What rights do you have with travel agents?

[Lumber]

Take them to court, it might get heard around April time.

2023

 

[Cyrus]

Back in now. Travel agent was really helpful , they won't give compensation as they have offered a refund. But can complain after. They are looking at 3 hotels in times square plus the original one popped up saying it could be booked. We said that we will stay at the ESB one of the others aren't available.

They are ringing back later today

 

[Metro Man]

I met my wife in a travel agency.

She was looking for a holiday and I was the last resort.

I was talking to her after you returned. Apparently, the holiday wasn't very exciting. She says she was half board.

 

[Cyrus]

Update: they want us to pay 450 more to get the original hotel that we booked. Trying to speak to someone higher up.

 

[Deleted member 14766]

We are booked up to go to New York times square over new years eve for 4 nights. We booked through a local travel agent.
Yesterday they rang to say that they booked the trip through a company and that this company doesn't use the hotel we booked anymore. They offered us a hotel near the empire state building. They also said we could have a hotel on times square but we would have to pay the difference! They also said we could have a full refund which is no good as we want to go.
I've checked online and there are loads of hotel rooms available for the dates we booked in times Square.
In my mind they made an agreement with us for the trip to times square and it's upto them to put it right and foot the bill, as that's why you pay extra to go with a travel agent and not just book it yourself.
So before I go in this morning ...... Where do I stand legally and any advice what to say?

Cancel it, get a full refund and book your own trip.

Regarding the advice you seek: I’d say it’s difficult to know without knowing exactly what you contracted with them for. But if they are offering a full refund I’m not sure you could insist that they lose money because a third party have altered their arrangement. They’ve sought an alternative for you. What would you do if it was the flights that were cancelled or altered? Insist they find you alternatives at no cost? What if there weren’t any on the days and times you wanted to go?

What’s so difficult about booking flights, hotels etc on t’interweb (he said, knowing that it’s a bit stressful at times and fraught with Covid issues - but then so are travel agent arrangements it would seem)

So my advice is to go on Judge Rinder. I’d say Judge Judy but you’d have to get to the USA to do that. And you’d need a travel agent.

Back in now. Travel agent was really helpful , they won't give compensation as they have offered a refund. But can complain after. They are looking at 3 hotels in times square plus the original one popped up saying it could be booked. We said that we will stay at the ESB one of the others aren't available.

They are ringing back later today

.

Update: they want us to pay 450 more to get the original hotel that we booked. Trying to speak to someone higher up.

It seems to me they are being more than reasonable. Things have changed with a vendor they have an arrangement with. This is outside their control. They’ve offered to find an alternative hotel and/or to place you in your original choice at a cost that would be charged to them. If none of these alterations are acceptable theyve offered a full refund. Do you really expect them to take a hit for £450 for you? Why would they do that when they can offer a refund.

Have you considered that this is why people use travel agents less and less. Yiu can do what they do on the internet and deal with vendors direct if you so choose.
.

Having typed all that. I bet they come to an arrangement and you get what you want

 

[deep south]

At short notice, rebooking might not be a good option if flights and hotels are busy so check that before you ask for a refund...

 

[Hep]

Agree in principle but No business should be expected to either take a hit or make a loss because of a change outside of their control. They offer suitable alternatives, that’s all I’d expect.

It shouldn’t be outside Iof their control. What are they doing selling hotel rooms if they don’t have them to sell.

Update: they want us to pay 450 more to get the original hotel that we booked. Trying to speak to someone higher up.

What did you book?

if you booked a specific hotel, they cannot ask you for more money. You have a contract with them.

if they haven’t sorted that out with their suppliers that is their problem not yours.

 

[Deleted member 14766]

It shouldn’t be outside Iof their control. What are they doing selling hotel rooms if they don’t have them to sell.

Do things like booking agencies go bust? Maybe the midst of a global pandemic, when international travel has been restricted or impossible for a year or so is a likely time for that to happen.

Do companies go bust or change their business models after you’ve booked things with them?

I suppose next time Ryanair cancel or change my flights - which has happened to me four times (three times this year) - I should decline their offer to rearrange or refund. I should insist that they fly me from the airport at the time and date they promised so I can benefit from all the deals and arrangements I made that were dependent on those original times etc. After all, they shouldn’t sell me flights if they don’t have them to sell.

It shouldn’t be outside Iof their control. What are they doing selling hotel rooms if they don’t have them to sell.

What did you book?

if you booked a specific hotel, they cannot ask you for more money. You have a contract with them.

if they haven’t sorted that out with their suppliers that is their problem not yours.

Good luck in the decade long legal case to justify the refusal of a full refund.

 

[Hep]

Do things like booking agencies go bust? Maybe the midst of a global pandemic, when international travel has been restricted or impossible for a year or so is a likely time for that to happen.

Do companies go bust or change their business models after you’ve booked things with them?

I suppose next time Ryanair cancel or change my flights - which has happened to me four times (three times this year) - I should decline their offer to rearrange or refund. I should insist that they fly me from the airport at the time and date they promised so I can benefit from all the deals and arrangements I made that were dependent on those original times etc. After all, they shouldn’t sell me flights if they don’t have them to sell.


Good luck in the decade long legal case to justify the refusal of a full refund.

The fact that they've offered the same hotel but for an extra fee means they've breached trading standards. You cannot advertise a trip to new york for £x and then ask for £y for the same trip.

The contract is between the person buying the trip and the retailer/travel agent. The fact that the travel agent didn't secure the hotel at the time it was sold is insignificant, if their costs have now gone up, that's their risk and fault. If the price for the hotel had gone down, do you think they would have phoned up and said we're giving you three hundred quid back??

It wouldn't take a decade, this would be a simple small claim that could be done online. It absolutely clear that they've breached their contract. Offering a full refund is also insignificant as the buyer doesn't want that. He wants what he paid for, and what they happily took his money for.

The flight situation is completely different as it's expected and factored into law that flights may vary due to a number of factors, such as weather, aircraft failure etc.

This isn't similar, as the hotel he booked is still available.

 

[Deleted member 14766]

The fact that they've offered the same hotel but for an extra fee means they've breached trading standards. You cannot advertise a trip to new york for £x and then ask for £y for the same trip.

The contract is between the person buying the trip and the retailer/travel agent. The fact that the travel agent didn't secure the hotel at the time it was sold is insignificant, if their costs have now gone up, that's their risk and fault. If the price for the hotel had gone down, do you think they would have phoned up and said we're giving you three hundred quid back??

It wouldn't take a decade, this would be a simple small claim that could be done online. It absolutely clear that they've breached their contract. Offering a full refund is also insignificant as the buyer doesn't want that. He wants what he paid for, and what they happily took his money for.

The flight situation is completely different as it's expected and factored into law that flights may vary due to a number of factors, such as weather, aircraft failure etc.

This isn't similar, as the hotel he booked is still available.

OK. My mistake.

I hope the OP gets what he wants and paid for.

 

[Hep]

Cancel it, get a full refund and book your own trip.

Regarding the advice you seek: I’d say it’s difficult to know without knowing exactly what you contracted with them for. But if they are offering a full refund I’m not sure you could insist that they lose money because a third party have altered their arrangement. They’ve sought an alternative for you. What would you do if it was the flights that were cancelled or altered? Insist they find you alternatives at no cost? What if there weren’t any on the days and times you wanted to go?

What’s so difficult about booking flights, hotels etc on t’interweb (he said, knowing that it’s a bit stressful at times and fraught with Covid issues - but then so are travel agent arrangements it would seem)

So my advice is to go on Judge Rinder. I’d say Judge Judy but you’d have to get to the USA to do that. And you’d need a travel agent.

.


It seems to me they are being more than reasonable. Things have changed with a vendor they have an arrangement with. This is outside their control. They’ve offered to find an alternative hotel and/or to place you in your original choice at a cost that would be charged to them. If none of these alterations are acceptable theyve offered a full refund. Do you really expect them to take a hit for £450 for you? Why would they do that when they can offer a refund.

Have you considered that this is why people use travel agents less and less. Yiu can do what they do on the internet and deal with vendors direct if you so choose.
.

Having typed all that. I bet they come to an arrangement and you get what you want

Sorry, how is asking you to pay £450 more for the same product reasonable?

If I purchased a car from a garage and they said oh, we know you paid £x for it, but now it's been delivered we want more. They'd get told to fuck off, as would any other service or goods offered.

None of this was outside their control at all, on the day he paid for the hotel, the travel agent should have booked it. They've messed up by selling a hotel booking for a fee and not having a contract with their agent to back it up.

 

[Deleted member 14766]

Sorry, how is asking you to pay £450 more for the same product reasonable?

If I purchased a car from a garage and they said oh, we know you paid £x for it, but now it's been delivered we want more. They'd get told to fuck off, as would any other service or goods offered.

None of this was outside their control at all, on the day he paid for the hotel, the travel agent should have booked it. They've messed up by selling a hotel booking for a fee and not having a contract with their agent to back it up.

See post above yours

 

[OOOSH YEAH]

Back in now. Travel agent was really helpful , they won't give compensation as they have offered a refund. But can complain after. They are looking at 3 hotels in times square plus the original one popped up saying it could be booked. We said that we will stay at the ESB one of the others aren't available.

They are ringing back later today

You should be ashamed of yourself. Going bust left right and centre and vultures like you are taking food from travel agents bairns and husbands mouths just so you don’t have to walk and extra few hundred yards. Lass I know lost her house when Thomas cook went bust and is now in a hostel with two bairns.

 

[KeefBeer]

I don't recall Times Square being anything special so, personally, that wouldn't bother me. My mate did the whole Times Square thing at New Year (actually being there at midnight) and said it was rotten. He had to be there hours in advance; no toilet facilities so if you needed a piss you had to leave and then they wouldn't let you back in. He managed to stick it out but said it was a bit of a waste of time and he wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck getting it sorted but don't become embittered if you can't or it might actually spoil your holiday.

This 100%
Hugely over rated.
Miami was good over New Year a few years back.

 

[soapster]

Update: they want us to pay 450 more to get the original hotel that we booked. Trying to speak to someone higher up.

its happening more and more as businesses try to make up profits. my granddaughter is getting married next month. we have had to book a hotel for the friday and booked into wedding venue for sat. the friday hotel, just cancelled, without any explanation (this was for 5 rooms). turns out they are now hosting a xmas party on that night and charging a lot more for the rooms that we were going to pay. I suspect similar to your situation.

 

[Cyrus]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Going bust left right and centre and vultures like you are taking food from travel agents bairns and husbands mouths just so you don’t have to walk and extra few hundred yards. Lass I know lost her house when Thomas cook went bust and is now in a hostel with two bairns.

Not at all. It's their mistakes that's caused this. My partner is disabled so walking a few extra yards is an issue. They are looking at giving us a small refund to help cover extra taxi costs , which is cheaper for them and suits us as times square is where we have booked shows and things. So hopefully this is a solution.
Oh and when they came back to us again it was going be 2000 more for the same hotel as they hadn't done the pricing right.

 

[Kevsgreat]

Times Square was a disappointment I thought like. Insane busy. Like can't even walk down the street busy. Bit shit they're not sticking with the deal you thought you had but really if you're not attending the new years stuff going on there you're probably better off elsewhere.

 

[Cyrus]

Times Square was a disappointment I thought like. Insane busy. Like can't even walk down the street busy. Bit shit they're not sticking with the deal you thought you had but really if you're not attending the new years stuff going on there you're probably better off elsewhere.

Yeah looking at roof top parties or just ones in local bars or hotels

 

[Fred Secrets]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Going bust left right and centre and vultures like you are taking food from travel agents bairns and husbands mouths just so you don’t have to walk and extra few hundred yards. Lass I know lost her house when Thomas cook went bust and is now in a hostel with two bairns.

 

[Super Elmo]

If the covid situation changes before you go or indeed whilst you are there and you have booked via a travel agent your contract is with them so you will need to deal with them to sort your flights or travel back home. Just a heads up if you’re finding dealing with them difficult now compared to stood next to the checkin desk at JFK trying to ring them from a different time zone.