Which? blacklists holiday firms over refund policies
MORE than 20 package holiday providers are on a “danger” list drawn up by consumer watchdog Which? – because they could leave customers out of pocket.
It says the firms should be avoided because of their booking terms, commitments to refunds or a lack of transparency about their policies.
Popular holiday companies including Lastminute.com, Loveholidays, On the Beach and Teletext Holidays made the Which? “red” list.
And the watchdog has launched a tool to help customers compare the booking policies of more than 80 of the UK’s package holiday providers.
Available today, it rates each as red, amber, green or green plus, depending on how they perform against criteria set by Which? experts, including whether they would offer refunds in various Covid-related scenarios.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Things can go wrong if you’ve chosen the wrong provider. The best companies won’t leave you high and dry though, so it’s vital to do your research before booking.
“Anyone can use the Which?
Holiday Checker to make sure they don’t choose a company that could leave them out of pocket.”
He warned the difference between a red and a green company “could be losing the entire cost of your holiday if circumstances change and you have to amend or cancel your plans”.
Which? is encouraging people considering
a holiday to book with greenlisted firms – those committed to offering refunds in most scenarios put to them byWhich?.
They included British Airways Holidays, First Choice, Hays Travel, Jet2holidays, Trailfinders and Tui.
Three companies – Exodus, Explore and Discover Egypt – were rated green plus because they guaranteed refunds in the event of someone needing to self-isolate, as well as every other situation put to them byWhich?.
Companies that did not provide clear information on their booking policies were also rated as red.
While red companies’ policies were not necessarily in breach of consumer law, some have faced investigations over failure to refund their customers.
Earlier this year the Competition and Markets Authority threatened Lastminute.com and Teletext Holidays with legal action unless they paid millions in outstanding refunds to customers whose trips were axed because of the pandemic.
Last December, Loveholidays agreed to refund over £18million to 44,000 people who had holidays cancelled due to coronavirus.
When approached by Which?, Lastminute.com, Love Holidays and Teletext did not provide a comment.
On the Beach said: “If a customer cancels their holiday due to FCDO advice, but the flight operates, the airline retains the monies for the flight, and in those instances this leaves us unable to pass on a refund.”