‘My trip to Auschwitz got changed and I couldn’t go, but the company will not refund me. What can I do?’
Every Tuesday we get an expert to answer your financial problems or consumer disputes. WhatsApp us here or email [email protected]. Today’s problem is…
Prior to my trip to Krakow in November, I booked a trip to Auschwitz through a company called GetYourGuide. The trip was scheduled for a pickup at 12pm. According to GetYourGuide’s terms and conditions, we had the flexibility to cancel up to 24 hours before the trip’s start and even change the time to any time between 6am and 1.30pm. On the day before our trip, outside the 24-hour cancellation window, GetYourGuide unexpectedly changed the trips start time to 5.40am, which was unacceptable to us. Despite our efforts to rectify the situation, GetYourGuide has refused to provide a refund. At this point, I am at a loss for what else to do to recover the £72.20 refund.
Ange
Our Money live reporter Jess Sharp tackled this one, with the help of consumer expert Scott Dixon from The Complaints Resolver.
Upon first inspection, this seemed like a glaringly obvious mistake by GetYourGuide and it turned out we were right.
While the travel activities company declined to provide an official statement, it did tell us in a phone call that it had issued Ange a full refund after we brought the problem to the attention of its customer care team.
The issue was the tour guide had changed the terms of the trip after Ange had booked.
The original details stated the operator could change the pick-up to any time between 6am and 1.30pm – but the new details stated it could be changed to any time between 5.30am and 1.30pm.
Obviously, these were not the terms Ange had agreed to.
“She booked the trip with a pick-up time of 12pm, which was changed with less than 24 hours’ notice to 5.30am, which is unreasonable and a significant change to the agreed booking,” Dixon said.
“This also falls outside the agreed parameters in the agreed booking for a pick-up time change to anything between 6am – 1.30pm, which is a breach of contract by GetYourGuide.
“Ange could not comply with the terms and conditions to cancel and secure a full refund, as GetYourGuide made it impossible to comply with their policy.”
He said the company should have offered an alternative date or a refund.
Luckily, we managed to help Ange get her money back but what could she have done if that wasn’t the case?
Dixon said she could have contacted GetYourGuide again with proof to support her case, citing a breach of contract and policy.
If that failed, the next option would have been to raise a chargeback to reverse and dispute the transaction.
“You have up to 120 days from the date of purchase to raise a chargeback,” Dixon said.
“Make it easy for your bank or credit card provider to understand your case by giving them all the evidence they need to support your claim, and highlight the paragraph on GetYourGuide’s terms and conditions for changes and cancellations.
“You need to push hard on chargebacks and cite ‘breach of contract’ by GetYourGuide, as chargebacks are often rejected on the first attempt.”
If a chargeback is rejected, Dixon said the next step is to ask for a deadlock letter, which can be used to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service for review.
In the future, he suggested doing research, planning ahead and booking directly with local tour guide companies could help avoid high transaction and commission fees and provide better customer support.
“It’s much easier to resolve issues if you have a direct contract with a service provider and you are more likely to enjoy a seamless experience,” he said.
“It’s also worth considering booking a package holiday with excursions provided by the travel company, as The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 would give you additional protection if any issues arise with booked excursions and a clear right of redress with the travel company.
“Always try and pay at least a deposit by credit card for additional S75 Consumer Credit Act 1974 protection for bookings costing more than £100.”
This feature is not intended as financial advice – the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:
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- Email [email protected] with the subject line “Money Problem”
