Last November I paid a deposit of £800 to TUI for a holiday to the Costa del Sol for myself, my wife, our daughter and granddaughter.
Tragically, at the end of December, our daughter, aged 56, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which meant she would not be able to travel.
Shortly after, I requested a refund of the deposit from our travel agent as there is no way we can go as we are 80 years old and do not travel unaccompanied. The agent said deposits were usually not refunded, but they would make a request due to our circumstances. Medical tests were provided but were unsuccessful. Please help.
TM, Craigavon, Northern Ireland
Sally Hamilton responds: I was saddened to hear about your situation but even more so when I spoke to you, since since you wrote to me your daughter had died.
I felt determined to help you get your deposit back, especially since the trip you had booked was for May, five months after you requested the cancellation. It was probably enough time for Tui to resell the vacation.
Tui has a department that deals with clients facing exceptional circumstances and I felt your situation fit the category. I asked Tui if he could see a way to give him his money back.
Their £800 deposit had already been used to pay easyJet, Tui’s airline partner, for the flights element of their package. Tui had apparently approached the airline to request a refund, but had not received a response.
Once I contacted Tui they quickly agreed to cancel the holiday and refund the money through their travel agent at no charge.
Initially only your and your wife’s share of the £400 deposit was returned, but on my second intervention the remaining £400 was refunded. You were very grateful.
Under their terms and conditions, Tui did not have to return the deposit, but fortunately took their tragic circumstances into account.
You told me you had considered purchasing travel insurance, but the quotes you received far exceeded the deposit amount. I can understand the dilemma, but I urge readers to always cover up to protect against unforeseen circumstances, as holiday companies may not always be so understanding.
I had a current account at Banco Santander, but decided to move to Barclays when I saw their adverts offering £175 within 28 days if I switched.
I did everything Barclays asked me to do to qualify for the incentive, including downloading the bank’s app, transferring my direct debits, arranging to pay £800 each month and signing up to the bank’s rewards scheme for £5 a month. month.
All this was completed on July 24. I waited patiently for my bonus. And I’m still waiting, 42 days later. Customer service continues to fool me. The lack of customer service (and lack of bonus) bothers me and now I regret switching. Please help.
HD, Banbury, Oxon
Sally Hamilton responds: The competition between banks is very extensive and they are all eager to attract customers like you. That’s because once a bank has signed up a checking account customer, it can sell them all sorts of extras, from credit cards and personal loans to insurance and savings bonds.
Regular cashback offers like the one you saw are designed to tempt people to switch. These deals come and go, so customers usually need to act quickly if they want to get a particular deal. The Barclays incentive ended on August 30, for example.
Providers currently offering a cash benefit include First Direct, which promises to pay £175 to switchers who have not previously been customers and meet certain conditions; and Nationwide, which also offers £175 and asks customers to deposit £1,000 within 31 days of opening the account.
Lloyds Bank is now offering £200 to those who transfer to its fee-bearing Club Lloyds account.
Barclays asked applicants to download the bank’s app on their phone and sign up to its Blue Rewards scheme for £5 a month, as well as transfer a series of direct debits. Anyone applying who previously had a Barclays account that was not closed by July 8 this year was not eligible.
You thought you had overcome all the obstacles. The switch should be seamless since the introduction 11 years ago of the current account switching service, so I couldn’t see what was causing the delay.
The account switching service is where the new bank takes control of transferring everything, such as direct debits, and arranges the closure of the old account. To do this, the new bank needs the green light from the existing provider. Once the transfer date is agreed, the transaction should take seven working days and banks guarantee to put things right if there are problems with direct debits or other payments and receipts.
I asked Barclays to activate his transfer and give him his £175 bonus.
Barclays eventually discovered that his transfer had run into problems because his name had previously been on a joint account with the bank. Since the account was still active, it appeared that he was ineligible for the offer, even though he had been removed some time ago.
Following my intervention, the error was eventually rectified and £175 was added to your new account on 5 September, along with an additional £100 as an apology for the inconvenience.
A Barclays spokesperson says: ‘We regret the delay our customer experienced in receiving their exchange voucher. We have corrected this and the money is in your account.’
Scam Watch
Households should be wary of a scam email impersonating streaming service Disney+, consumer website Which? warns.
Scammers draw victims’ attention by claiming that their subscription to the film and television platform “could not be renewed due to a failed payment.”
The email provides a malicious link for recipients to log in and update their account. Which? says.
The scammers claim that Disney+ services will be suspended if you don’t do so within two days.
Don’t click the link; Forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Straight to the point
Last month my car broke down so I called the RAC. His mechanic couldn’t start the car, so he got a tow truck. Three hours later nothing had arrived. I called the RAC again and was told it would be another two and a half hours. The RAC said it would “aggravate” the matter so I arranged an alternative recovery as I had been stranded for almost six hours.
FJ, Lancashire.
RAC apologizes and says that you made your own arrangements shortly before your truck arrived. He has refunded your membership fee for this year.
We flew to Barcelona with British Airways in May. Our luggage disappeared along with that of six other couples. Everyone else was reunited with their luggage when we docked in Palma, but three months later we were still waiting for ours.
ES, Cheshire.
British Airways cannot locate your lost suitcase. He apologizes and will pay his expenses as well as compensation.
I canceled a credit card in 2007, but recently discovered it wasn’t canceled and I’ve been paying annual fees for the last 17 years – around £2,400 in total. I was also told that new cards were sent to my old address when the older ones expired. I’m worried it has affected my credit rating.
MH, London.
The bank apologizes and will refund £1,000. It hasn’t affected your credit score.
In July I visited a Premier Inn in Newquay to celebrate my wedding anniversary, but there was construction going on right outside our window. We had no view and had to close the curtains. Premier Inn is refusing to refund us because there is a statement on their website stating that construction work was going on nearby.
MH, via email.
Premier Inn says the works were external and out of its control, but has offered £150 as a gesture of goodwill.
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