Decent travel agent/package holidays

[Twilightstarbright]

Due to COVID I'm keen to book an ATOL protected package holiday type trip when we are allowed to travel. I'm thinking TUI/Jet2 etc. Did anyone receive good customer service from them with regards to changing bookings/refunds with COVID?

Previously I'd book all the elements separately, but want it all combined as one package.

Trailfinders. They have been brilliant with us in the last 18 months. Full refund on our trip within 5 days last year. You can read all about their refund guarantees on their website.

They “purchase” the elements separately and then package it for you. Just getting flights and one night in a hotel constitutes a package so you are ABTA protected. Three times out the last four they have actually worked out cheaper than the same trip if I put it together myself.

TUI are notorious for refunds, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

We had good experiences with Riviera.

We had several problems with an independent local travel agent. Lovely, helpful people, but they were part of a consortium who were absolutely shite & we had a lot of trouble getting our money back. So, we'll only book direct in future.

Thank you, I thought I had heard that TUI weren't good.

Service from Dial A Flight is always excellent, but they really stood out during Covid. Can’t recommend them enough

Steer well clear of Secret Escapes.

Expedia have been woeful. BA flight&hotel deals are often great value
Trailfinders have a great guarantee, haven’t had personal experience during covid with them, but will likely book with them or BA (refunded my flight within minutes of request)

Avoid Lastminute. So many people still trying to get their money back from them.

Thank you this is really helpful.

I was also really impressed with Trailfinders. I had Australia booked with them and they refunded my deposit without insisting I pay the full balance like other travel agents.

Someone I know still hasn’t had a refund from teletext even after going to CAB and trading standards about them and putting up a big fight. However we were given a refund within a few days after we put a request in with On The Beach even though they sent an email stating they were still waiting for Ryanair to refund them they said they were refunding customers themselves to save them having to wait any longer .

Altho I think the rules have changed with OTB now .

Jet2 have been great. We moved from last year and then ultimately cancelled this year (our choice- not for Covid reasons). We lost our deposit as we cancelled but the overpayments we’d been making were refunded and in our account within 48 hours.

I've had 2 holidays cancelled so far this year with TUI and their service was fantastic! If you rebooked within 7 days you got a 20% uplift on your new holiday or if you wanted to wait a bit longer you could get a credit note and a 10% uplift. Or you could get a full cash refund, which was refunded within 7 days. You could do it all online yourself so no need to call them - was dead easy

We got a full refund from Tui last year without any bother. I realise that things have moved on since then.

I am risk averse and won't bother booking a holiday just yet.

Another vote for Jet2 - just flights were booked.
Full refund due to lockdown.

Also, we flew back from Tenerife the week before UK lockdown but just as Spain went into lockdown. Jet2holidays who we’d booked with had plenty of staff ‘street side’ at the airport trying to help people.

Impressed.

BA and on the beach were great with our holidays, BA refunded within 4 days of cancelling the holiday, on the beach refunded the hotel within a couple of days, flight refund took i think 6 weeks as they had to wait for the money from Easyjet. I didn't need to do anything either time, the companies processed everything automatically when it was clear we couldn't travel.
Would happily use both again.

Travel up is another to avoid. I'm on a fb page of others who booked and they have been absolutely awful. Making things up, threatening legal action, creating fake positive reviews whilst getting review websites to take down the bad (truthful one).
The airline told us that they had refunded them with the full cost so after getting no response from them we went straight to the credit card company for the refund and got it that way. TU then contacted us to cancel our claim and they would refund us but we weren't that stupid! Some people had been through a lot worse though, and its been heartbreaking

Another vote for BA. They also have a very flexible policy about changing at the moment which we found reassuring.

Jet2 were brilliant when I actually went on holiday with them a few years ago and have been fabulous throughout covid. We’ve had to cancel / rebook three times and refunds have always been swift.

I had to wait five months for a refund for a flight that ba cancelled due to covid. I had to make many phone calls to get it.

@Twilightstarbright

Thank you, I thought I had heard that TUI weren't good.

I have had nothing but positive experiences with TUI; three holidays booked and cancelled due to restrictions, refunded or changed immediately depending on what I wanted to do. Last one was in January 2021. Had busy phone lines once when I wanted to get through, otherwise no problems at all. A lot of changes and cancellations can now be done via their website unless you want to speak to a real person.

Tui have been fantastic for us and several family members who have had to rearrange holiday plans both in the current crisis and in the past.

BA Holidays and Jet2 are both decent although I lost my Jet2 deposit last year as they wouldn't communicate with me before the balance was due which has slightly clouded my judgement.

I don't rate TUI at all, our last trip with them was an expensive shitshow from start to finish.

Jet 2 were very late to cancel our flights (later in the year so it was less of a clear cut "definitely can't go" but when they did money was in my account in less than 24 hours.

Travel Republic were also great - kept in contact from March right the way through to August and then the refunds were relatively quick too.

Seems like mixed feedback with a few of them then!