Independent travel consumer expert featured by the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and the national press
I write the UK’s most established and comprehensive consumer rights and customer service blog by an individual, and regularly appear across the BBC, ITV, Channel 5, national newspapers and radio as a travel and consumer rights expert. This page brings together my expert guides, TV appearances and practical advice to help you research, book, save money on and complain about every aspect of travel and holidays.
Whether you’re a journalist looking for an experienced travel consumer rights expert, an event organiser seeking a speaker, or a consumer wanting trusted advice, you’ll find comprehensive resources here covering holidays, flights, hotels, travel insurance, rail travel, package holidays, refunds and complaints.
For more examples of my media work, biography and details of how to contact me for interviews, commentary or speaking engagements, visit my Media page.
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Saving money and complaining when booking a holiday
How best to complain about a holiday -The Package Travel & Linked Travel Arrangements 2018 rights.
Make sure your holiday in the sun doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket advice on how to book a holiday and your legal rights.
From enjoying free holidays to camping with a difference, lots of new fresh ways to save money when you want to take a break in the UK
Don’t get blue this Monday, get away from it all… Money bloggers look at lots of ways to beat the holiday companies and save money when booking holidays
When your hotel doesn’t match the description:
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Not got the holiday you booked? What to do story of gaining redress for a couple who were given a holiday completely different to the one they booked and paid for
What, no bacon and eggs? Do you know your consumer rights on holiday? Couple complained about no British food at a Greek hotel; — what are your rights?
@thecomplainingcow What are your rights when you don’t get the food you like on holiday? #Greece #Holiday #holidaycheertiktoktv #Travel #HolidayFood #ConsumerRights #ConsumerLaw
How to prevent problems when booking a holiday let (plus what to do when things go wrong) what to look for when booking a holiday let
How to prevent problems when booking a holiday let (plus what to do when things go wrong)
The essential knowhow regarding medical care when you book a holiday! all about health
Complaining when a company doesn’t keep to its guarantee
@thecomplainingcow Companies get complaints all the time. They pay out all the time the majority don’t hit the news. These are not newsworthy stories. It is just the people go to the Media. How to complain to a holiday company #Tui #Holiday #Travel #Complaint #5Star #DirtyHotel #CapeVerde
How to complain when booking a service based in the EU booking on a non UK but within EU site
How to save money on train travel various ways you can save on rail travel
Save and claim on train travel
Train information – ORR reports on improvements needed ORR asks the train sector to improve information giving on planned engineering works.
How to complain about hotels
How not to be ripped off by a hotel your rights when you have a bad stay
Rip Off Britain How to complain about hotels
Where there’s blame there’s a claim (even when there isn’t?) details on complaining about food poisoning real and fake.
Your rights when your hotel overbooks your rights and what to do.
The ultimate guide to complaining when eating out your rights when booking and eating out.
How to complain about food in restaurants, deliveries, take aways, and hotels! (and from stores!) links to various posts about food.
Package holidays, booking separately and your consumer rights
The Minimalist Guide to Complain your consumer rights, ATOL and ABTA.
Not got the holiday you booked? What to do good example of misrepresentation and not supplying what you paid for, getting nearly a full refund even when not an ABTA member!
@thecomplainingcow Make sure you know your consumer rights when you book and take your holiday. More on my website about your rights on holidays and other things. #Holidays #ABTA #Travel #TravelTips #adr
Change in holiday sold - your rights
How to Get an Extra 3 Hours on Your Holiday! story about transfers.
All you need to know about the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements 2018 all your rights.
How to get what you want from booking.com story of the saga getting a refund for Bella and Olivia when the hotel overbooked and they incurred extra costs. Featured on ITV Tonight 02/12/21.
Why you need travel insurance when you book a holiday! Outside of the UK whatever you do get insurance!
Travel insurance
Travel insurance complaints are up, says FOS what you need to know when taking out insurance
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Flight delays and your rights
Your rights on flights, delays and cancellations your questions answered.
What to do when your flight is delayed – the full guide all you need for complaining, your rights, what to do and how to do it.
How to get a refund from BA for non refundable seats story of helping a consumer get a refund from BA.
BBC Breakfast 5th August 2015 flight delays
Landing in court with Ryanair (what you need to know about airlines and ADR too!) Summer of 2018 and strikes what was/is happening and what you can do if Ryanair doesn’t pay up with warnings about the ADR process.
Your rights Ryanair strikes
What to do when your flight is delayed information regarding flight delays.
BA powercut debacle: Airline keeps passengers in the dark about their rights 2017 B/H over 70k passengers affected, article on the mis informationa and lack of information provided and what you should do.
ECJ ruling on flight delays: Consumer champion warns against third-party claim firms – do it yourself to get 100%
How to complain about holidays & flights
What to do when a travel company goes into administration
The journey ends – Malvern Group travel company goes under what you need to know about your rights when a holiday you are on or due to go on was booked through a company that has gone bust.
Monarch – Everything you need to know details about situation with airline going into administration.
Thomas Cook collapse – your rights on your holiday booking what you need to know when abroad or about to fly, your rights.
Other flight and Civil Aviation issues
BA flies in the face of consumer law and decency what to do if you bought your tickets before free food change and fly after the date comes into force!
Plane greedy – Are airlines holding families to ransom? – details on the main airlines and their charges including Ryanair which has mandatory charge, looking at inaction of regulatory body.
How to Win When EasyJet’s Customer Service Fails helping someone get refund when had to return early.
Flying in the face of poor customer service other things can go wrong with a flight, not getting what you paid for, poor customer service etc. Here’s a story and what you can do to get redress.
Monarch – Everything you need to know details about situation with airline going into administration.
I had to cancel business class flights to San Francisco but BA won’t refund my £386 to choose seats, what can I do? story of getting money back when points used.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gets new Chairman what is his experience in aviation?
Ryanair tops CAA refund complaints 2020 CAA failing to deal with Ryanair appropriately.
CAA launches consultation and tells no-one… consultation about Alternative Dispute Resolution but the CAA didn’t tell anyone.
More Ombudsman Omnishambles an investigation of the failures of the CAA in approving and monitoring ADR providers.
Various posts on Alternative Dispute Resolution including issues with AviationADR and the CAA investigations, reports and articles.
How to complain about other forms of travel
How to complain about train journeys (or the lack of them!) all you need to know to complain about cancellations and delays with train travel.
Rail your rights with cancellations and delays when rail companies say problem is weather related.
Your rights and how to complain about ferries and cruises.
All you need to know about complaining about car hire – how to prevent problems and what to do if you get them.
How to research and complain about car hire Which? finds prices coming down but need to be more careful when booking advice on how and how to complain.
Rail strikes: Your travel and refund rights your questions answered.
Train strikes your rights Jeremy Vine Channel 5
Morning Live Rail Strikes
How to complain about pot holes what you need to know to get compensation for damage or injury caused by pot holes.
How to complain about pot holes
BBC Breakfast National Pothole Day 15/01/23
Competition and Markets Authority, CAA and travel
CMA takes court action against rogue holiday traders legal action against Truly Holidays which owns Teletext holidays and Alpharooms.
Calls for test case to be taken against airlines to set precedent CMA drops case against BA and Ryanair as law not clear.
ADR – all about it for World Ombudsman Day
Other legal rights related to holiday and flight problems
Can I cancel my holiday due to war? Your travel refund rights
Holiday in Europe from Autumn 2024? Allow for delays…
How to ensure banks don’t break the Misrepresentation Act – regarding travel money and commission when taking money back.
Quick guide to lost luggage – your rights.
Passport problems – Another “Brexit benefit”? make sure your passport fits the new rules 2023
All you need to know about roaming charges your rights and what you can complain about.
How not to pay a charge made after transaction (and why!) not – template letter and further information for if you have been charged a fee after booking.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 for services relating to any purchase or service.
Your rights regarding a cancelled event.
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Further help for complaining effectively
5 top tips for complaining effectively
Top 20 Tips for complaining effectively
ceoemail.com for contact details for CEOs
How to claim refunds using credit and debit cards, Consumer Credit Act 1974
Using a credit card to protect your finances
Complaining on social media
Talking how to complain effectively on social media Morning Live
For more advice, tips, information and template letters covering holidays and more: GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS!
Want to get better at complaining? See 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer.
Save yourself time and effort finding the laws and wording a letter of complaint and download a template, fill in your details and get that redress.
Purchase downloadable templates to gain redress.
Holiday, flight and event complaint templates to get you redress for most situations, just fill in your details to get that redress.
7 Comments. Leave new
Good afternoon
This case may be of interest; I haven’t found anything similar on the Complaining Cow site.
Earlier this month I applied to “Optiontown” (a company based in the USA working “in partnership with Vietnam Airlines”) for a Premium Economy upgrade to an Economy flight from Hanoi to London – at (to quote the Airline/Optiontown website) a “nominal” fee and “a fraction of the normal price”. I gave my credit card details, but wasn’t informed we had been granted the upgrade until we checked in, nor have I at any stage been told its cost. On receipt of my credit card statement I found I had been charged £300 per person – meaning I paid 60% in total more (including my original booking cost) than the usual Premium Economy flight cost at this time in the season. Optiontown have refused any refund, on the basis that we got the upgrade.
It seems unfair and deceptive to hide the true cost of the upgrade. My Oxford English Dictionary tells me that “nominal” means “virtually nothing”, and at no stage did I authorise Optiontown to take £600 (for 2 people) from my credit card. I would not have tried to book the upgrade had the word “nominal” not been used in their advertisement. Should Optiontown be pressed further to give a refund? And/or might a claim against the credit card provider be an appropriate way forward?
Thanks for reading this.
Similar is on the site, however, EU or UK law would apply. In this instance you purchased an item outside of the EU so USA law applies. Obviously it is hard enough to keep on top of UK consumer law never mind USA! I would suggest that you contact your credit card company and ask their advice on partial refund under Section 75.
Many thanks for taking the time to respond. I’ve actually found on the Optiontown website that: “Outside of North America, our international operations are headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Our other group companies and offices are located in India, and United Kingdom…….”
With some of the company “headquartered” in Dublin, and other parts in the UK, might this make a difference to the approach I take – i.e. in relation to its obligations under EU law?
Yup see the relevant links above
[…] in the UK but is in the EU. A story regarding a company and gaining redress using EU law is here. All you need to know about booking/complaining about holidays/flights provides links to numerous other posts/information about holidays and […]
[…] All you need to know about booking/complaining about holidays/flights – various links to various laws, stories, legal rights etc. […]
[…] For information about your rights on holidays see All you need to know about booking/complaining about holidays/flights. […]