Thomas Cook customer fined over false sickness claim
A holidaymaker who claimed she’d suffered food poisoning on a holiday with Thomas Cook has had her claim thrown out by a judge after her Facebook pictures showed her on boat trips and drinking alcohol by the hotel pool.
Marissa McLean, from Redditch, Worcestershire, said she’d been taken ill after eating ‘under-cooked chicken’ at the all-inclusive four-star Sol Y Mar hotel in Sharm el-Sheikj in September 2015.
The 27-year-old tried to bring a claim against Thomas Cook, saying she’d had ‘nausea and diarrhoea’ and ‘horrible stomach pains’.
But Worcester County Court heard that her Facebook posts told a different story, with pictures of her sipping rum and coke by the pool with the caption ‘pacing myself’, and another captioned ‘little selfie before the pool party’.
She was also pictured on an excursion driving a luxury yacht.
McLean said the posts were designed to make an ex-boyfriend jealous, but according to a report in the Daily Mail, Judge Nadeem Khan did not believe her claim and said her evidence was ‘neither plausible or credible’.
McLean was ordered to pay £2,812 within 21 days and refused leave to appeal.
Thomas Cook was able to recover the money it had spent fighting the claim.
Ian Denham, representing Thomas Cook, said there was ‘a vacuum of evidence’ about her case.
The court heard she had not filled out a form in resort or contacted the tour operator after getting home.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: "We’ve been clear we won’t hesitate to take action where we feel it’s justified in order to protect the majority of honest holidaymakers. We’re pleased that, for a second time, a judge has recognised the dishonesty in these cases, showing that the courts are increasingly aware of the levels of fraud we’re seeing in holiday sickness claims."
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
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports