Holiday deal proved to be a bad break
Q IT turned out to be a long haul for a holidaymaker when he booked flights to Prague. Mike K also snapped up the airline’s offer of a special three-night deal at a top hotel for £500.
However, the joy of bagging a bargain soon disappeared when he checked the hotel’s website and found he could have saved £200 by booking directly.
“I telephoned the airline immediately to cancel but was charged £80 for the service,” says Mike. He feels he has been short-changed twice, firstly by the offer’s promise, from what he took to be a trustworthy source, and secondly the cancellation fee, which did not allow for any cooling-off period.
A The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPR) prohibit commercial practices that mislead customers.
In Mike’s case, “it could be argued by stating that the consumer was being offered a ‘special rate’ this implies they are getting the cheapest deal, which wasn’t the case,” says consumer expert Which?.
Although there is no civil redress under CPR, if customers believe they have be shortchanged they should take the matter up with their local Trading Standards department.
Distance-selling rules (which cover mail-order and online shopping) do allow for cooling-off periods for some goods and services but there are plenty of situations that do not include the right to change your mind. Among those are accommodation, transport, catering and leisure services to be delivered on a specific date, such as travel, theatre tickets and hotel bookings.
Even though Mike paid £80 to cancel, he was still in pocket and, as Which? always advises, shop around first before committing your cash.
