Holidaymaker ordered to pay Thomson thousands for bogus sickness claim
A British holidaymaker has been ordered to pay £25,000 to Thomson after she lied about getting sick while on an all-inclusive holiday to Egypt to claim compensation from the operator.
A court found that Amy Hughes from Holyhead in North Wales had been ‘fundamentally dishonest’ and told her to pay Thomson’s costs.
Hughes submitted her claim for compensation two years after returning from her holiday in Sharm el Sheikh in July 2011. She claimed she had been ill while staying at the Iberotel Palace with two friends and insisted that she hadn’t eaten anywhere else.
A court was due to consider Hughes compensation claim in October 2016, but she dropped her claim at the last minute without any explanation.
However, while building its defence against her claim, Thomson found Hughes had eaten only a few breakfasts at the hotel and a friend confirmed to the operator that she had eaten Chinese food in the resort.
It decided it had enough evidence to pursue her through the courts for costs it had incurred building its defence.
A recorder at Wrexham County Court ordered that Mrs Hughes had been ‘fundamentally dishonest’ and must pay Thomson £25,000 by 4pm on October 6.
Thomson’s parent TUI said it was pursuing other customers over similar cases and is looking at making private prosecutions.
Managing director Nick Longman said: "This sends a clear message to anyone considering making a fraudulent or exaggerated claim, and it’s really important everyone fully understands there are consequences of doing so."
Earlier this month, a couple from Liverpool were ordered to pay £3,744 in costs to Thomas Cook after a court threw out their sickness claim.
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
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025