Last November, I paid a deposit of £800 to TUI for a holiday to the Costa del Sol for me, my wife and our daughter and granddaughter.
Tragically, at the end of December, our daughter, 56, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which mean she would be unable to travel.
Shortly afterwards, I requested a refund of the deposit from our travel agent as there is no way we will be able to go as we are in our 80s and don’t travel unaccompanied. The agent said deposits weren’t usually refunded but they would make a request because of our circumstances. Medical evidence was provided but they were not successful. Please help.
T.M., Craigavon, Northern Ireland
Sally Hamilton replies: I was sad to hear about your situation but sadder still when I spoke to you, as since writing to me, your daughter had died.
I felt determined to help get back your deposit, especially as the trip you had booked was for May – five months after you had requested cancellation. Surely that was long enough for Tui to resell the holiday.
Tui has a department dealing with customers facing exceptional circumstances, and I felt your situation fitted the category. I asked Tui if it could see its way to handing back your money.
Your £800 deposit had already been used to pay easyJet, Tui’s airline partner, for the flights element of your package. Tui had apparently approached the airline regarding a refund but had heard nothing back.
Once I contacted Tui for you, it swiftly agreed to cancel the holiday and return your money via your travel agent at no cost.
At first only you and your wife’s £400 share of the deposit was returned but on my second intervention the remaining £400 was refunded. You were very grateful.
Under its terms and conditions Tui did not have to hand back the deposit but thankfully it took into account your tragic circumstances.
You told me you considered taking out travel insurance, but the quotes you received far exceeded the size of the deposit. I can understand the dilemma but would urge readers to always take cover out to protect themselves against unforeseen circumstances as holiday firms may not always be so understanding.
I had a current account with Santander Bank but decided to move to Barclays when I saw its adverts offering £175 within 28 days if I switched.
I did everything requested by Barclays to qualify for the incentive, including downloading the bank’s app, transferring my direct debits, arranging to pay in £800 each month and signing up for the bank’s rewards scheme at £5 a month.
All this was completed by July 24. I waited patiently for my bonus. And I’m still waiting, 42 days later. Customer service keeps fobbing me off. I am annoyed by the lack of customer care – and lack of bonus – and now regret switching. Please help.
H.D., Banbury, Oxon
Sally Hamilton replies: Competition between banks is rife and all are keen to snap up customers like you. That is because once a bank has signed up a current account customer, they can sell them all kinds of extras from credit cards and personal loans to insurance and savings bonds.
Periodic cashback deals like the one you saw are designed to tempt people to switch. Such deals come and go, so customers usually need to act quickly if they want to secure a particular offer. The Barclays incentive ended on August 30, for example.
Providers currently offering a cash perk include First Direct, which promises to pay £175 to switchers who haven’t been a customer previously and who meet certain conditions; and Nationwide, also offering £175, which asks customers to deposit £1,000 within 31 days of opening the account.
Now Lloyds Bank is offering £200 to those moving 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 programme at £5 a month, as well as transfer a number of direct debits. Anyone applying who previously held a Barclays account that wasn’t closed before July 8 this year was not eligible.
You thought you had jumped through all the hoops. Switching is meant to be hassle-free since the introduction 11 years ago of the current account switch service so I couldn’t see what was causing the hold up.
The account switch service is where the new bank takes control of moving everything over, such as direct debits, and arranges to shut the old account. The new bank needs the green light from the existing provider to do this. Once the transfer date is agreed, the operation should take seven working days and banks guarantee to put things right if there are glitches with direct debits or other payments and receipts.
I asked Barclays to flick the switch on your transfer and hand over your £175 bonus.
Barclays eventually found your transfer had hit problems because your name had previously been on a joint account with the bank. As the account was still active, it seemed you were not eligible for the offer – even though you had been removed from it some time ago.
Following my intervention, the error was finally rectified and £175 was added to your new account on September 5, along with an extra £100 as an apology for the inconvenience.
A Barclays spokesman says: ‘We are sorry for the delay our customer experienced receiving their switcher bonus. We have corrected this, and the money is in their account.’
Scam Watch
Households should beware a scam email impersonating streaming service Disney+, consumer website Which? warns.
Fraudsters catch victims’ attention by stating 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.
Tricksters claim Disney+ services will be stopped if you don’t do this within two days.
Do not click on 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. Its mechanic couldn’t start the car so arranged for 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 ‘escalate’ the matter so I arranged alternative recovery as I had been stranded for almost six hours.
F.J., Lancashire.
RAC apologises and says you made your own arrangements shortly before its truck arrived. It has refunded your membership fee for this year.
We flew to Barcelona with British Airways in May. Our luggage went missing along with six other couples’. Everyone else was reunited with their luggage when we docked at Palma but we are still waiting for ours three months later.
E.S., Cheshire.
British Airways is unable to locate your missing bag. It apologises and will pay your expenses as well as compensation.
I cancelled a credit card in 2007 but recently discovered it was not cancelled and I’ve paid annual fees for the past 17 years – in total around £2,400. I’ve also been told new cards were sent to my old address when older ones expired. I’m worried it has affected my credit rating.
M.H., London.
The bank apologises and will refund you £1,000. It has not affected your credit score.
In July I visited a Premier Inn in Newquay to celebrate my wedding anniversary but there were works right outside our window. We had no view and had to close our curtains. Premier Inn refuses to refund us as there’s a sentence on its website stating building work was taking place nearby.
M.H., via email.
Premier Inn says the works were external and out of their control but has offered you £150 as a gesture of goodwill.
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