Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s top researcher, taking on readers’ corners, uncovering the truth that lies behind closed doors and delivering victories for those left out of pocket. Below you can read how you can contact him.
Mrs JE writes: I was very interested to read your report on Tui’s Mistletoe and Rhine Cruise.
My husband and I, my sister and brother-in-law are booked on it. We are deeply annoyed by the nonchalant attitude that Tui has shown us.
We paid almost £3,000 for a cruise to visit five Christmas markets in Germany, now reduced to a cruise visiting three markets.
Tony Hetherington replies: Two weeks ago I reported how a couple on the same cruise, which started on November 23, had just been told by Tui that the Christmas market in Frankfurt would not be open yet, and that today’s visit to the fair in Koblenz would not be possible. possible because, like much of Germany, it would be closed on the occasion of ‘Totensonntag’ – the ‘Sunday of the Dead’ – a holiday when people remember the deceased.
Tui insisted this was new information that had come to light since it planned the cruise. It refused a refund, claiming that although its marketing emphasized the five fairs as the main reason for booking the cruise, the loss of two of the five attractions made no difference. The couple canceled their booking but told me that Tui had only refunded £599 of the £1,997, with the company retaining the rest as a cancellation penalty.
Tradition: Tui passengers will not see the Frankfurt Christmas market
I asked Tui to say exactly when she discovered that the Frankfurt and Koblenz stock exchanges would not be open. After asking for time to think about this, and for more time to consult his lawyers, Tui was unable to provide an answer. Almost unbelievably, I discovered that the same cruise was still being advertised, with the same false claim that passengers would visit five Christmas markets along the Rhine.
Get informed now. This is what Frankfurt’s official tourist office says: ‘The Frankfurt Christmas market traditionally always opens on Mondays, and always after the so-called ‘Totensonntag’. This is the last Sunday before Advent in the German Protestant Church. This year’s Totensonntag is on November 24, so the market opens on Monday November 25. The opening date has been set for November 25 for more than a year.’
As for Totensonntag itself, the date is known years in advance, just like Easter. So the mystery is: why didn’t Tui know this? Tui is a German company. Didn’t anyone at Tui check the dates in their German diary? Didn’t anyone at Tui check their adverts and notice that they were offering visits to Christmas markets that didn’t exist? Or did no one at Tui care, which seems like a real possibility?
Tui told you that ‘because the impact on your itinerary was due to local opening times and public holidays, this is beyond Tui’s control’. It apologized for the “necessary changes to your itinerary.” This is nonsense. The ship’s route remains the same. It is the advertised attractions that have evaporated. Tui’s false advertising is no one’s fault but his own.
You tried to make a complaint, but Tui replied: ‘Tui does not have a pre-trip complaints procedure, so if you are not happy with your cruise you can complete an After Travel form upon your return.’
In short, we’re sorry our ads fooled you, but we’re keeping your money; enjoy the boat ride!
I presented all this to Tui again. The response was: ‘We are looking into this for you.’
Silence since then. No answers. No explanation.
No excuses.
However, I suspect there was panic behind the scenes.
After I questioned Tui, it offered you a 20 percent refund, but on the same day it contacted the couple whose complaint we published a fortnight ago and offered them a 100 percent refund.
They told me, I told you, and you told Tui what it could do with its 20 percent offer.
A few hours later, Tui surrendered and paid you and your husband back in full, along with your sister and her husband.
I lost my £300 due to a bank mix-up
Mrs GW writes: My Barclays account was closed and the balance transferred to Nationwide.
Unfortunately a payment of £300 has recently been made to the old Barclays account.
Barclays has tried to transfer the money to Nationwide, but claims the building society will not accept it. However, according to Nationwide, there is no problem.
Problems: Barclays has tried to transfer the money to Nationwide, but claims the building society won’t accept it
Tony Hetherington replies: The crux of the problem is that the system for transferring money from your legacy account to your new Nationwide account expired after three years – and those three years were up in July, just before your £300 ended up in the old Barclays account ! Therefore, the transfer failed.
Barclays told me: ‘We apologize for the delay on the customer’s former Barclays account. Attempts to automatically transfer the money to the new Nationwide account were unsuccessful.” The transfer has now taken place and Barclays have added interest and a further £100 as an apology.
If you believe you have been a victim of financial misconduct, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large number of questions, personal answers cannot be given. Please only send copies of original documents, which unfortunately cannot be returned.
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