Our calls for £8k cruise refund go unanswered

G.L. writes: We booked flights, hotels and cruises through Classic Travel at a cost of £7,938, which we paid in full. The holiday was cancelled because of Covid, three days before we were due to travel. We have tried numerous times to recover our money without success. The agency does not answer calls or emails.

CLASSIC Travel has turned out to be a one-man band, a franchisee of a firm called Travelpa, which in turn is part of Sunset Travel Limited.

Hamish Kaumaya, a director of Sunset Travel, told me he was unaware that Classic Travel had failed to reply to you, so he took control as soon as I contacted him. He offered an immediate refund of £4,940 for your flights and hotels, with an improved credit voucher for a future cruise, and you told me you were happy to accept this. Unfortunately, what landed in your bank account was just £4,048.

It seems Travel-pa expected you to contact its own salesman at Classic Travel and try to reclaim the commission of £892 that he had been paid. I convinced the company that your contract was with it, under their ABTA number, and not with the individual salesman, and you have now finally received the missing £892 as well.