- 7 hours ago
tele: https://t.me/TopFilmUSA1
#film#shows#usa#usashows#hot#filmhot
#film#shows#usa#usashows#hot#filmhot
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Today the couple's stuck with a timeshare they just don't want and can't get out of it.
00:05They're among more than a dozen people who say the firm behind it all has moved the goalposts.
00:11They thought, this is not an option that I ever saw coming.
00:15We've been treated like idiots as far as I'm concerned.
00:19Once they've got your money, they don't want to know anymore.
00:22Plus it was one of the strongest storms of all time and people died.
00:26No wonder then that one family chose not to fly to Jamaica as a hurricane was about to hit.
00:32So why won't Tui give them their money back?
00:35He basically said that it will be full loss of your holiday money because as far as we're concerned there's
00:42not a problem.
00:43Keeping your travels on track, this is Rip Off Britain Holidays.
00:54Hello and welcome to Rip Off Britain Holidays.
00:57Now this is our HQ in Salford and this is where the team are busy all the time.
01:02They're ringing around everywhere, they're investigating and battling things on your behalf.
01:07And coming up today we're looking at the ABTA scheme.
01:10It's the go-to quality mark that so many of us look for.
01:13But what does it really mean, especially when members can simply leave, as some of you found out in the
01:19aftermath of Covid?
01:21What's the good of being a member of a trade body if you think,
01:24oh it's too much work, it's not working in my favour, I leave and just walk away from it.
01:30Now with one big firm rejoining ABTA after some five years,
01:33and with the sheer number of online travel agents out there,
01:37we'll be asking if ABTA might be more important than ever.
01:40Plus, our experts will be dishing out advice for one viewer whose four-star hotel in Barbados had no hot
01:47water.
01:48But first, imagine entering a prize draw and winning a free foreign holiday.
01:53Well, it can't get much better than that you might think.
01:55However, the couple we're about to meet can't help but wonder how different things would be now if they'd lost.
02:02Because that free holiday led to them taking out a timeshare that they're now stuck with against their wishes.
02:08And they're not too sure where to turn to.
02:13The beautiful scenery of the Costa del Sol was the setting.
02:17The year was 2002.
02:19When Margaret and Alan Eastall from Aberdeenshire first came across Timeshare Company Seasons,
02:24it seemed like a massive stroke of luck.
02:27I used to do competitions in a magazine.
02:30I ended up winning a competition.
02:32I didn't believe them, I must admit.
02:34When company contacted us to say that we'd won this free trip out to Costa del Sol.
02:39They were flown to a stunning resort for a two-week stay.
02:43We went to a place called Forest Hills, which was absolutely beautiful.
02:47It looked like a fairy tale castle up in the mountains. Gorgeous.
02:51Along with the free holiday, the prize also included a basic membership to Seasons timeshare scheme,
02:58which entitled Margaret and Alan to access one of its UK holidays.
03:03And so impressed were they, the couple say they paid around £4,000 plus an annual maintenance fee
03:09to upgrade the membership and bag access to a range of high-quality resorts.
03:15And so began five years of wonderful breaks.
03:19The following year, we went to their resort in Whitbarrow, which is in Lake District.
03:25And we had an absolutely brilliant time.
03:28We had some really good holidays, whether it was in Lanzarote Costa del Sol or the ones in the UK.
03:35During this time, the couple spent thousands of pounds upgrading their membership
03:39in order to access different resorts and larger properties.
03:44We got to meet some fabulous people, really nice people that we became friends with over the years.
03:50And we'd meet them at different resorts.
03:52And the entertainment, it was first class. It was so good.
03:57Fast forward to 2007, and Margaret and Alan were holidaying at a Seasons resort in the Lake District,
04:03when a rep persuaded them to attend a sales meeting in the resort clubhouse.
04:09They said, oh, we've got this exciting new event.
04:13It's an eighth ownership of a property in Brunston. Would you be interested in that?
04:19Brunston Castle is a Seasons resort in Ayrshire in southwest Scotland.
04:24Seasons suggested this wasn't a traditional timeshare, but something it calls eight keys.
04:30By purchasing a one-eighth share of a property, members could holiday at any Seasons resort for 16 years,
04:37after which the property they co-owned would be put up for sale.
04:42If we paid up front, at the end of the 16 years contract, we had this property, which would then
04:49be independently valued,
04:51and that they would buy it back and we would get an eighth of whatever the property sold for.
04:56It sounded like a win-win situation.
04:59Buyers could also choose not to walk away with the proceeds, but to stay in the scheme and enjoy 16
05:05more years of holidays at no cost.
05:07We were told that they were looking at places in the States, they were looking in Cyprus, and we thought,
05:13many more options.
05:14So, what have we got to lose?
05:17The couple say that during the sales presentation they were shown these slides,
05:22which left them in no doubt they'd be part owners of a property on the Brunston site.
05:27The slides said that buyers could genuinely expect to buy today and sell in the future at a profit,
05:33a proposition Seasons claimed that would have every timeshare owner in the world clamouring to buy this product.
05:41Thoroughly impressed, Margaret and Alan signed the 16-year contract, traded in their existing timeshares,
05:48and handed over almost £34,000.
05:52We thought that we had something that, come the end of the period of the contract, was going to be
05:59cash in our hand.
06:01By 2023, the money the couple paid had allowed them 42 weeks of Seasons holidays,
06:07and their keys contract was coming to its end.
06:11In a phone call with the firm, Margaret and Alan explained that they were ready to sell,
06:16but this didn't seem to go down too well with the rep.
06:21Where he'd been quite upbeat before, suddenly he wasn't as upbeat.
06:26And they said, oh well, Brunston hasn't been reaching full occupancy for quite some time now,
06:31and we're not sure how long it will take to sell the unit.
06:35While the 2007 sales pitch stated members could genuinely expect to buy today and sell in the future at a
06:42profit,
06:42it turned out that any sale would be dependent on Seasons finding a buyer on the open market,
06:48where there were no guarantees.
06:51I thought, well, Seasons were going to be buying it back.
06:54And then he said, well, no, I'm sorry, Seasons won't be buying it back.
06:58And at no point had it been mentioned that Seasons would not take on that unit.
07:04I was nonplussed.
07:06Because I thought this was not an option that I ever saw coming.
07:11But Seasons strongly denies ever claiming it would buy the properties from its members at the end of their contracts.
07:18Two and a half years on, and after one potential sale fell through, the property is still on the market.
07:25And Margaret is trying to get answers from Seasons.
07:29Hello, I'm just trying to find out what is happening with the sale of our property.
07:33Would you be able to help me with that?
07:36Seasons asked Margaret to send her queries in writing.
07:39But she says that after doing so in the past, she's no closer to an answer.
07:45Over the years, because we kept on upgrading within Seasons, that's tens of thousands of pounds that they've taken from
07:51us,
07:51that when we are supposed to get the money back, they don't want to know.
07:55As it stands, Margaret and Alan feel trapped.
07:59Since their contract finished in 2023, they can no longer stay at any Seasons resorts without investing in an expensive
08:06new membership.
08:08And without any proceeds from a sale, they feel unable to move on with their lives.
08:14Seasons just do not treat their members or ex-members properly, as far as I'm concerned.
08:21Once they've got your money, they don't want to know anymore.
08:25But Margaret's story isn't unique.
08:28Investigating further, producer Katie Saatchi has spoken to other members and a pattern has emerged.
08:36I've spoken to 11 individuals and couples in total about their experience of Seasons holidays.
08:43And as with Margaret, the main issue is what's happened when they've reached the end of their keys contract.
08:49Just like Margaret and Alan, many believed a sale of their property at the end of term would be quick
08:55and easy.
08:56But when people actually chose that option, they say the reps strongly discouraged this.
09:02They were told that properties weren't selling well or they might even take years to sell.
09:06And some of them understood that they would suddenly need to start paying maintenance fees indefinitely until whenever the property
09:14eventually sold.
09:15Many people didn't realise that they'd never actually owned part of a specific property from the start, but that one
09:22was allocated when eight individual keys members all chose to sell.
09:27But even those who chose the other option on the table to sign up for another 16 year contract and
09:33the holidays that come with it now feel they're being mistreated.
09:39People feel that they've suddenly been effectively downgraded to core or basic accommodation instead of luxury, despite there not being
09:47any mention of that in their original contract.
09:49And several people have also claimed that although their keys membership clearly entitled them to holidays in accommodation that slept
09:58eight people, which was what they enjoyed for the first 16 years.
10:03Now Seasons is telling them that they can only book properties that sleep too.
10:08And it's not just us hearing about these problems.
10:11Over 30 MPs have responded to Seasons customers in their constituencies asking for help.
10:17Many want out. So where do they stand?
10:22To help answer that, Katie is with us now in our Salford HQ.
10:26And I'm also joined via video call by Chris Emmons, who's a campaigner from the investigatory firm Quick Checks, which
10:33supports people with their complaints against timeshare companies, including some of those Katie has spoken to.
10:41Chris, you've been on this programme before talking about timeshares, but how is this so-called keys membership different?
10:47Well, I think firstly, the description maybe confuses people into thinking that you actually have a fraction of a property.
10:56You don't.
10:57With this type of product, you have no property rights, no title deeds or anything like that.
11:04So you can't influence how the property is sold. It's still essentially owned by Seasons holidays.
11:09I think we're helping around about 137 people, as I recall, currently that have issues with the Seasons.
11:16And they've become more and more disheartened about it, more and more confused, I think, about the product.
11:21And actually, I think the most recent circumstances have left them pretty devastated.
11:27People that have pushed back on this by using social media to complain and indeed people that have asked if
11:36they can record sales meetings,
11:38they've been banned from using their products.
11:41They can't go on holiday.
11:42But perhaps even more so are cases where people have been actually evicted from their holidays.
11:48I think that is an extraordinary set of circumstances.
11:52Well, it's only fair to point out, Chris, that you've got a financial interest yourself in pursuing claims against Seasons.
11:59So just for the sake of transparency, how do you actually make your money?
12:03Well, in the case of something like Seasons, what we ask somebody to do is to make a contribution towards
12:09our investigative costs
12:11and the cost of collating evidence, presenting it to authorities, et cetera.
12:15So it's not a profiteering exercise in any shape or form.
12:19And in the case of Seasons, we charge £600 per case to do that.
12:24Seasons itself says they're actually spreading misinformation about the firm.
12:28What's your response to that?
12:29I think, firstly, I'd like just to clarify that Quick Checks is not a claims company, not a claims management
12:35company.
12:35We're actually an investigative company and one that helps with advocacy.
12:41And I would also point out that we are accredited with trading standards.
12:46We're vetted and approved.
12:47So, you know, I totally refute the idea of this misinformation.
12:51Chris, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
12:53And on the subject of investigation, Katie, to you, because you've been doing a lot of investigating into this
13:00and speaking to a lot of people who've dealt with Seasons.
13:03And what more have they been telling you?
13:06Everyone I spoke to was unanimous on the point that the Keys membership was sold to them as an investment.
13:13And there was no two ways about that.
13:15In fact, one person I spoke to said that when they tried to upgrade her to Keys,
13:20the way they were selling it as a no-brainer investment opportunity was exactly what got alarm bells ringing
13:27and made her want to steer clear of it.
13:29And since 2011, it's been illegal for timeshare products to be sold as an investment under the timeshare regulations.
13:37But many Keys memberships were sold before that point.
13:41It's important to note there's nothing in any of the contracts I have seen that refers to Keys membership as
13:47a financial investment.
13:49And Seasons does say elsewhere in another slideshow that property values may fall as well as rise.
13:56But that is only mentioned once within a document of 59 slides.
14:01And elsewhere in the same document, it also says this.
14:05So this is if people were wondering, well, you know, is there a chance that it doesn't appreciate in value
14:11after the 16 years?
14:12And what Seasons say on that point is this is something that has never happened before.
14:16So as a potential investor, that is going to fill you with so much confidence that this is a great
14:22financial opportunity for you.
14:24And is it true?
14:25Well, Seasons told us it does not and has never viewed its Keys product as an investment in anything other
14:32than holidays.
14:34But people have told me that it was sold to them as a totally flexible package.
14:38And what you would expect at the end is at least a return on the investment.
14:42So one person said they paid £12,000.
14:44They expected at least that amount back after the 16 years.
14:48Another couple told me it was strongly emphasised in the sales meeting that the property would increase in value.
14:54So when they put in £17,000 in 2010, they hoped that they were going to get at least twice
15:00that amount back.
15:01What they were actually offered at the end was £6,000.
15:05And as one person put it to me, none of us are stupid.
15:08Our only error is that we believed what we were told.
15:11Listening into all that was solicitor Gary Rycroft.
15:15And he joins us down the line now from his office in Lancaster.
15:19Gary, Seasons themselves say it's not an investment, but customers say that's exactly how they were made to understand it
15:26legally.
15:27Where does this leave them?
15:29Well, from a legal point of view, how someone selling a product actually describes it is obviously very important.
15:36But it's also important how a product is presented and understood by the potential customers.
15:46Now, every case does turn on its facts, but I certainly think there's a legal grey area here in terms
15:52of the disconnect between what Seasons are saying they were selling and what their customers are saying they believe they
16:00were buying.
16:00Well, we've also been hearing from unhappy customers who were prevented from recording meetings with Seasons for their own records.
16:09What are your rights about something like that?
16:12I mean, there's no general law that says you have a right to record a meeting and they can obviously
16:18ask, but a business is completely within their rights to actually say, no, we don't want that meeting to be
16:24recorded.
16:25And if you did go on and record the meeting in secret, then that would be a potential breach of
16:29that business's data.
16:31But I've got to say, putting aside the law, I would always say to people, when you go into any
16:36meeting where you're discussing buying a product or service, keep notes and actually follow up in writing afterwards.
16:43Send an email to just confirm what you were told, because that therefore serves as a record and it might
16:51serve as very useful evidence later.
16:52That's very good advice. Thank you, Gary, for that. And thank you, Katie, for all your investigation, too.
16:59When we spoke to Seasons, it reiterated that it has never marketed the Keyes products as an investment, that profit
17:06is not promoted as a reason to buy the product, and that its marketing literature carried very heavy emphasis on
17:13the savings and maintenance charges and how Keyes could reduce the overall cost of holidays.
17:19Seasons told us Margaret and Alan do not own any share in the property and have no right to any
17:24income from it.
17:25Adding that the contract refers to the purchase of rights of occupation of allocated time.
17:32Seasons said that the £34,000 that Margaret and Alan had spent on Keyes membership made the average cost of
17:39their holidays over 16 years £808 per week.
17:44Seasons also told us it had never intended nor given any assurance that it would buy back properties and admitted
17:52that sales at Brunston Castle have proved challenging.
17:55But insisted that it has kept members updated on the progress, albeit not with the news that members may wish
18:02to hear.
18:04Seasons explained that a potential sale of the whole resort fell through, so it's now marketing units individually and the
18:10first sale has now completed.
18:13Seasons explained that sale proceeds are held by a trustee on behalf of the members until distributed.
18:20Seasons stressed that it has chosen not to charge maintenance charges to any customers who have reached the end of
18:26the initial 16 year period.
18:28It fully denies downgrading members who choose not to exit their membership, explaining that they enter a new contract for
18:36the same holiday and accommodation allowance as the old one and any issues have been down to a lack of
18:41availability.
18:43Seasons said sales representatives are within their rights to refuse requests to record meetings and that Seasons is entitled to
18:51suspend and then revoke a member's license to occupy if they breach the terms of the contract by, for example,
18:59posting inaccurate or disparaging comments online or encouraging and promoting action to harm Seasons' business.
19:08Well, just as we were about to go on air with the programme, we had word from Margaret and Alan
19:13that Seasons has confirmed the sale of a property at Brunston Castle and has agreed to pay them a £10
19:19,300 share of the proceeds.
19:21A result with which Margaret says they are very happy.
19:29The advice clinic is on the road, bringing the best consumer advice.
19:33The law says when you buy something, it's got to be fit for purpose.
19:38And they were lying to you throughout.
19:40To you.
19:44Whatever your problem is, we have an expert who can help you.
19:48And today we're in Reading, where the UK's most famous travel journalist, Simon Calder, is here to help with some
19:55tricky travel troubles.
19:57We've set up shop at the headquarters of BBC Berkshire, where Amanda and Peter Redden from Fairham in Hampshire are
20:05hoping Simon can solve their problem.
20:07It arose in October 2025 when what should have been a sun-soaked sojourn in the Caribbean to celebrate granddaughter
20:15Tiana's 16th birthday ended in disappointment.
20:20We do like beaches and swimming in the sea.
20:23That's why we chose the Caribbean and then it was Jamaica.
20:30We love the outdoors and we thought it would be an ideal holiday site for us.
20:36We did a little bit of research because it was right at the end of the hurricane season.
20:41So we were expecting some rain, you know, tropical showers, maybe a bit of wind and things like that.
20:49The holiday package was booked with TUI and cost £6,000.
20:55But on the 23rd of October, the day before they were due to fly, Amanda heard some worrying news.
21:02They were already predicting that it was going to be quite a strong hurricane at that time.
21:11And we thought, should we really putting ourselves in this sort of situation?
21:15You know, potentially in a life-threatening situation.
21:17With concerns mounting about their safety, Amanda called TUI, but its response took her by surprise.
21:25The gentleman on the phone come back to me and said to me,
21:28we've just rung Jamaica, it's 82 degrees and sunny there.
21:31There's no sight of any weather.
21:35And he basically said, there is no options, it's up to you.
21:38If you decide that you don't want to go, it will be full loss of your holiday money.
21:43Because as far as we're concerned, there's not a problem.
21:46Amanda says TUI did offer to provide support in the event that they arrived in Jamaica and needed help.
21:53But after taking further time to think things over, the family decided not to travel.
21:59When we made the decision not to go, we actually felt quite disappointed.
22:04But we just felt that it just was not worth the risk.
22:08It was a threat to life.
22:10The flight they should have been on did depart as planned, but Jamaican airports were closed the next day,
22:17and the hurricane made landfall just three days later.
22:22But the family's decision not to travel would be an expensive one.
22:27TUI refused to refund the £6,000 cost of the trip.
22:31They were not prepared to listen to us.
22:34They're not prepared to take our concerns into any consideration.
22:38I thought it was all about, it seemed to be about sort of money, and not about the compassion of,
22:42you know, people.
22:45With no sign of TUI changing its mind, the couple have come to Reading to get Simon's advice.
22:51Amanda and Peter, welcome.
22:53Did TUI at any stage say, yeah, we can understand your concerns and we've got another holiday here you might
23:00want to consider instead?
23:01No.
23:02They just weren't budging at all.
23:04I said we would go somewhere else, we'd move it to another time, we'd take vouchers.
23:09You know, I wasn't just wanting my money back, I just wanted another option.
23:13It was basically go or lose your money.
23:16Of course, we now know very tragically what happened.
23:20I think it's one of the four biggest storms of all time on record, and sadly more than 100 people
23:28lost their lives.
23:29I'm sure people watching will be perhaps reacting the same as me, which was that clearly you did exactly the
23:36right thing.
23:37It was a devastating time for the local people on the island, but also very tricky for travellers and for
23:43holiday companies.
23:44When TUI refused to issue a refund, it suggested the family could claim on their travel insurance.
23:51I contacted my insurance company, told them, and they said to me, no, it's TUI because the flight took off.
23:58The fact that you didn't get off on the flight was your choice.
24:01I'd be inclined to have another word with your insurer and just say, look, it doesn't seem appropriate.
24:11We believe that this was an unforeseen event that should cover us.
24:15If they say no, then they will probably send something called a final response letter, which basically just means that's
24:24our position.
24:24We're not budging.
24:25At that point, you can go to the financial ombudsman scheme, which looks into cases of travel insurance where the
24:33company says we're not paying out.
24:35And actually, they are very good and thorough at investigating.
24:40If that doesn't work, then one more thought.
24:44Of course, TUI, a member of ABTA, the Travel Association, they've got an arbitration scheme.
24:50It might be that an arbitrator would say, yeah, that looks unfair and you could get some money back.
24:56However, I need to warn you that it will cost you £150 to begin the arbitration process.
25:03And it could turn out to be throwing good money after bad.
25:06Yeah.
25:07It's worth a try now, isn't it?
25:08Yeah, definitely.
25:09Yeah.
25:10That's very helpful.
25:12When we contacted TUI about Amanda and Peter's case, it said its decision was based on official advice from the
25:20Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office,
25:22which at the time of their flight had not issued any guidance advising against travel to Jamaica.
25:28As a result, the holiday fell under TUI's standard booking terms and conditions, meaning no refund.
25:38Following filming, Peter and Amanda did as Simon suggested.
25:43But when they contacted TUI, their insurer and their credit card company again, none would budge on their original position.
25:50And given the £150 fee for arbitration, the couple have decided not to proceed.
26:00I have to say, Simon, that my heart goes out to Amanda and Peter.
26:03Yes, if it is clear that there is going to be a meteorological disaster happening, then clearly, well, I think
26:11they made the right decision.
26:13But if you don't want to be in that invidious position, then I'm afraid, well, I need to say that
26:18there is a hurricane season in the Caribbean.
26:20So during that time, roughly from June to November, you are not guaranteed calm weather.
26:26Well, it's time now to grill Rob Staines on more of your travel problems.
26:31So Rob, this comes from Rachel Ellis, who lives in Buckinghamshire, and she sent us this message.
26:36So have a look at the screen.
26:37We booked a honeymoon to Barbados.
26:41It was a four star hotel.
26:42And unfortunately, it was nothing like it was advertised.
26:47We had no hot water for the whole time we were there.
26:49And the pool was completely unusable amongst lots of other issues.
26:54We've reached out and have heard nothing back.
26:57And other people have received £700 compensation.
27:03We don't understand why we've not been treated the same.
27:06And we feel that we've been treated really unfairly.
27:08What do we do?
27:09How can we get the compensation?
27:11Not the way you want your holiday to go, is it?
27:13Absolutely not.
27:14And that is really unfair.
27:16You know, if you book something, it should be delivered as advertised.
27:20If you book your holiday as a package holiday,
27:23you have greater protections under the package travel regulations.
27:28So if you book your flight and your hotel together and it isn't as advertised,
27:33then the holiday firm must either find an alternative for you at no extra cost.
27:39They might actually give you a full or partial refund depending on the circumstances.
27:43They can actually give you compensation.
27:45But also, you could go to your credit card company
27:48and you could also go to your travel insurance provider.
27:51However you are complaining with this, you are probably going to get asked for evidence
27:55as to why it wasn't as advertised.
27:57So document everything.
27:59Take pictures.
28:00Take videos.
28:01Get every conversation in writing because also that's time stamped as well.
28:05And also keep receipts of any extra costs that you've incurred.
28:08Thank you very much.
28:09Well, now to package holidays.
28:11And if there's one piece of advice we hear a lot of in our holiday episodes,
28:16it's that a package provides better protection than booking separately if things go wrong.
28:21And here in Rip Up Britain, of course, we're rather used to things going wrong.
28:25So we asked Harry Kind to put together a handy guide for exactly those situations.
28:32Rip Up Britain expert Harry Kind is on a mission to keep more money in your pocket.
28:37And these are his handy how-to guides.
28:43When I go on holiday, I'm always sure to pack my...
28:46Ah!
28:48Screenshots.
28:50Why?
28:51Well, I'm Harry Kind, the everyday expert, and this is my guide on how to complain about
28:55a package holiday gone wrong.
28:58First things first, is your holiday definitely a package holiday?
29:01If you buy two or more travel services like flights, accommodation or transfers
29:06from the same company in a single transaction, then you've booked a package.
29:11The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations of 2018
29:15put the responsibility on the holiday company that you booked for,
29:19for making sure that you get what you pay for.
29:21That means that they can't pass the buck to the hotel or airline.
29:25You book with the provider, they have to sort any problems.
29:30This is why I always pack my screenshots.
29:33I can have a record of what I was promised and what didn't live up to expectations.
29:37You paid for a C view, not a C- view.
29:41You paid for a pool, not a puddle.
29:43You paid for high-end cocktails, not a can of gin and tonic.
29:48If things have fallen short of expectations, then speak to the holiday rep.
29:52Give them an opportunity to put things right.
29:54If they don't resolve the issue, now's the time to start collecting
29:57evidential souvenirs, such as photos and videos of any problems,
30:02receipts of out-of-pocket expenses,
30:05contact details from other guests who can back up your account,
30:08diary of events, email chains between you and the companies involved.
30:12Take all of this to your travel agent and make a complaint.
30:15There are plenty of template complaint letters online that can help.
30:19Ideally, do this while you're still on holiday.
30:22Or at the very latest, 28 days after getting back.
30:28If the holiday company doesn't give you the resolution that you want,
30:30you can always escalate to ABTA, the trade body for travel agencies.
30:34This is why you should always confirm that your package holiday
30:37is sold by an ABTA Protector Provider.
30:40They can take you through their Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme,
30:43or ADR, which brings you and the travel agent together to find a way forward.
30:48Be warned, though, this can take up to 50 days.
30:51If you're still getting nowhere, now you have three main options.
30:54Small Claims Court, Stage 2 Arbitration and Section 75.
30:59You could take the travel agent to Small Claims Court to get what you're owed.
31:02In England and Wales, the maximum you can claim is £10,000,
31:05whereas in Scotland and Northern Ireland, that's just £5,000.
31:09In England and Wales, it'll cost from £35 to £455,
31:13depending on the amount you're claiming.
31:15And in Northern Ireland, it's between £49 and £244.
31:19And in Scotland, it's £23 if your claim is £300 or less,
31:23and £127 if it's more.
31:26Phew.
31:27You could continue to Stage 2 Arbitration with APTA,
31:30essentially a privately adjudicated alternative to court.
31:34And at £150, it's cheaper than the legal system.
31:37But be warned, that decision is then final,
31:39and it would be very difficult to pursue an alternative outcome
31:43through the court system.
31:46Finally, one of the simpler options would be to rely on the Section 75 protection
31:49you get when you book a holiday through a credit card.
31:53You did use a credit card, right?
31:55Even if you used a debit card, you can use Chargeback.
31:58It's not legally binding, and there is a time limit,
32:00but it still gives you similar protection.
32:02But keep on your toes.
32:04More and more holiday providers are offering something called Pay By Bank.
32:08It's very convenient, but it doesn't have the same protections
32:11that a credit or debit card has.
32:12So, proceed with caution.
32:15Most of us go on holiday to get away from the day-to-day complaints.
32:19But it never hurts to be prepared.
32:23Now, where did I put the sunscreen?
32:27And now, sticking to the theme of package holidays,
32:30to a name that will be familiar to many,
32:32and not just because Harry just mentioned it in his how-to guide.
32:36I'm talking about ABTA,
32:38which for generations has given millions of people
32:41the peace of mind of extra protection when they go away.
32:44But as with many things in the travel industry,
32:47COVID stretched it to the limit,
32:48causing some travel operators to just walk away from the scheme.
32:52But one of those firms has now changed its mind and is back in ABTA.
32:56And shortly, I'll be finding out whether this signals
32:59a new golden age for the 75-year-old organisation.
33:03But first, here's how we covered what could be described
33:06as its anus horribilis.
33:102020 was a year when, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic,
33:14our foreign holidays never really got off the ground.
33:17The sudden return of quarantine...
33:20Several airlines stopping all flights...
33:22People scrambling to get back...
33:23Tens of thousands of holidays were disrupted.
33:27During that period, many holidaymakers turned to ABTA for help.
33:31Its membership scheme for travel operators spells out a code of conduct
33:36that boosts protection for travellers when things go wrong.
33:39And for keen cyclist Philip Westcott from Carmarthenshire,
33:43those four little letters were a must-have when booking his holiday.
33:49When we book a holiday, we search for ABTA membership
33:53because that gives us peace of mind and satisfaction.
33:58So Phil and his wife Janet chose ABTA member Love Holidays
34:03when in February 2020, they booked an eight-day trip to Tenerife
34:06to travel a month later in March.
34:10They were an online company which we hadn't had any experience of before.
34:16But the ABTA membership gave us confidence and we booked the holiday.
34:24But their faith in Love Holidays would turn out to be misplaced
34:27when the firm sent them incorrect information about a change to their return flights.
34:33They had to fork out 350 euros on new flights to get home.
34:37But when Love Holidays refused to reimburse them, Phil wrote to ABTA
34:42explaining what had happened.
34:43But it was unable to persuade Love Holidays to reimburse the couple.
34:48You quickly begin to question the effectiveness of the trade body
34:55and if they can't get an update from their members,
34:59then us as the consumer, we've got no chance.
35:03Then while Phil and Janet were considering whether to escalate the dispute,
35:08Love Holidays withdrew from ABTA altogether.
35:10Oh, how did we feel? Frustration, powerlessness, anger.
35:17Er, what's the good of being a member of a trade body if you think,
35:22oh, it's too much work, it's not working in my favour,
35:25I leave and just, er, walk away from it.
35:29So, er, yeah, wow.
35:32By this point it was September 2020.
35:35And if you can bear to cast your mind back,
35:37you remember that amid, eat out to help out,
35:41the rule of six and endless Zoom calls,
35:43thousands of people also waiting for reluctant travel operators
35:46to refund them for flights they couldn't take
35:49because of foreign office travel advice.
35:52ABTA instructed all its members to stop messing around
35:55and reimburse customers.
35:57Love Holidays disagreed and resigned its membership just two days.
36:01after another online travel agent on the beach had done the same,
36:06as Nina Rowe from Peterborough discovered.
36:08A £4,000 family holiday to Malta, also in 2020, had to be called off.
36:14My dad's probably 80 next year, so for him the risk is really quite high.
36:19So it just wasn't safe for us as a family to go at this time.
36:24On the beach told her it would not refund the £1,300 cost of the flights
36:29as they were still going ahead.
36:31When her credit card and travel insurance also refused to reimburse her,
36:36Nina turned to ABTA.
36:37And ten days later, On the Beach quit the organisation.
36:42I was actually quite angry that On the Beach
36:46have been allowed to withdraw their membership
36:49in order not to actually pay their customers what they are due.
36:53But I was also quite angry with ABTA for the fact that they were a member
36:59at the time we booked the holiday.
37:01At the time, Love Holidays blamed the problems Phil suffered on a high volume
37:06of flight cancellations and changes caused by the pandemic,
37:09and issued him a full refund and a suggestion of goodwill covered all the extra costs he incurred.
37:15As for On the Beach, it said it was unable to refund customers when a flight went ahead,
37:21as funds are transferred to airlines immediately upon booking.
37:25Something is said was made clear to anyone who decided to cancel.
37:30ABTA, meanwhile, said it was unable to help, since both companies had left the organisation.
37:38Thankfully, the travel chaos caused by the pandemic is now a distant memory,
37:43and so it seems is the falling out between ABTA and On the Beach,
37:47because in December 2025, it rejoined the travel association.
37:53But what does that mean for anyone looking to book a holiday?
37:56Well, to answer that question, I'm joined now in our Salford HQ by Sean Tipton from ABTA,
38:02and to get his take, Simon Calder is back with us again.
38:06Obviously, I'll come to you both very soon,
38:09but I quickly want to turn to the two firms mentioned in the film.
38:13On the Beach told us that it rejoined ABTA in December 2025
38:17because of the additional layer of reassurance it offered all its customers.
38:22But it stressed that when it wasn't a member,
38:25customers were financially protected through Atoll
38:28and its own Ring Fence Trust account.
38:31And Love Holidays, which has not rejoined,
38:34said its package trips were also covered by Atoll.
38:37The package travel regulations and its own secure trust account,
38:42as well as an alternate dispute resolution process.
38:46Now, before we talk about ABTA, Simon, I want to come to you first.
38:49I have heard you in this programme talking about both.
38:52And I just want you to remind us, really, what Atoll will bring us.
38:57OK, Atoll stands for the Air Travel Organiser's Licence.
39:02And can you believe it's over 50 years old?
39:05And it was a way to make sure that if you put your hard-earned money into a holiday
39:10and the company went bust, you get your money back.
39:13Its biggest use, I think, at the moment is just to signify
39:18you have brought a proper package holiday
39:21and that means those package travel regulations,
39:24which are really gold-plated consumer protection, are there to help you.
39:28Well, Sean, we've listed what Atoll can bring the customer.
39:31What does ABTA do?
39:33Well, we are a trade association. We're not a government body.
39:36And what it means, if you put with an ABTA tour operator,
39:39first of all, they have to follow our code of conduct,
39:41which covers all their legal obligations
39:43and goes further in some instances.
39:45And also, we do provide financial protection ourselves as well.
39:48Does your company, ABTA, does it have teeth so something goes wrong?
39:53You can actually take action. What can you do?
39:55Well, fundamentally, first of all, if we, once a problem is brought to our attention
39:59by a member of the public when they're going to use our ADR scheme,
40:02or go to arbitration, our staff will look at that
40:06and if they think it's a breach of the code of conduct,
40:08they'll pass it directly to the legal department to investigate it.
40:11If the company is found guilty, there are lots of different things we can do.
40:14It depends on the scale of the problem, really.
40:18Sometimes it could be just a simple foolish mistake
40:20with still a breach of the code. Get a rep from on. Don't do it again.
40:23Otherwise, you can get fined.
40:25But we can fine pretty much any amount we want to.
40:27There's no limit to that.
40:28And the most extreme thing we can do,
40:30which we've only had to do very, very rarely throughout our rather long history,
40:34is terminate somebody's membership.
40:35But we can do that if we need to.
40:37If you, for example, book a holiday with a company that is an ABTA member
40:41and then they leave that organisation,
40:44does that mean to say that the travel company can wriggle out of all their obligations?
40:49Well, no, of course not. And I wouldn't really use the word wriggle out of.
40:52But they're no longer bound by our code of conduct.
40:54But they still have all the other obligations they might have had under the law,
40:58under the package travel regulations, etc.
41:01On the beach, walk away. Did you ask him to come back or do they want to come back?
41:04Once somebody has resigned a membership, it's not something we don't say, off you go.
41:08We're more than happy for them to reapply.
41:10But when they reapply, they are treated as a totally new company.
41:14They have to go through exactly the same process as any other applicant.
41:18And you have to go through a number of basically checks, balances.
41:21And we don't let everybody in.
41:23But Simon, what's your reaction to people coming and going?
41:26Well, in the rare case that this happens,
41:29I'm very indignant about the fact that I might buy a trip from an ABTA member
41:35and then suddenly find, before I take the holiday, that the company is no longer a member of ABTA
41:41because I kind of would think that would be an element of the contract I have with them.
41:46And it sounds as though the company, which is leaving and then rejoining,
41:50is kind of having it both ways to the consumer's detriment.
41:55Now, if you want to complain to ABTA about one of its members,
41:58you can submit a dispute through its website.
42:00It's ABTA.com.
42:03So, Sean, I'd like to thank you very much for coming in.
42:05And, of course, Simon, as always, great to see you on the programme.
42:08Thank you both.
42:11If you've got a problem and you think our team can help,
42:13there are lots of ways you can get in touch.
42:15You can email us at ripoffbritain at bbc.co.uk
42:20Or send us a WhatsApp message to 0330 678 1321.
42:27We're also on Facebook.
42:28Just search for BBC Ripoff Britain.
42:31Or you can always write a letter.
42:33The address is ripoffbritain, BBC Media City UK, Salford, M50 2LH.
42:41Please include your phone number if you can.
42:43And don't send us any original documents because, sadly, we won't be able to return them.
42:53Well, I'm afraid we're almost out of time, but if you've missed anything we've talked about today,
42:57from your rights, if you're worried about extreme weather in your destination,
43:01to how to complain about a holiday company,
43:04then you can catch up on this programme and many more on BBC iPlayer.
43:08But for today, though, may I just say thank you so much for being with us.
43:11And from everybody on the Ripoff Britain team, bye-bye.
43:14Goodbye.
43:14Whoo-bye.
43:16Bye-bye.
43:20Bye-bye.
Comments