To cancel holiday and not pay?

[worstnotholiday]

I've got a holiday booked in October. Only booked on 3/3 and paid £120 deposit for four of us. Two adults two children. £230 to be paid every month thereafter. However my circumstances have changed overnight. My husband has left. I have no money. No hope of paying this. Will be waiting the next few weeks to get my uc claim set up and living out of what's in the cupboards till then.

I've just tried to cancel it online and have found that the company want £780 to cancel it?! My insurance apparently want £100 per person for a cancellation claim. I just do not have it. The payment will bounce next week and I'll never be able to pay them either the £400 or the £780 they expect (the whole remaining balance is only £900! If I had £780 I'd be able to find the extra!)

Wtf can I do? Dh will not help me. He's done this in the most cruel way possible and I have no chance of getting a penny out of him. Indeed, I have little chance of even having a roof over mine and the childrens heads come October let alone a fucking holiday. Aibu to think that this is a con? This "debt" will ruin my credit rating. The insurance was rather pointless too. I'm so defeated.

I'm so sorry you are in this utterly shit situation OP. I would try to speak to a real person at the holiday co & explain your situation - they may have some discretion to waive or reduce the charges.

Crossed post I see its in your name. I think your credit rating is going to be affected anyway by what you've just written, not paying the holiday isn't going to make much difference.

Who’s name is everything in? Bills & holiday

It looks from section 5 that if you fail to pay they will cancel and you’ll only lose money previously paid. I’d suspect the won’t come after you for it as it’d cost them to do so.

What an absolute arsehole.. I so angry for you.

You can get a loan inadvance of uc.

I think you may well need the cab to look at yoyr finances. Are you able to work? Increase hours?

OK, this is a bad situation you are in right now, but honestly, you will get through it.

Your dh has had a real good go at screwing you over. But it's unlikely that he will just get away with it although that might be difficult for you to see.

You need a proper solicitor who specialises in divorce. A good one.

Also, I would repost in "legal".

Do they have a twitter

Ts all in my name. Because his credit rating is so bad. We put everything in my name because of it. Years ago. The mortgage is joint but he won't care about his rating and it won't affect him. He'll be in one of his parents properties, with plenty of cash money and choices. I've withdrawn what's left in the joint account- legally or not, to have a hope of paying the essential bills. Thank you all again. I know how awful it is and that there's almost nothing to be done, but it does help to moan and have an outlet at least. I really appreciate it. Thanks

Ah it’s on the beach, so bit “true” package holiday.

Firstly try not to worry! It’s not linked to your credit file, so your credit history won’t be effected, at a push if they try and collected a payment it might show on your bank account section of your credit file that a payment bounced but it will have a nominal impact.

Is it direct debit or CPA can you remember?

Ok, here are the relevant bits that I could see:

Payment on booking

You are required to make full payment at the time of booking in the following circumstances:

a. when you make a flight only booking (for all airlines unless otherwise stated); and

b. when you make any booking within 28 days of your departure date; and

c. when you book for Travel Arrangements with a non-refundable hotel.

For all other bookings, you are required to pay a non-refundable deposit at the time of booking.

1. Failure to make payment

Where you are paying by instalments, you have a legal obligation to pay us each instalment on the payment due date specified at the time of booking and in your booking confirmation. Should we be unable to collect an instalment from you on the date on which it is due, we will contact you to enable you to make payment. Should we be unable to contact you or to collect payment within a reasonable timeframe, we reserve the right to cancel the booking made on your behalf and you will forfeit all monies paid by you for such booking. In addition, if for any reason we do not receive payment, we may be required to notify the other Supplier/Principals who may take the decision to cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their terms and conditions. In these circumstances you will be liable to lose all monies previously paid.

………………………

So I couldn’t see anything about the customer being liable for the full cancellation fees even if you have only paid the deposit.

This is the position I would take.

Omg what an absolute bastard he is. Jesus what is WRONG with these men?!?

If the mortgage is in joint names then they should have sought consent from both of you before a six month mortgage holiday, so I’d contact then asap as if he’s done it fraudulently that’s another thing to hold up in court.

Start getting all your ducks in a row, you’ll all be far better off without a POS like this in your life. How old are your DC?

Aah just read the full thread. Op contact step change or payplan for the rest of the money problems. They will also be able to sign post you to any other places that can help.

They may also be able to put a legally binding freeze on you repayments for 60 days to buy you some time to come up with a plan xx

Are his parents not bothered about never seeing their GC again?!

@AnotherDelphinium

If the mortgage is in joint names then they should have sought consent from both of you before a six month mortgage holiday, so I’d contact then asap as if he’s done it fraudulently that’s another thing to hold up in court.

Start getting all your ducks in a row, you’ll all be far better off without a POS like this in your life. How old are your DC?

Good point

Surely manipulation of his income via his parents (he works for them?) can be brought up in the divorce process to affect the settlement judgement? Forgive me if that's not right, I'm no expert. But it must be worth looking into?

Agree with PPs to try to ring the company. Of course they tell you to do it online but it's worth trying.

Can you sell the holiday on? Is it possible to change the names on the booking?

It's not direct debit. They take the payment using my card details.

The girls are 8 and 12. They're all I'm allowed to keep I think. He's no interest in them and will "probably" see them some time at Easter for his mum to give them their eggs he said.

He's waiting patiently until I'm forced from the house, and then he'll swoop in and pay the debt ONCE I've agreed to sign it over. He'll fight and fight and fight and drag it on and on until I'm drowning in the debt and have to give in anyway. Benefits calculator says I'll be getting uc which bring my monthl up to about £1500. With £750 mortgage. £500+ in debit on the gas (without up to date reads which are higher than the est on my online account) £200+ in debit on the ele. Water, council tax, car, food. I can't cancel the tv and wifi can I? The girls will have nothing else as it is. So my outgoings will be about £300 more than my incomings. I cannot afford to stay here. I cannot afford to fight him- money for a lawyer is so far out of my reach when I need to ensure the girls are fed. I need to quickly get a rental in the cheap end of town- which I'll be able to do of I can do it within the next four weeks before the financial shotstorm really hits. I'm sorry for the pity party. I'm really hoping that if I just don't pay then the holiday will just go away as others here have said.

How many bedrooms do you have OP? Any chance of taking in a lodger to help cover the shortfall?

My on the beach holiday tried to charge me but I just ignored them and lost the deposit.

This was last year.

I would try and explain your situation to the holiday company. Go to CAB to see what it thinks. Try to see your MP to see if he or she will write to the holiday company.

@DrSbaitso

Surely manipulation of his income via his parents (he works for them?) can be brought up in the divorce process to affect the settlement judgement? Forgive me if that's not right, I'm no expert. But it must be worth looking into?

Agree with PPs to try to ring the company. Of course they tell you to do it online but it's worth trying.

I imagine it would if they hadn't done this almost a year ago. They're very clever and money jealously guarded. I signed a pre up for instance to protect him from losing other properties and wealth. But this house was "ours". Equally the ducking holiday is a cheap nasty one because it had to be paid from my earnings- he could have afforded much more but his family are against travel for the foreseeable and so he wouldn't book it (or he knew his plan- which has been months in the making) . It's was a "cheap and cheerful" get away. For the girls. For me.

His parents have little interest in the girls. They are the wrong sex and his eldest brother spawned the right kind. His parents pay for the male gc to have private schooling for instance. We are morally and emotionally better away from them all. I suppose I must take comfort in that.

Definitely cancel the TV if it’s a substantial cost, keep WiFi. You can entertain yourselves online or get Netflix or Disney, which should be cheaper than eg a Sky package, if that’s what you have at the moment.

Remember you should also get a 25% discount on your council tax for being the only adult in the household. Not sure if it’s you who needs to inform the council on this.

Can you sell stuff in the short-term? Might not help an awful lot but perhaps you can make some quick cash and cover a couple of food shops that way or simply put the money away for an emergency.

No real advice on the holiday but just wanted to wish you all the best for the upcoming weeks and months. What a sad, pathetic man he is. To simply leave his children like that is unforgivable. These girls are very lucky to have you as a decent parent they can still look up to I grew up dirt poor but admired my mum nonetheless. She was the reliable figure in my life and I could sense that even when I was little.

He is an absolute shit, but can’t believe his parents are supporting him. I would be so embarrassed if DS behaved like that and I would be supporting my DIL

This isn't even related to the holiday issue but to your updates - 100% get yourself down to Citizens Advice Bureau. I used to volunteer for them and people came in with this type of situation on a near daily basis.

Phoning the company is your first step. Person to person contact always works best. Explain your situation and ask if there's anything they can do to help.

After that CAB etc.