Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s star investigator, battling readers’ corners, revealing the truth behind closed doors and winning victories for those left penniless. Find out how to contact him below.
GW writes: We booked a fly and cruise holiday with Tui. Shortly before departure, we discovered that we needed a US Esta (Electronic Travel Authorization System) permit, as the cruise included the US Virgin Islands.
We were denied because we are visiting Cuba in 2022. We called Tui for help and were relieved to be told we could rebook for a later holiday, without any additional charges. However this turned out to be a lie.
GW was denied entry to Cuba during a flight and cruise vacation with Tui
Tony Hetherington replies: You freely admitted to me that Tui’s Marella Cruises subsidiary warns that passengers will need either an Esta visa or a full US visa.
La Esta is easily accessible for most tourists. However, his visit to communist Cuba meant he needed a full visa, with more rigorous checks.
You told me: ‘I think the fact that you need an Esta or a visa for a specific cruise destination should be in the cruise itinerary, not three pages down in the fine print.’
And sure enough, it really is in the fine print, with the same importance as Tui’s age limit for drinking alcohol on board the ship.
What happened next should scare any Tui customer.
You called Tui and recorded the conversation.
The agent, who identified himself as Omar, assured him, “We can go ahead and change the holiday free of charge to any new holiday you want.”
Omar even explained: “If it is less expensive, we will refund the difference.”
All you had to do was choose a replacement holiday and ask Tui to book it. Your problems are over, Omar insisted, telling you: ‘Don’t stress anymore, it’s totally fine.’
But this was a lie. The next time you called Tui, they told you that Omar would call you back and fix things. Again, lie.
You called Tui once again and were told that a manager would contact you urgently. Another lie.
And by then it was too late to have any chance of getting a US visa.
Just 24 hours before he was due to fly to Barbados to board the Tui cruise ship, he was told that because he had booked a package holiday, part of which was now off-limits to him, he could not board the plane. This was just another lie.
He boarded the plane, flew to Barbados and booked a hotel at his own expense to cover the lost week aboard the cruise.
At home, you complained to Tui, but were told that the German-owned company considered the matter closed. You requested transcripts of your calls from Tui, and Tui responded by refusing but offering you £200.
He estimates the cruise ban and hotel bill cost him several thousand pounds, so he said no. Tui doubled his offer to 400 pounds, but you rejected it too.
Tui told me: ‘We are sorry for Mr and Mrs W’s experience.
‘It is stated before finalizing any reservation on a Marella cruise visiting the US, that a This is a requirement for travel.
“Unfortunately, Mr and Mrs W were given incorrect information after they were refused their Esta, to which we have offered £400 as a gesture of goodwill for our customer service error.”
So does a series of lies simply become a “customer service error”, and the loss of thousands of pounds justifies the so-called “goodwill gesture” of just £400?
I invited Tui to reconsider but he didn’t even bother to respond.
You could threaten to sue Tui, but based on past experiences, I don’t think Tui would care. It’s a rich company with lawyers who could increase your legal costs without leaving your desk.
So he asked me to let him say one last word: “We want your readers to know how Tui is prepared to treat its customers.”
And now they do it.
If you believe you are a victim of financial irregularity, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large volume of inquiries, it is not possible to provide personal responses. Please only send copies of the original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.