ABTA steps in to resolve holiday sickness claims with new service
ABTA has launched a new, independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme for personal injury, including holiday sickness claims.
It claimed the conciliation service is a ‘simple and cost effective means for members and consumers to resolve claims up to £10,000.
ABTA said the independent ADR scheme offered travel companies and holidaymakers a means of resolving complaints without the need for costly and time-consuming court cases.
Administered by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, the ADR will make decisions within eight weeks, it said, and the process cuts out claims management companies, so holidaymakers will receive any payment in full.
ABTA said there had been a ‘dramatic rise’ in holiday sickness claims since a change to the law in 2013, which now account for nine in 10 personal injury complaints received by members, and it claimed they had become a ‘lucrative area’ for claims management firms.
The ADR is open to holidaymakers who have booked with an ABTA travel company and are unable to resolve their differences through the company’s complaints process.
The scheme is voluntary and both parties have to agree to use it. It involves disputes about an injury or sickness that the customer alleges was the fault of the company, or one of their suppliers if they had booked a package.
Simon Bunce, ABTA director of legal affairs, said: "ABTA has been successfully helping to resolve holiday complaints for over 40 years and we are delighted to be able to extend our complaints resolution to cover personal injury claims.
"The new ADR scheme means that people who have travelled with an ABTA tour operator can now access a straightforward, cost-effective and fair resolution service for personal injury claims without the need to go to court.
"This enables members to save on legal costs and holidaymakers to save time and sidestep claims firms that are likely to take a large slice of any award."
Personal injury claims have not previously been covered by ABTA’s ADR scheme.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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