Couple refunded after holiday was cut short

A CO Down couple who had their holiday of a lifetime cut short by the coronavirus outbreak say they are delighted that the travel company they booked with have agreed a refund for the nine days of their trip they missed out on.

Geoffrey and Joanne Parks, from Waringstown, feared they would be left counting the cost after being left with no option other than coming home early from their £10,000 20-day trip which was due to see them visit South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

The couple said they felt let down by Trailfinders, who they maintained were responsible for refunding the part of the dream holiday they were unable to take.

Instead of basking on the beaches, they found themselves lost in emails trying to get their money back. “We left on March 8 and had completed the South African leg of our holiday and were confident that the refunds due may fund a trip in the future,” Geoffrey explained.

“On March 17 we were contacted by South African immigration to advise us that they had closed their borders and if we travelled to Zimbabwe we would not be able to get home.”

Their flight from Johannesburg on March 24 was cancelled and they had to pay extra to get home. The couple had splashed out on the vacation after Joanne had come through cancer treatment in 2018.

“Trailfinders have now agreed to give us a full refund for the elements of the holiday they were unable to provide,” said Geoffrey.

“It took a while verifying the amount but they issued the refund last week. Thankfully they did the right thing in the end.”