Holiday company refunds customers after watchdog acts

A LUXURY holiday firm has reversed its refund policy for cancelled plans after thousands complained they could not get their money back.

Vacation Rentals, which owns Hoseasons and Cottages.com, voluntarily changed its policy and will offer all customers whose bookings were affected by the pandemic a refund, following action by a regulator.

The firm had been criticised for failing to offer cash refunds to all its customers whose trips were cancelled.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) received 4,500 reports about holiday lettings firms, a “significant proportion” of which were about Vacation Rentals. It said common complaints included firms “refusing to provide full refunds at all or offering only vouchers instead of cash refunds”.

Firms can offer customers vouchers for cancelled trips but must pay a cash refund if requested. The CMA can take firms to court and seek redress.