Deposit was paid via bank transfer (£35k) this was/is our holiday of a lifetime, multiple flights and destinations in red list countries, booked about 4 weeks before the pandemic hit, they refused to refund it (said deposit was sent to various hotels and airlines etc and they didn't have it, and they'd go bankrupt if they had to refund us) reputable (abta etc)but niche travel company.
Rebooked for this year (costs increased) but they contacted us a few months back and said obvs couldn't go ahead this year, can we rebook for next year (again increased costs). Our situation is very different now, not just financially but our adult dc are now both at uni (or will be soon) and committing to a 3 week holiday next summer is tricky for them.
Anyway we've been discussing options (nothing concrete) and they contacted me this week saying they needed to speak to me urgently, which seemed odd. I checked on airline website with my booking ref and got 'no such booking exists' then checked flight number and airline no longer operate that flight so I presume have cancelled the booking and refunded travel agent.
My understanding is that if the flight is cancelled the travel agent have to refund entire payment in full as they cannot deliver the goods. We do have insurance (2 lots as had to take out additional policy to cover full cost of holiday as over £100k).
I spoke to them and asked about a refund and was told 'I'll speak to my director' and had an email shortly after saying he'd spoken to his director and they are working on it, but heard nothing more since Monday. I suspect they are going to be difficult and want to know how best to proceed.