CMA to investigate Consumer Complaints including travel & holiday accommodation

[Snow Hill]

Britain’s competition watchdog is set to investigate consumer complaints across three sectors, including "holiday accommodation", following "thousands of cancellation issues".

https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/competition-watchdog-to-investigate-holiday-refunds-22693

 

[Eddie99]

Also reported on BBC website now

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52483453

[AndyMichelle]

1 hour ago, Snow Hill said:

Britain’s competition watchdog is set to investigate consumer complaints across three sectors, including "holiday accommodation", following "thousands of cancellation issues".

https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/competition-watchdog-to-investigate-holiday-refunds-22693

 

To quote CMA... 

'most businesses are acting reasonably in unprecedented circumstances' and the fact that cruising is not mentioned in the 3 areas of concern, does not suggest this will affect P&O at all... 

Perhaps they are covered under 'holiday accommodation', but it suggests to me that the airlines and cruise companies will be left alone... 

Andy 

[Clipper Chick]

The thing is with reduced staff it is going to take longer. There are going to be more processes required to take money out of a company’s bank account than to pay it in with a booking we just need to be patient.  

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, Clipper Chick said:

The thing is with reduced staff it is going to take longer. There are going to be more processes required to take money out of a company’s bank account than to pay it in with a booking we just need to be patient.  

As said before, we all accept that and have been waiting patiently, but the worrying thing is there is no steady flow happening. 

Following all social media, the odd person here and there have had theirs, but it is extremely rare with no 'flow', no matter how slow... 

Andy 

[bobstheboy]

Submit a report through the UKGov site, easy to do, I have.

[mercury7289]

9 minutes ago, Clipper Chick said:

The thing is with reduced staff it is going to take longer. There are going to be more processes required to take money out of a company’s bank account than to pay it in with a booking we just need to be patient.  

Sorry! No

 

Paul Ludlow said there were 200 staff working on refunds and new and moved bookings.

[bee-ess]

13 minutes ago, Clipper Chick said:

The thing is with reduced staff it is going to take longer. There are going to be more processes required to take money out of a company’s bank account than to pay it in with a booking we just need to be patient.  

I think it is unreasonable to wait this long for refunds, They have passed the 45 days they quoted, which is outside the legal timeline anyway and honestly I think they are using any excuse to hold on to their money to ease cash flow. They will lose customers over this.

[Clipper Chick]

59 minutes ago, bee-ess said:

I think it is unreasonable to wait this long for refunds, They have passed the 45 days they quoted, which is outside the legal timeline anyway and honestly I think they are using any excuse to hold on to their money to ease cash flow. They will lose customers over this.

The other issue is people are very vocal about a grievance ie missing refund and then shut up when they get it. Quite simply we do not know what is going on.

[AnnieC]

1 hour ago, mercury7289 said:

Sorry! No

 

Paul Ludlow said there were 200 staff working on refunds and new and moved bookings.

What are they doing? One each per year?🙄

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, AnnieC said:

What are they doing? One each per year?🙄

The time it is taking and none of us getting anything back it certainly begs the question.

What are they doing?.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, AnnieC said:

What are they doing? One each per year?🙄

Nowhere near that many. Only two Cruise Critic users have had refunds and apparently only a handful across Facecloth and Witter. So, if only 10 refunds have been processed in two months, it will take 40 months, or over 3 years, before each of the 200 staff on refunds have processed just one refund each. Given the age profile on some of the cruises we have been on, perhaps they are reckoning on the fact that at this rate some of the customers will have expired before their turn comes and they can save a few quid? 😉

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

The time it is taking and none of us getting anything back it certainly begs the question.

What are they doing?.

How's that for a Senior Executive. Lay off most of the staff and then blame refund delays on staff shortages. 🤔

[grapau27]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Nowhere near that many. Only two Cruise Critic users have had refunds and apparently only a handful across Facecloth and Witter. So, if only 10 refunds have been processed in two months, it will take 40 months, or over 3 years, before each of the 200 staff on refunds have processed just one refund each. Given the age profile on some of the cruises we have been on, perhaps they are reckoning on the fact that at this rate some of the customers will have expired before their turn comes and they can save a few quid? 😉

You make a good point there.

The stress of repeated phone calls of over 1 hour and getting told a different story or repeatedly being cut off isn't helping my December heart attack recovery in fact it might cause another heart attack.

[grapau27]

11 minutes ago, zap99 said:

How's that for a Senior Executive. Lay off most of the staff and then blame refund delays on staff shortages. 🤔

Absolutely,you couldn't make it up.

[molecrochip]

3 hours ago, mercury7289 said:

Sorry! No

 

Paul Ludlow said there were 200 staff working on refunds and new and moved bookings.

Given that 200 is the number of call centre staff quoted as working at Carnival House, this seems to tie up with the original suggestion that the contact centre staff are processing the cancellations between calls about new and moved bookings. Therefore for every extra call they receive, thats one less refund.

 

As a guide, they usually receive 2,000-3,000 calls a day and they are currently receiving up to 10,000.

[mickrory]

If we stopped ringing them perhaps they could concentrate on processing the refunds.

I've no intention of ringing them until the 60 days expire.

[Eglesbrech]

10 minutes ago, mickrory said:

If we stopped ringing them perhaps they could concentrate on processing the refunds.

I've no intention of ringing them until the 60 days expire.

I think most people have not phoned them until they defaulted on the 45 days they said (in writing) they would refund in.  
 

They have failed to do so and have not communicated with customers or explained the reasons why, they will not answer reasonable questions about where are up to so far. This leads to speculation that they are not refunding, simply retaining cash meantime.

 

In these circumstance of course customers will phone, they are owed thousands of pounds which should have been repaid in 14 days and left in a communications black hole.

 

Like you I made no contact until my 45 days were up. It made no difference.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

14 minutes ago, mickrory said:

If we stopped ringing them perhaps they could concentrate on processing the refunds.

I've no intention of ringing them until the 60 days expire.

Even then you won't get through, because the next pause in operations to September would be activated. That's another few thousand passengers clamoring for their money back. 

[Harry Peterson]

 

5 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

To quote CMA... 

'most businesses are acting reasonably in unprecedented circumstances' and the fact that cruising is not mentioned in the 3 areas of concern, does not suggest this will affect P&O at all... 

Perhaps they are covered under 'holiday accommodation', but it suggests to me that the airlines and cruise companies will be left alone... 

Andy 

I very much doubt it Andy. There's a further statement from the CMA on their website making it very clear what the position is on refunds generally and if they get enough complaints about companies like P&O and Ryanair, both acting outrageously beyond the very clear law, they'll be certain to go for them. I suspect the only thing holding them back is the risk that they'll be accused of causing the collapse of airlines and cruise companies. 

 

https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/

 

The link above is where to lodge the complaints.

[Eglesbrech]

16 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

 

I very much doubt it Andy. There's a further statement from the CMA on their website making it very clear what the position is on refunds generally and if they get enough complaints about companies like P&O and Ryanair, both acting outrageously beyond the very clear law, they'll be certain to go for them. I suspect the only thing holding them back is the risk that they'll be accused of causing the collapse of airlines and cruise companies. 

 

https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/

 

The link above is where to lodge the complaints.

I think that flights are specifically excluded from their remit as they are covered by another regulator but I would assume cruises could come under the general banner of holidays. (I may of course be completely wrong).

[AndyMichelle]

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

You make a good point there.

The stress of repeated phone calls of over 1 hour and getting told a different story or repeatedly being cut off isn't helping my December heart attack recovery in fact it might cause another heart attack.

Take it easy Graham, your health is more important than stressing about P&O... 

Andy 

[AndyMichelle]

51 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

 

I very much doubt it Andy. There's a further statement from the CMA on their website making it very clear what the position is on refunds generally and if they get enough complaints about companies like P&O and Ryanair, both acting outrageously beyond the very clear law, they'll be certain to go for them. I suspect the only thing holding them back is the risk that they'll be accused of causing the collapse of airlines and cruise companies. 

 

https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/

 

The link above is where to lodge the complaints.

Thanks Harry, already lodged mine, as many others on here have. 

I still have this niggle that not refusing to pay, unlike other companies, will buy them some leeway.. 

It's a common trick often used in the construction industry just before a main contractor goes pop.. Speaking from being on the receiving end a few times... 

Andy 

[grapau27]

35 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Take it easy Graham, your health is more important than stressing about P&O... 

Andy 

Thanks Andy.

Another 13 days will take us up to 60 days so I will see if our refund turns up by then.

I'm very disappointed in the poor P&O and TA service since our Azura TA was cancelled on March 13th.

[grapau27]

36 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Thanks Harry, already lodged mine, as many others on here have. 

I still have this niggle that not refusing to pay, unlike other companies, will buy them some leeway.. 

It's a common trick often used in the construction industry just before a main contractor goes pop.. Speaking from being on the receiving end a few times... 

Andy 

Sorry to hear your business has been affected by customers not paying.

This has happened to me in sales several times but the company rather than me took the hit.

No company is too big, just like football teams to go down.

P&O have a big loyal UK customer base as opposed to Carnival and Princess so I hope they don't let us all down and go bust.