Since the country first went into lockdown, many who have booked to travel have lost out on a holiday or travel experience and the cost of flights, accommodation, and other purchases that they are likely not to see again.
Some of those that were protected are still fighting to get their money back as airlines and travel agencies pass the blame for who is responsible for refunds.
This has caused a record number of chargeback requests to be filed, and rightly so. Failing to issue legitimate refunds is fraudulent behaviour from the merchant, and exactly why chargebacks were put in place, to begin with.
Having said that, we are not totally unsympathetic, as refunds on this scale could quite easily see the airline close, meaning that more people could lose everything they have spent.
Despite this, travel agents and airlines are desperate to get customers booking with them. However, enticing holidaymakers to book is near impossible at this uncertain time, especially as we enter into another lockdown.
There are some great holiday deals out there at the moment if you’re brave enough to take them on. However, you would need to prepare for the fact that:
It’s basically cheap travel but with no commitments to when you go.
The only way you lose out completely is if the airline or travel agent goes bust. Therefore we recommend only booking holidays in places that you can either drive or travel to on public transport.
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