Travel Republic has recently apologised to thousands of customers who have been unable to contact the travel firm for cancellations and refunds, due to the company turning off their phone lines earlier this summer.
However, in a recent apology, the firm announced that their phone lines will reopen as of November 9 in an attempt to rebuild customer trust once more.
More people will likely need to cancel and get a refund for trips this winter due to the recent lockdown measures introduced across the UK. So, as a result of this announcement, we thought it would be a good time to reiterate the steps in which customers should take to obtain a refund, if they have had their trips cancelled by their travel provider because of the coronavirus outbreak.
If your package holiday has been cancelled then you should contact your tour operator for a refund in the first instance, as they are responsible for providing you with a refund under the Package Travel Regulations Act.
However, if you have booked a holiday independently (i.e. accommodation and flights separately), then you will need to speak directly with your airline and accommodation provider about getting your money back.
If, after you have approached all the above providers, you are still unable to get your money back, and you booked your holiday on a credit card, then you may be able to claim through your credit card provider under section 75 of the ‘Consumer Credit Act’.
If you are still unable to recover any lost costs, and you have the relevant cover on your policy, you should contact your travel insurance provider and submit a claim for consideration. The reason a travel insurer may ask for confirmation that these costs are not recoverable is that travel insurance policies are designed to put customers back in the same financial position as they were before a loss.
Therefore, if a customer can get a refund, move their holiday, or receive a credit note to book their trip at a later date, there is nothing to claim back.
For more information about obtaining a refund from your travel insurance provider, click here.
