BA IT outage - refusal to pay for my hotel. Who is liable?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I was supposed to be flying to deliver a paper at a conference (all expenses paid by the international organisation responsible) and got caught up in the IT outage. The travel agent managed to rebook me a few days later (I arrived an hour before I had to speak!) as BA couldn't rebook me until after the conference had finished.

I have tried to claim from BA for my hotel room for the two nights that I was self funding (I wanted to catch up with some friends over the weekend) but they have told me to claim on my travel insurance. My personal travel insurance won't pay, as it was officially a work visit. My employer won't let me claim from their insurance as they weren't paying for the trip, and I was paying for the first two days anyway. Ditto the international organisation. So I have looked to BA, who say, like a squeaky wheel, "claim on your travel insurance", but I can't. My view is that as it was their mess, they should reimburse me so that I won't be out of pocket. They disagree. I have asked separately to pursue the claim under EU law for two flights that didn't take off, but they have gone silent here too. Any advice on what to do next please?

Ok to check I understand this correctly, the time period that you were inconvenienced was paid for by yourself, as you had tacked on a visit to friends prior to the period paid for by the company?
In that case that is personal travel, so you should claim from your insurance.

If you had paid for two nights in a hotel that you couldn't take due to the flight issues I agree with CurIsLDN that your personal travel insurers are probably liable. The reason you booked those nights at the hotel was personal, not for business.

You should also keep chasing BA for the compensation you are due under EU law.

The OP surely doesn't have a contract with BA. BA has a contract with the people who paid for the flight.

I took it from the OP's post that she had booked the tickets and was being refunded by the international organisation rather than the international organisation booking the tickets. If that is the case BA's contract is with the OP.

Rereading it the OP used a travel agent so it is their responsibility.

The travel agent used by the organisation (not my employer) booked the flights on behalf of the international organisation. It was up to me when I travelled, so I said I would fly on the Saturday, asked them to book me two nights in the hotel at my expense (they covered the cost of the night's I was there for the conference). I understood that I have to claim the compensation under EU law as I was inconvenienced, rather than the travel agent. I will try my personal travel insurance again to see if they will pay up for the hotel.

Thank you for your help.

OK so the flights/hotel that got cancelled or didn’t get used were paid for (directly to the supplier) by the organisation? In which case you have nothing to claim for as you did not directly pay for those things. The organisation should claim from the supplier or their insurance.
I understand that you have reimbursed the organisation for the money they paid for that part of the trip, and you have also paid for an additional hotel stay. You can not claim for the additional hotel stay, as that hotel provided the service you paid for. However you should claim back the cost from the organisation

The flights were paid for by the organisation. They managed to re-route me, not using BA. The hotel, during the duration of the conference, was paid for by the conference organisers. They did not pay for the two nights before the conference, I paid for these myself. I haven't reimbursed anyone for anything. But I am personally out of pocket for the two nights hotel bill. It is for these two nights, that I am looking to BA to pick up the tab.

Re the EU compensation, my understanding is that it is for me to claim this back, not the travel agent/international organisation, as my name was on the ticket. When this happens and my employer pays for the ticket, we claim the money back ourselves. I don't see that this is for the international organisation that organised the conference, or the travel agent to do, but is for me to do, personally.

Compensation under EU rules is for the person who was delayed regardless of whether or not they bought the ticket. So it is absolutely right that you claim that back.

Without seeing the wording of your travel insurance it is impossible to be sure whether or not that covers you, but I do wonder if they heard the words "business trip" and stopped listening without understanding the situation properly.

So my travel agents are still sucking their teeth over this one.

BA have said they will be paying me the 400 euros for the cancelled flight. The next flight they booked me on was cancelled as well, so I have asked if I am also due compensation for this flight, but they seem to have gone silent on me...