have to look into it further. As standard guidelines of medical grounds is usually a case of being hospitalised/physically unable to go, as opposed to being advised not to travel. So no the travel insurance won’t cover as a given and even with the government letter and a doctors note stating not fit to fly, we can’t be guranteed a refund

On the beach won’t even entertain the idea of giving us the hotel place money back and have just said to claim off insurance, so they aren’t offering any advice or going out there way to help at all. They’ve been less than unhelpful

@Catherine1210
Thanks for that, most help and advice I've had! Not sure how to get a drs note as the receptionist last week said it's not up to the dr to decide if I go or not, it's up to me
Anyway I hope you get sorted somehow, it's times like this we find out which companies are worth bothering with and which ones aren't!

Does anyone know what would happen if you didnt pay the last installment with On the beach? We have already paid £1300 and are due to pay the last installment of £900 at the end of July ( we go begining of August) but if our passports dont come then we risk losing all the money so we are thinking of stopping them from taking the last payment so we dont lose it all.

Does anyone know what that would happen if we were to do that?

Has anyone managed to change dates with OTB?

I’m due to go on the 16th August to Lanzarote but want to move it forward to the 2nd August as I’m a teacher and would feel happier travelling the middle two weeks of the holidays.

The hotel and flights are both available for those dates, I just want to literally move it two weeks closer.

I imagine they'd say what they said to me, and that to move it, you'll have to pay for the existing flights that you already have booked, AND pay for the new ones as well. That's why they wanted over a grand for us to change to next summer, they said the flights weren't changeable/refundable, so to change dates, you literally have to pay for two sets of flights

I hope not!

I’ve just got off the phone to them, after waiting for 4 hours in a queue. They’re putting it to the amendment team who will message me with an updated price within 48 hours. We then have to decide whether we want to go ahead and change. He did say it might be more or it might be less so I got the impression it’s not going to be paying again for the flights.

I don’t mind paying an admin fee but it seems ridiculous to pay twice. It’s not like we’re cancelling.

I’ll let you know.

Just had an email from OTB to tell us our hotel isn't opening but we can have a different one ( right in the middle of magaluf square!)
We don't want it!!
I'm hoping for a full cancellation and refund - anyone managed to argue change of hotel and get a refund?

When do you travel, i have just found out my hotel is closed until next year and i travel in 2 weeks

@Mammawilson

When do you travel, i have just found out my hotel is closed until next year and i travel in 2 weeks

We go September. Have ONTB told you it's closed or did you find out yourself? I believe a lot of hotels are staying closed now as they discover not many tourists are coming so it's not worth their while, fair enough, but we REALLY don't want the alternative hotel they've given us.

I found out myself my emailing the hotel company, i havent heard a peep from On the beach. I have made a list of hotels that i would be ok with going to but im not even sure when they will contact me

We booked our Majorca holiday in Dec to go in Aug. On the besch, easyJet flight. They emailed us last week and changed our hotel. No choice option given. Not sure if we go. Is anyone else planning not to go?

I think On The Beach need to be reported to the Competition and Markets Authority based on what I am reading here

I've heard nothing from OTB since my phone call on Monday. The promise of 48 hours to contact me was obviously a joke. I just wanted to simply move my flights. If I'd booked it myself with easyjet I would have been able to do this easily.

I've emailed, tweeted and messaged them via the app, nothing!

Made the decision to cancel before they take a further £1200 off me next week. I will have lost £700. Just not prepared to get back 2 days before term starts. Totally my mistake to book so late but would have liked the opportunity to at least move the holiday for an admin charge.

Hilariously the 'amendment team' will get back to me within 7 days about my cancellation. Not holding my breath. Am freezing my credit card as knowing them they will take the final amount out next week.

Well we've cancelled our holiday with ONTB, we lose 1/3rd of the cost but I'm hoping to claim it back from insurance.
OTB don't reply to messages, you can't ring them as it's always engaged.
I'm furious at them. I understand they're operating in unprecedented times but aren't we all?
I feel like they don't give a shit about customers at all.
I will be making a formal complaint about them.

They are appalling.

We cancelled 2 holidays at the start of lockdown both booked.with TUI one for April and one moved to next summer and it was a pain to speak to them but at least after an hour or so you got to speak to a human who could actually deal with your holiday and sorted it out for you.

Learnt my lesson now. Never will I book with OTB again. £700 poorer