By Stephen Jones
Following the collapse of holiday company Goldtrail, we’ve put together a Q&A to let you know what’s happened and what the rights of affected customers are when a travel company goes bust.
Who are Goldtrail and what has happened?
Goldtrail Travel Limited was an independent tour operator incorporating the brands Goldtrail Holidays, Goldtrail Travel and Sunmar, which claimed to offer “great value deals” to Turkey and Greece.
The company ceased trading on 16 July 2010 and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has now stepped in to deal with the estimated 16,000 holidaymakers estimated to have been stranded overseas as a result.
What do I do if I’m already on a holiday booked through Goldtrail?
As Goldtrail uses chartered flights rather than its own airline, the CAA is currently working to ensure that the majority of scheduled return flights from Turkey go ahead as planned. According to the authority, there may be some changes to flights from Greece.
Goldtrail customers currently abroad should contact the CAA to confirm their travel plans and get up-to-date information on 0044 203 4410846.
I’m due to travel through Goldtrail. What should I do?
There will be no more outbound Goldtrail flights. The CAA is advising customers due to travel with Goldtrail to check with their travel agents before heading to the airport, as flight tickets may no longer be valid.
Fortunately, you have three routes you can follow to get your money back:
- Goldtrail is covered by the CAA’s Atol protection scheme – which offers full cover for your holiday if your travel company collapses. If you booked direct through Goldtrail, then you should be able to gain a full refund by completing the Atol claim form. However, the refund process is expected to take months due to the expected high level of demand. Urgent queries about forward bookings can be put to the CAA by calling 0844 856 2585.
- Alternatively, you will also be able to claim a full refund if you booked via credit card, assuming that the amount you’re claiming is between £100 and £30,000. This is because your purchases will be covered by section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which ensures that customers are able to claim a refund for goods that don’t arrive or those bought through suppliers that go out of business.
- Similar rules apply for those who bought with a Visa debit card, which is covered by Visa’s Chargeback scheme. If you have a claim under either scheme rejected which you believe to be legitimate, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to complain.
Travel insurers will not pay out on claims that have already been made under the Atol scheme. However, if you only booked flights through Goldtrail and not a full package holiday –then your final option is to claim on your travel insurance, although the CAA advises first attempting to claim through its own claim form.
What if the hotel demands I pay again?
There have been reports of hotels demanding payments from customers following Goldtrail’s collapse but the CAA lines is that no customer should have to pay twice for their booking, and anyone in dispute with their hotelier over this should call the CAA’s overseas helpline immediately on 0044 203 441 0846.
If you have already paid a second time, you should be able to claim from the CAA or your travel insurance policy for the second payment by keeping a receipt from the hotel in question.
If you have any more questions that aren’t answered above, feel free to send them to
editor@confused.com
and we will try our best to answer them.
