SALLY SORTS IT: TUI won’t refund £800 for Costa’s holiday after our daughter was diagnosed with cancer

Last November I paid a deposit of £800 to TUI for a holiday to the Costa del Sol for me, my wife and our daughter and granddaughter.

Tragically, our daughter, 56, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the end of December, meaning she would no longer be able to travel.

Shortly afterwards I asked our travel agent for a refund of the deposit as there is no way we can go as we are in our 80s and cannot travel unaccompanied. The agent said that deposits were not normally refunded but that they would make a request due to our circumstances. Medical evidence was provided, but was unsuccessful. Please help.

TM, Craigavon, Northern Ireland

Sally Hamilton replies: I was saddened to hear about your situation, but even sadder when I spoke to you, as your daughter had passed away since writing to me.

I was determined to help you get your deposit back, especially since the trip you booked was for May – five months after you requested cancellation. That was long enough for Tui to resell the holiday.

Tui has a department that deals with customers who are dealing with exceptional circumstances, and I felt that your situation fit into this category. I asked Tui if it saw a way to give your money back.

Your £800 deposit had already been used to pay easyJet, Tui’s airline partner, for the flight portion of your package. Tui had apparently approached the airline regarding a refund but had not heard back.

After contacting Tui for you, they quickly agreed to cancel the holiday and refund your money free of charge through your travel agent.

Initially only your and your wife’s £400 share of your deposit was refunded, but on my second intervention the remaining £400 was refunded. You were very grateful.

According to the terms and conditions, Tui did not have to return the deposit, but fortunately your tragic circumstances were taken into account.

You told me that you were considering taking out travel insurance, but the quotes you received far exceeded the amount of the deposit. I can understand the dilemma, but would urge readers to always take cover to protect themselves against unforeseen circumstances, as holiday companies may not always be so understanding.

I had a current account with Santander Bank but decided to move to Barclays when I saw the adverts offering £175 in 28 days if I switched.

I’ve done everything Barclays asked to qualify for the incentive, including downloading the bank’s app, transferring my direct debits, agreeing to pay £800 a month and signing up to the bank’s savings scheme the bank for £5 a month.

All this was completed by July 24. I waited patiently for my bonus. And I’m still waiting, 42 days later. Customer service continues to put me off. I’m annoyed by the lack of customer service – and the lack of bonuses – and now regret my switch. Please help.

HD, Banbury, Oxon

Sally Hamilton replies: Competition between banks is widespread and they are all eager to acquire customers like you. That’s because once a bank signs up a checking account customer, it can sell them all kinds of extras, from credit cards and personal loans to insurance and savings bonds.

Periodic cashback deals like the one you saw are designed to entice people to switch. Such deals come and go, so customers usually have to act quickly if they want to secure a particular offer. For example, the Barclays incentive ended on August 30.

Providers currently offering a cash benefit include First Direct, which promises to pay £175 to switchers who have not yet been customers and who meet certain conditions; and Nationwide, which is also offering £175, asking customers to deposit £1,000 within 31 days of account opening.

Now Lloyds Bank is offering £200 to those who switch to the Club Lloyds account with fees.

Barclays asked applicants to download the bank’s app on their phone and sign up for the Blue Rewards program for £5 a month, and make some direct debit payments. Anyone who applied who previously had a Barclays account that was not closed before July 8 this year was ineligible.

You thought you had jumped through all the hoops. Switching has been supposed to be seamless since the introduction of the checking account switching service eleven years ago, so I couldn’t see what was causing the delay.

With the account switching service, the new bank takes control of transferring everything, such as direct debits, and arranges the closure of the old account. The new bank needs the green light from the existing provider for this. Once the transfer date has been agreed, the operation should take seven working days and the banks can guarantee that they will put things right if any problems arise with direct debits or other payments and receipts.

I’ve asked Barclays to flip the switch on your transfer and hand over your £175 bonus.

Barclays eventually discovered that your transfer had caused problems because your name was previously on a joint account at the bank. Since the account was still active, it appeared that you were not eligible for the offer even though you had been removed from it some time ago.

Following my intervention, the error was eventually resolved and £175 was added to your new account on September 5, along with an additional £100 as an apology for the inconvenience.

A spokesperson for Barclays said: ‘We are sorry for the delay our customer has experienced in receiving their switching bonus. We have corrected this and the money is in their account.’

Watching a scam

Households should beware of a scam email pretending to be streaming service Disney+, consumer website Which? warns.

Scammers attract the attention of victims by reporting that their subscription to the film and television platform ‘could not be renewed due to a failed payment’.

The email contains a malicious link that allows recipients to log in and update their account. Which one? say.

Scammers claim that Disney+ services will be shut down if you don’t do this within two days.

Do not click on the link, but forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Straight to the point

Last month my car broke down so I called the RAC. The mechanic was unable to start the car so he called in a tow truck. Three hours later nothing had arrived. I called the RAC again and was told it would take another two and a half hours. The RAC said the matter would ‘escalate’ so I arranged an alternative recovery as I had already been stranded for almost six hours.

FJ, Lancashire.

RAC apologizes and says you made your own arrangements shortly before the truck arrived. It has refunded your membership fee for this year.

In May we flew to Barcelona with British Airways. Our luggage went missing along with six other couples. Everyone else was reunited with their luggage when we docked in Palma, but three months later we are still waiting for ours.

E.S., Cheshire.

British Airways cannot find your missing luggage. It apologizes and will pay your costs and compensation.

I canceled a credit card in 2007 but recently discovered it had not been canceled and I have been paying annual fees for the past 17 years – a total of around £2,400. I was also told that new cards were sent to my old address when the older ones expired. I’m afraid this has affected my credit rating.

MH, London.

The bank apologizes and will refund you £1,000. It has not affected your credit score.

In July I visited a Premier Inn in Newquay to celebrate my wedding anniversary, but there was work going on just outside our window. We had no view and had to close our curtains. Premier Inn refuses to refund us because there is a sentence on the website stating that there was construction work taking place nearby.

MH, via email.

Premier Inn says the works were external and beyond their control, but have offered you £150 as a gesture of goodwill.