Travel firm cancelled my daughter’s trip to Magaluf with two days’ notice – but won’t refund £400… SALLY SORTS IT

I am writing to you on behalf of my 20-year-old daughter who booked a four-day holiday to Magaluf, Spain, with Sunseeker Travel Group for £400. 

She was asked to make an initial payment of just £1, then instalments of £25 a month.

The booking was for accommodation only, so she also had to arrange a flight for £250.

The trip was planned for July 6 to 10. However, on the evening of July 4 she received an email from the company cancelling the holiday, allegedly due to problems with the hotel. 

The email stated there would be no refund and only an offer of a weekend holiday next year. I tried to contact the company and its directors but had no luck. What can we do?

S.C., Manchester.

Left stranded: A holiday firm cancelled a 20-year-old’s trip tp Spain just two days before departure and refused to offer her a refund

Sally Hamilton replies: Your daughter’s tale of cancellation woe should act as a warning to the hordes (including me) who will shortly be turning their minds to booking a break to banish the winter blues.

I didn’t like the way your daughter had been treated and thought it a poor show that she was informed of her holiday cancellation with just over a day’s notice — and no proper explanation. 

Offering her a ‘weekender’ event a whole year later in its place was not acceptable in my view.

The contract was weighted entirely on the side of the provider, not the customer. You say that the terms and conditions warn that if a customer cancels then they cannot get a refund. 

However, there is no mention of what happens if the provider cancels on its customers.

I wanted to put my view to the company. But, like you, I struggled to make contact with Sunseeker Travel Group. This firm should not be confused with other holiday and yacht companies with similar names.

But before going further, I urged you to get your daughter to quickly raise a chargeback claim via her bank. This is a valuable protection for customers who feel they have been charged incorrectly for a service — or have not received the service they have paid for.

It can be used by anyone who has made their purchase with a credit or debit card. The chargeback process involves the customer’s bank requesting the money back from the company’s bank while the matter is investigated.

The rules mean that if the company did not agree with your daughter’s claim to have her £400 returned, then it could dispute this with Santander, with the bank reviewing the company’s evidence before deciding on the next step with the customer.

Santander told me that if after 45 days there was no response from Sunseeker Travel Group, then your daughter’s claim would be deemed successful. As it turned out, your daughter’s claim was greeted with stony silence by Sunseeker Travel Group, so I am happy to report it succeeded and she can keep her £400.

Unfortunately, she lost the cost of her flight because when disaster struck she did not think to cancel the seat and was, in industry parlance, a no-show.

Her experience is a reminder that holidaymakers have greater protection if they buy a holiday as a package (with accommodation and transportation purchased together). Look for ABTA and ATOL logos when making a booking. 

The protection these offer means a customer would usually receive a refund if a trip is cancelled by a company at the last minute or a firm goes bust. Travel insurance that includes cancellation cover is also a must.

I noticed last week that Sunseeker Travel Group is advertising for ‘guests’ to join similar events for next summer on its Magaluf Weekender website. This prompted me to take another look at its details at Companies House. These revealed that its accounts are overdue by six months, which is not a good sign.

In September, Companies House warned it would be compulsorily struck off within two months — unless an objection was received. 

The latest development is that there has been an objection, from whom I do not know, and the strike-off action has been suspended.

I tried once again to contact Sunseeker Travel Group for a comment on your daughter’s case and to find out why its accounts are delayed. I’m still waiting for a response.

Number plate firm’s driving me round the bend

When my husband died in 2021, I sold his car but retained his number plate and received the documentation from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

I considered putting the plate on my car, but with the increasing cost of living and higher fuel bills (especially as I am a 78-year-old pensioner living alone) I decided to sell the number plate in January and make some money on it.

In February I received an offer of £500 from Click4reg, which I accepted on the basis that it would sell the plate for me.

In March, I received a call informing me that it had a buyer and I was sent the official forms from the DVLA, which I duly signed, had witnessed, and returned to the company by registered post.

This was all completed by the end of March. Despite many emails and phone calls to them over many months, I have not received the money. I have been offered various excuses, including DVLA delays. I am desperate. Please help.

J. M., Cheshire.

Sally Hamilton replies: You were driven round the bend by this car plate firm and its constant promises to pay you.

What a poor way to treat any customer but particularly a widow who through straitened circumstances has been forced to sell a plate that held great sentimental value. 

A quick glance at Trustpilot reveals that customers of Click4Reg have mixed feelings about its service.

Though some relate happy experiences, just as many report waiting lengthy periods either for plates or for payments owed.

I contacted the company and asked it to put its foot down and get your payment processed pronto. 

Finally, a few days later your £500 payment landed in your account, with £25 added as an apology. But sadly it provided no further explanation for its stalling behaviour.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email [email protected] — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given. 

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk