No ‘ifs and buts’ over consumer protection
The sad demise of Super Break – and the misheld belief by many agents that their accommodation-only bookings were ABTA protected – has once again highlighted flaws in consumer protection. AITO chairman Derek Moore shares his views, and quotes the new Prime Minister…
"I have read with interest the fact that agents are complaining that ABTA did not make it clear that hotel-only bookings were not covered in the event of Super Break’s failure. That would be difficult for any trade association to do.
I would argue that Super Break should have done so itself via its booking conditions and via its sales team – but it’s a challenging message to explain clearly; it’s only when things go wrong that the relevance of 100% bonding becomes blindingly obvious.
It’s sad that it often takes a collapse – of an operator or an airline – to make people, both within and without the industry, realise the importance of the 100% bonded message. Perhaps it will now be clearer to agents and consumers why AITO emphasises that all holidays booked with an AITO operator are covered, even accommodation-only bookings.
One could rightly argue that Government should take action and revise its legislation. That is highly unlikely when it doesn’t enforce existing legislation which demands that non-EU companies selling holidays in the UK must comply with the Package Travel Regulations. It’s a case of let the buyer beware, unfortunately, in connection with issues that people don’t understand until the roof collapses on their head.
AITO has in the past lost potential members who did not want to bond such single-element holiday bookings, as AITO insists as a condition of membership despite such bonding going beyond current legislation. The unpalatable bottom line is that it costs money to offer full financial protection and, if some holidays seem to be cheaper than others, there is often a good reason – corner cutting.
Why does AITO persist in so doing? Simply so that agents – and consumers – know with total clarity that any AITO holiday is fully protected. There’s no confusion about this – or, as our current Prime Minister might say, there are no ifs and no buts."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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