Sunsail compensation not accepted by customer who almost went to jail
The family of a retired doctor who almost went to jail in Thailand for unwittingly anchoring on coral on a sailing holiday have refused a compensation offer from the operator.
Sailing holidays specialist Sunsail had offered €3000 as a gesture of goodwill to 68-year-old retired doctor, who was arrested by Thai police in October while on holiday just off Phuket. His passport was confiscated and he had to pay around €5000 in fines, legal fees and other expenses.
His family claim the Sunsail manual for the area wasn’t clear enough and say Sunsail failed to provide support throughout his ordeal.
Sunsail has refused to accept that its guidance was unclear but made the goodwill offer to Dr Hubert Egloff, an experienced sailor, last week.
The sailing holiday specialist has since updated its guidance to customers for the coral reef off Racha Yai, an island south of Phuket.
But Dr Egloff’s family told TravelMole they would not be accepting the offer.
"It does not cover our financial costs, and it definitely does not cover the emotional and physical costs of undergoing such an experience, as well as the actual risk my dad was facing of being sent to prison in Thailand," said his daughter Gwen Hustwit.
"He is an honest man who now has a criminal record. This was one of the most frightening day of our lives and Sunsail did nothing to protect my dad. I had to move mountains to make sure my dad was represented in court and had to ask the Embassy to support us as much as possible."
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.
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 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports