Will love holidays send debt collectors?

[Bellax123]

I am seeking some advice regarding a love holidays holiday.
My situation is iv paid a deposit and have 2 installments to pay before my holiday was scheduled on 14th January 2024.
Now really suddenly my circumstances have massively changed and i cant afford or go away in January.
On speaking to love holidays my holiday is 'non refundable' so i would be required to pay the whole balance to cancel.
The only options they gave me where to move the holiday (which will cost another 1000+) or pay off the cancellation fee in installments, neither i can do.
I am wondering if you know what will happen when they try to take the money out of my account for the holiday and it bounces because i cant afford it?
Iv read online that the holiday will get cancelled but am i going to get debt collectors chasing the money?

Does your holiday insurance cover you?

I suspect they'll take you to court to get a payment order. Could you not pay it on your cred card interest free then slowly pay it off. Can you sell the holiday to someone else and just pay admin fees to change names on booking?

Don’t you just lose you deposit?

Because your holiday is so near you won't be entitled to a refund unfortunately

Are you sure you wont just lose the deposit and the parts you've paid? Is that not what it means by none refundable

Did you pay by credit card or by debit card?

Unfortunately not, if i want to cancel i owe the amount of the holiday.
but that’s exactly what i thought tbh

I really don't think that can be correct.

Surely you will just lose the deposit and they will resell the holiday?

Thats exactly my thought tbh i was shocked when i called them and they told me i would have to pay the whole holiday, must be their way of making money

Would they allow you to transfer the holiday to someone else/change the names on the booking so you could see if anyone else you know wanted to go and cover the outstanding at least?

I would call them up and speak to them. Explain that there has been a material change in your circumstances. Be polite and ask if there is anything they can do as a gesture of goodwill. It’s a big company and there is often flexibility in these things, especially if you speak to the right person.

Sorry I know you have already spoken to them but I would call them up again and ask for the customer services department. If you don’t get anywhere I’d suggest writing to a consumer champion newspaper column.

Yes, speak to them.

There's no way I'd be paying the full cost of a holiday I couldn't go on.

That's the entire point of a deposit. You lose the deposit. That's it.

They may mark your credit file, however if you really cannot go, at all and its a shame if you can't put it on a cc and start after the holiday, it will probably go to a collection agency and you can make them an offer of £5 per month. They won't take court action if you're paying something. Don't be frightened.

Will your insurance cover you?

What did the terms and conditions when you booked say? It's more usual to pay the deposit and that be all you're committed to until a balance due date, but some holiday companies now offer a sort of credit agreement where you're committed to the full amount from day 1, but you pay it off in instalments rather than in one go.

It sounds like yours is the latter OP, in which case I would strongly suspect they'd come after you, as they may be committed to non-refundable flight tickets and hotel room.

By 'come after you' I mean refer to debt collection which you could then come to a repayment agreement with, as a PP says above.

think it depends on the cost of your flights. When I booked with them for a £1800 holiday, if I was to cancel I would still owe £1000 for the flights because that element is non refundable and a considerable fee to love holidays, the only refundable part was the hotel and transfers but you lose an element of that to the love holidays admin fee

No that's the entire point of holiday insurance.

Insurance will not cover a change of mind.

No but it may well cover some massive changes in circumstances.

Generally the full balance is due 6-8 weeks out, but many deals are non refundable t on you are committed. Have you got insurance?

There’s a FB page about love holidays - you can’t always change the name as they aren’t a package holiday company - they sell unsold flights and rooms so they aren’t ABTA covered - it’s the same as booking yourself except they sometimes are much cheaper.

Ring and check - but even selling is expensive! If possible.

That's terrible, not sure how they can charge you that much to cancel?! Cheeky.
I used this website to sell my holiday because I found out I was pregnant, https://www.transfertravel.com/. I didn't get all my money back though so missed out there. Not sure if you want to check it out if it helps you get a bit of money back x

Hardly any travel insurance will cover for this. Possibly a death, but an certificate would have to be provided.