A delighted Stephen and Jill with a letter confirming their £800 refund.

THE terror attacks in Paris and Belgium were very frightening. They made us all think carefully about risk and safety when abroad.

Stephen Daft, of Nottingham, and his wife Jill have an autistic son and in February had booked a holiday to Tenerife with travel firm First Choice.

A deposit of £800 was paid.

But on March 22, to the horror of the rest of the world, the terror attacks in Brussels killed 30 people and injured more than 300 more. The TV coverage was graphic and distressing and it was repeatedly stressed that the threat of further atrocities remained high.

The thought of travelling outside the UK became a great worry to Stephen and Jill’s 17-year-old son, who we won’t name in case we cause any further anxiety.

He said he didn’t want to go abroad.

Stephen hadn’t yet arranged insurance, but advised First Choice of his situation in April.

The balance of the holiday was due to be paid on May 6 and the family decided to wait to see if anxiety levels fell.

But, come May 6, there was no change. First Choice allowed another two-week window to perhaps choose another destination (although this would incur a £50-per-person admin fee) but their son just didn’t want to leave Britain.

Stephen and Jill asked if their deposit could be refunded and were prepared to supply assessments from a GP and psychotherapist explaining what their son was undergoing.

But First Choice wouldn’t budge.

The next idea was to transfer the holiday to Stephen and Jill’s daughter, but this would have involved an even greater admin cost, £600, to change the lead name.

With nowhere else to turn to, Stephen contacted Raw Deal. We took up the issue with First Choice and, after some discussion, a solution was reached – Stephen was given a full refund.

A First Choice spokesman said: “We were sorry to hear of Mr Daft’s booking experience, and can confirm we will be issuing a full refund for his holiday deposit as a gesture of good
will.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Travel insurance – a word to the wise

Stephen’s problem is an illustration of why and, equally importantly, when we all should arrange holiday insurance.

Insurance isn’t just for bad things that might happen while you’re away.

Once you have chosen a holiday, paid a deposit or perhaps paid in full, you have entered into a contract with the holiday firm. The firm’s staff have worked on your behalf and made hotel and flight reservations. Don’t assume that if you have to cancel the holiday you will get a full refund.

If circumstances change, if something terrible happens, if you have an accident, you run the risk of losing your money.

A travel agent, if that’s how you booked your holiday, will normally point out these dangers and present you with options. You certainly don’t have to take up their insurance offers, but cover of some nature is always a good idea.

Many of us shop around a bit or wait while we ask family and colleagues where the best deals are to be had. But the longer you delay, the bigger the risk of something going wrong. Act early, that way your money is safe.

Do you have a problem?

To get in touch with Raw Deal please email your address and daytime/mobile number to rawdeal@sundaypost.com or write to Raw Deal, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee, DD4 8SL (please include SAE).

Briefly outline the problem and how you would like it resolved. Include contact details of the other party and any customer ref/order numbers.

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