Holiday Advice

Holiday Advice From HolidayTruths Admins
Reply
COLLECTING YOUR EVIDENCE

Videos and photographs can be very useful, but BEWARE tour operators will use your photographs and video to their advantage. The secret of a successful claim when relying on photographs and video evidence is to make sure that you only take photographs and video of the matters complained of.

Do not under any circumstances take photographs of happy family groups or friends in a restaurant or bar or anything that shows that you are having a good time. The Court rules make it compulsory for holidaymakers to disclose all their film and video evidence and therefore if you have taken 6 photographs of bad accommodation and food and the remaining photographs on the reel of film show the children having a good time in the swimming pool or happy faces taken in the bar on the last night, the tour operator's solicitors will, in Court, state that you did have a good time because here is the evidence to show you were having a good time. This can devalue your claim. You should therefore leave the rest of the film blank until you get home and then take pictures of your garden, the dog, the grandchildren, etc. This will thwart the opposition and they will not be able to bring any evidence to the Court that can show that you had a good holiday. The same applies to video evidence.

Do take names and addresses of other people that are also complaining. However, be very careful that you do not upset other holidaymakers who may be enjoying themselves, otherwise this can lead to a situation whereby those other holidaymakers complain to the tour operator that you were the cause of their holiday being spoiled and you may be branded as a troublemaker which may detract from your claim.

Be discreet and only contact other holidaymakers who are of the same opinion as yourselves. Tour operators will often produce so-called happy holidaymakers who are staying at the same hotel as yourselves and this provides the tour operator with a very strong defence. Do not alert the hotel management or the tour operator to the fact that you are getting together with other holidaymakers.

Collect real evidence, for example a leaflet in your hotel room advertising a gala evening with special food and entertainment can be very useful if no such gala evening materialises. This is real evidence.

If you are complaining of building work and you were not told in advance about the building work by your tour operator, check with other holidaymakers travelling with other companies to see whether they were notified beforehand. If they were, then try and obtain a copy of their letter of notification as this will strengthen your own case when you get home.
Reply
Holiday Truths Forum
Holiday Truths Forum Ship image

Get the best deals!

from our cruise, ski and holiday partners

You can change your email preferences at any time.

Yes, I want to save money by receiving personalised travel emails with awesome deals from Holiday Truths group companies which are hotholidays.co.uk,getrcuising.co.uk and getskiing.co.uk. By subscribing I agree to the Privacy Policy

No, thank you.