| Half Price Holiday in Greece??? |
| Written by Nolan Mortimer |
| Monday, 28 May 2012 07:03 |
|
With the uncertainty surrounding
Greece, the holiday industry is bracing itself for a wave of
compensation claims from people whose holidays in Greece are ruined by
hotels, tour companies, excursion providers and other firms looking to
survive what's happening to the country by cutting corners and saving
money. In this blog we imagine a worst-case-scenario for a holidaymaker
in Greece; inspired by the many holiday compensation claims we have run
over the years for people whose holidays have been ruined.
 A quick scan of the "Holidays, Holidays, Holidays" website tells me that I can get a holiday in the 4* Super Great Hotel in Crete for just £692 per person, a saving of a whopping £352. It's all inclusive too, so I don't have to worry about having too much money with me. I'm booked and ready to go. Let's see what happens. My flight leaves on 5 June, about a week away. I think I'm in luck because there probably won't be too much happening before the Greek people return to the polls on 17 June. The euro may lose a bit of value, but I'm confident I'm going to get to my holiday destination without the world's finance crashing around me... might wait until the day before to get my holiday money though. So what happens when I arrive? Luckily, I've booked a package holiday, so I have got the protection of travelling with Holidays, Holidays, Holidays, a reputable tour operator. If things go wrong, they are responsible for helping me out. Also, I don't have to worry about the organisation, it's all taken care of. My transfer from the airport saves me trying to find a taxi. Whilst I think they've given up striking, I'm not sure whether they can afford to put fuel in their cars anyway. When I arrive, I realise that Crete has been taking a bit of a battering from the austerity measures. The mood is quite low and I can see Greeks walking around with their pockets stuffed full of euros because they're too scared to keep it in a bank. Other than that, the sun is out and I'm off to the hotel. The hotel doesn't have as many guests at the moment, but I say hello to the other resident and wish him a good day. We have a quick chat about the Greek Hokey Cokey (in, out, in, out) and I change into my shorts to go and explore. A bit disappointing really, partly because I realise I've been taken to the wrong hotel and it's only a 2* and partly because it's rubbish. It's not very clean, there are less facilities and there are no staff. Bearing in mind that 15% of Greece's GDP is from tourism, you would think they would treat their tourists well, but I suppose if they can't afford to have them in the first place, then it's a catch 22. After going into the city, I'm pleased to see there are no signs of the riots I was expecting and no signs of destruction, but now I think about it, there are no signs of anything. Greece seems to be at an impasse. I'll spend some time in my hotel. Gladly, it's all inclusive so I don't have to worry too much about going into the baron streets. Oh dear! Holiday illness alert. I've managed to contract food poisoning from the hotel food. It might have been the rehashed food, or it could have been the pink chicken. I'll worry about making a holiday compensation claim when I get home. In the meantime, the tour operator will look after me because I'm on a package holiday. A nice trip to the hospital, but unfortunately there's not much they can do for me because there is a significant shortage of drugs because of the austerity measures. I think the nurses are on strike anyway. I think I need to go home early. I join the airport queue of Greeks with their pockets stuffed full of cash and pay to get home. I did ask the tour operator, but they said they would get back to me next week, I might have shrivelled up by then. I get home and continue my recovery. It's time to start my holiday compensation claim, but it seems that the tour operator doesnt really care - they try and fob me off with a small sum that i dont think is anywhere near enough. They say they are overwhelmed with complaints from holidaymakers who they have transferred to poor holiday properties and haven't got time to dealt with my illness complaint. I'm worried there's nothing else i can do, then I contact www.accidents-abroad.com on 0800 0126 129 and speak to a specialist travel solicitor about making a holiday claim for my illness and get compensation for my ruined holiday. They listen and tell me in minutes if I have a claim. They give me some advice about what I should do and how I can try and get my money back. They take on my claim and now its a case of letting their solicitors get on with the work of running my holiday claim and winning me compensation. This is quite typical of the stories we commonly hear from people making holiday claims with us, albeit with a bit of an exaggerated Greek viewpoint. If this resembles a holiday illness experience you have had, then call today and see how we can help. For more information you can contact us via our website at: www.accidents-abroad.com |
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