 Poster: A snowHead
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| dunc999 wrote: |
Eurotunnel still holding out and not stopping services but have the following message on the website:-
Last updated: 16:00 - 18/03/2020
Travel from the UK to France:
Our passenger shuttle services continue to operate. Please check carefully before travelling to Folkestone, as you may be turned away by the French Authorities if you don’t have good reason to travel within France. They have advised us that they will only allow travel for the following reasons:
Going home to a main residence
Essential work in France
Medical staff
I know they are offering free reschedules etc. but we have no idea if or when we can go again next year due to A levels etc., so in order to pursue a refund the onus is on me to sort it out through insurance. |
Call them. I found them incredibly helpful.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I really hope this doesn't happen. Sorry for any business that goes bust but they're all too happy to take your cash and offer zero refunds if your circumstances change. I don't want a credit for a small company that ties me in to a specific ski area next season. Equally I have no control over the prices next season so what's stopping them putting prices up knowing they have people on a rope......
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@stevomcd, I quite agree. I think it’s pretty shocking that people don’t seem to realize how small businesses operate and how small the margins are. Small operators still have all the bills to pay, save for food. None of them are laughing all the way to the bank.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Has anybody else had a similar experience to me with BA?
I flew into Venice on 7th March for a week in Corvara, then with the closedown received the dreaded email on Monday 9th that my return flight from Venice on 14th was cancelled. The email went on to say that if I followed the "manage my booking" link that I could rebook at no extra charge. Venice airport was by then closed and the best that some of us in our group could get were flights out of Munich and we had to pay up again.
Every time I tried to rebook the BA system seemed to fail because it came up saying that my "new itinerary" was exactly the same as the old one i.e. leaving Venice on 14th. Others in the hotel had the same problem and we used different devices to log on to BA.
I lodged a claim with BA two days ago. Clearly their claims system is overrun at the moment although I did receive an automatic acknowledgement of my claim. So I was wondering how long I might get to receive a response and what my expectations should be.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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A quick shout out to Inghams/Ski Total. Was booked to go to Lech on 14th March, they cancelled on evening of Fri 13th with promise of refund. 10 days later and a couple unsuccessful phone calls I was losing hope but today, full refund gratefully received. This sits well at a difficult time and would encourage me to book with them in future
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
@Dougie, the last person I spoke to in Tignes a week last Sunday (At a respectful distance) works in the ESF office. She said she had at least 2 weeks work to process the cancellations
and refunds. So I'd hang on in there. An ever filling in box must be hard. Not sure if she can remote work, so that may now be an issue. |
Fab timing! Got the e-mail this morning regarding reimbursement. Great stuff ESF
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Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 8-10-20 7:17; edited 1 time in total
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@Mogmogmog, did your insurance not cover you?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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...
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Thu 8-10-20 7:16; edited 1 time in total
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@Mogmogmog, Jesus insurance companies are back bottoms.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Good experience (well so far) with Premier Inn and Stansted Express. Former emailed to say you could alter their non-flex bookings or cancel them with no penalty.
Stansted Express will refund all advance tickets (as well as regular tickets) with no admin fees if booked before 23rd March if you email them with your original booking email. Can also reschedule before Aug 2020. Having said that I have yet to receive any cash from these two as I only applied in the last couple of days.
Even managed to request a cash refund from Ryanair today (!) as I held out until they cancelled my flight rather than doing as they kept suggesting and rescheduling it for free.
Independent (non-ski) tour operator also offered the option of rebooking, booking onto another trip with no set expiry using my deposit as credit or being refunded all but 50 euros of the cost so also not bad considering. Will try and keep that as credit as I'm sure they could do with the cash and if they do go bust, my losses are offset with the above refunds!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| stevomcd wrote: |
@snowdave, right, a lot of people bigging up AirBnB on here, but it's important to note that it's not their money that they're refunding, it's the property owner's! The decision to refund was made centrally and unilaterally, with no discussion, warning or options for property owners.
Equally, for many (most!) ski schools, most of the money would have been going to the instructors, who are not getting paid as they're independent workers, not salaried staff, so there is relatively little pain for the ski school. |
Likewise, aren't Sunweb essentially just a broker? Surely a proportion of Crystal's operations are similar?
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Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Thu 8-10-20 7:16; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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got my refund from Action Outdoors , but they kept £10 (would have been nice if they told us that they were gonna keep a tenner)
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| richjp wrote: |
Has anybody else had a similar experience to me with BA?
I flew into Venice on 7th March for a week in Corvara, then with the closedown received the dreaded email on Monday 9th that my return flight from Venice on 14th was cancelled. The email went on to say that if I followed the "manage my booking" link that I could rebook at no extra charge. Venice airport was by then closed and the best that some of us in our group could get were flights out of Munich and we had to pay up again.
Every time I tried to rebook the BA system seemed to fail because it came up saying that my "new itinerary" was exactly the same as the old one i.e. leaving Venice on 14th. Others in the hotel had the same problem and we used different devices to log on to BA.
I lodged a claim with BA two days ago. Clearly their claims system is overrun at the moment although I did receive an automatic acknowledgement of my claim. So I was wondering how long I might get to receive a response and what my expectations should be. |
Try contacting Christopher Green via the email globalengagement.customerresponse@ba.com. We had a group complaint about 6 months ago - 13 passengers - complained directly to Alex Cruz and ended up having our compensation sorted out by this chap.
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Poster: A snowHead
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we got direct full refunds for the 3V ski passes and rental from skimium but have holiday, flight, car parking, and airport hotel to sort.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 5-06-20 13:14; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| stevomcd wrote: |
@snowdave, right, a lot of people bigging up AirBnB on here, but it's important to note that it's not their money that they're refunding, it's the property owner's! The decision to refund was made centrally and unilaterally, with no discussion, warning or options for property owners.
Equally, for many (most!) ski schools, most of the money would have been going to the instructors, who are not getting paid as they're independent workers, not salaried staff, so there is relatively little pain for the ski school. |
Likewise, aren't Sunweb essentially just a broker? Surely a proportion of Crystal's operations are similar? |
No response from Sunweb to me. Today is the day I get time to ring insurance re lessons lost. They also haven't replied to emails in the last week.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Fair play to BA. About 30 minutes wait on the phone but full refund inc extra charge for seats for a cancelled flight Apr 2nd sorted in about two minutes with immediate email confirmation.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Getting really hacked off now with Holiday Extras who it seems are quite happy to retain customers money, despite their providers offering free cancellation.
I had booked a stay 3 April at Radisson Stansted Airport (who are now offering free cancellations to customers up to 30 April) along with parking at Stansted (who're also offering cancellation).
But Holiday Extras are refusing to refund. So I would imagine they'll be cancelling both bookings (fee free) and then just keeping my money as profit.
Talk about taking advantage of people in a bad situation. I won't be the only one 
When you see so many good gestures from businesses around the world,
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Had booked a cottage near narvik with NOVASOL - a danish outfit. Phoned the help line to say not looking for a refund could we move booking to same time next year. Reply no refunds I could rebook this year. I told them we are skiers & a summer booking is no use, she replied I could book in December!!! I asked if I could contact the owner directly to ask if I could ask them - no I must book thro them was the reply. End reault have lost £2000. So moved booking to 2 weeks in September, altho I will not be going there, so Novasol do not get the money for nothing!!! DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think some people have to adjust their expectations of insurance companies. I've worked for one, with the actuaries, on car cover, and really, I can assure you the margins are not that high given the risk and liability. What I took away first was that you get what you pay for - if you get insurance for free with your banking, then don't expect too much. If you pay out £20 you have to ask yourself what differs in terms of cover to another policy that costs £100.
For example, pay more, and you'll get the insurer's UK medical team go over a translation of the Alpine hospital's discharge report and see if they agree you're fit to travel, and they're not just trying to get you discharged asap. This might make the difference between a full recovery from, say, a broken arm versus years of hassle with complications.
Remember the furore over heli-evac a couple of years ago? A Snowhead reported that their insurer was refusing to pay out the huge cost of helicopter evacuation because no one was injured. They'd got lost in the fog, and had nowhere to go, except over a precipice so were helicoptered out. Basically, if they'd pretended one of the party was injured, they'd have got a refund. We all rushed to look at the small print of our policies and some covered you for non-injury evac, others didn't.
Not to say that some companies (or rather, their claims dept or claims subsidiary or partner) aren't trying to evade their legal liabilities. Or are just farming-out the claims process to untrained idiots. And yes, the insurance companies like to give the impression of magnificent levels of care and cover for almost nothing. But if nothing else, this episode is underlining that a. you need to understand in detail wht sort of cover you have and b. shouldn't expect much if it's cheap.
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@LaForet, great points. Lots of people (possibly most) have little idea what their travel insurance covers and in what circumstances. The policies are also not always that easy to understand. I started this thread so we can try and help each other with this:
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=152198&highlight=
I was surprised how little traffic it got. Reading and understanding the T&Cs is a good idea in any case, but particularly worthwhile if you're thinking of claiming.
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simply-transfers.net is refusing to give a refund or credit.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Looks like no refund from insurance for unused ski lessons for us.
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Snoberry in Val D'Isere have put on their FB that they have refunded everyone with kit booked from 15th March whether they have been asked for a refund or not.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| Snoberry in Val D'Isere have put on their FB that they have refunded everyone with kit booked from 15th March whether they have been asked for a refund or not. |
They did - put this up a page or two ago...absolutely brilliant!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
Likewise, aren't Sunweb essentially just a broker? Surely a proportion of Crystal's operations are similar?
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Never heard of Sunweb, don't know anything about them. Crystal, no, absolutely not. They employ vast numbers of people both in the UK and in resort, pre-book charter flights, operate coaches. They have huge overheads.
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@dunc999, ah sorry - too much to keep up with!
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You know it makes sense.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @dunc999, ah sorry - too much to keep up with! |
see second post in thread. They then emailed me to say they didn't think they had refunded me and would I like a refund!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@endoman, excellent service
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Poster: A snowHead
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| stevomcd wrote: |
| Quote: |
Likewise, aren't Sunweb essentially just a broker? Surely a proportion of Crystal's operations are similar?
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Never heard of Sunweb, don't know anything about them. Crystal, no, absolutely not. They employ vast numbers of people both in the UK and in resort, pre-book charter flights, operate coaches. They have huge overheads. |
I guess the question is whether Crystal is taking the hit and continuing to pay their overseas employees, accommodation suppliers etc.?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| andylocity wrote: |
| simply-transfers.net is refusing to give a refund or credit. |
That's not what the message says on their answerphone
Seems quite clear and pretty reasonable, no?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Sunweb are a Direct seller ::
From their Wikipedia page
"Since 2000 Sunweb offers flight holidays, winter sports trips and car holidays to destinations within and outside Europe. Sunweb operates as a direct seller, which means that the holidays are sold directly to the customer via the internet or by telephone......
...….Sunweb is active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom....."
=====
Crystal are part of the much bigger TUI
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Has anyone received any refunds or credit notes from Mark Warner?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I spoke to someone from Mark Warner last week and agreed a refund (all very straightforward) and received a cancellation invoice on the 17th. Still waiting for the refund to appear on my credit card.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Pejoli wrote: |
| I spoke to someone from Mark Warner last week and agreed a refund (all very straightforward) and received a cancellation invoice on the 17th. Still waiting for the refund to appear on my credit card. |
Yes they originally agreed refunds but are now backtracking it would appear.....
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Have they said anything specific to anyone, or is just that no refunds have been forthcoming?
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Email sent today: Our current position is that, until the UK government provides clarity in respect of customer refunds/refunds from our suppliers (airlines, hotels etc) and the changes ABTA are lobbying for, we are putting guest refunds on hold. Our guests may, in the meantime, wish to contact their holiday insurance company as they may well be able to peruse that route.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Artois wrote: |
| Email sent today: Our current position is that, until the UK government provides clarity in respect of customer refunds/refunds from our suppliers (airlines, hotels etc) and the changes ABTA are lobbying for, we are putting guest refunds on hold. Our guests may, in the meantime, wish to contact their holiday insurance company as they may well be able to peruse that route. |
I'm in a similar position with LeSki. They are clearly holding out for a change to legislation. At the moment they have 14 days to refund under the package travel 2018 regs. I am 12 days in since they cancelled.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168479/contents
If I'd have cancelled for fears of the virus I'd have been totally out of pocket. They want their cake and eat it, sorry it's a terrible situation for all concerned but right now I need that money as my personal situation has also been impacted.
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| rutlandchris wrote: |
Getting really hacked off now with Holiday Extras who it seems are quite happy to retain customers money, despite their providers offering free cancellation.
I had booked a stay 3 April at Radisson Stansted Airport (who are now offering free cancellations to customers up to 30 April) along with parking at Stansted (who're also offering cancellation).
But Holiday Extras are refusing to refund. So I would imagine they'll be cancelling both bookings (fee free) and then just keeping my money as profit.
Talk about taking advantage of people in a bad situation. I won't be the only one
When you see so many good gestures from businesses around the world, |
Yep, Holiday Extras have kept my Heathrow parking cash for my April trip too. I expect they cancelled it with the provider with no charge to them and pocketed the cash. Won't be using them again on principle! 
United Airlines cancelled my flights to US, only offering a flight credit, but refusing a cash refund for 12months from date of original ticket issue, so Sept for me...probably waiting for the bankruptcy/bail-out which will wipe out the need to honour any existing credits. I'm now trying a credit card chargeback. I know they're suffering, but United has been by far the least customer-friendly US airline during this episode. 
Got a refund on a Premier Inn room even though it was a non-flex booking. Will be using them again! 
Auto Europe refunded the car hire very promptly, as per Ts&Cs, but no quibbles.
Also got accommodation cancelled without charge through Booking.com even though some was past the free cancellation date and got a refund from Expedia, so thumbs-up to both of them too!
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Thu 26-03-20 13:00; edited 5 times in total
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