HOLIDAYMAKERS fighting for money back from On The Beach after their trips were cancelled due to coronavirus have had to sign gagging orders to secure refunds.
Customers were denied refunds for holidays which they were unable to take after their destination was added to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s no-go list due to coronavirus in the summer.
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If the government changes its travel advice to a country and you have a package holiday booked you are supposed to get a refund under rules set by the Association of British Travel Agent’s (ABTA).
But In September On The Beach quit an ABTA member after months of refusing to pay back cash to affected customers.
It left customers with no other option but to take legal action in the small claims court.
A number of customers have since been refunded as a result of the action – but in order to get a refund they’ve been asked to sign “non-disclosure” agreements.
The documents, which have been seen by The Sun, prevent customers from talking about their refunds with anyone else.
A spokesperson from On The Beach, said: “The vast majority of customer service issues are resolved promptly by our dedicated team, however a small number of these can result in legal mediation.
“In these instances, the individual case will be reviewed and, where necessary, a settlement agreement is signed by both parties, which includes a confidentiality clause.
“This is a standard clause issued by the courts, and not something which is specific to or issued by On the Beach.”
In July, The Sun reported On The Beach and Loveholidays to the Competition and Markets Authority for wrongly denying refunds to some customers.
Last week, Loveholidays was ordered to pay £18million back to 44,000 customers who’ve had holidays cancelled due to coronavirus.
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The CMA said it had received hundreds of complaints.
The travel industry has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis causing delays for customers claiming refunds for cancelled holidays and flights.
Consumers have struggled to reclaim money they are owed amid ever changing travel restrictions over the course of 2020.
The travel industry has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis causing delays for customers claiming refunds for cancelled holidays and flights.
Consumers have struggled to reclaim money they are owed amid ever changing travel restrictions over the course of 2020.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
