Tui left a family feeling “stressed and disheartened” after refusing to refund a £6,300 holiday on medical grounds.
The Edinburgh family were confronted with the prospect of losing £6,320 after a medical emergency forced them to abandon their TUI package holiday to Salou in north-east Spain.
The couple had booked the all-inclusive trip in April as a reward for their two 18-year-old children, who had worked hard to secure university places.
Neither parent is a high earner, with one working for a charity in Edinburgh and the other providing care breaks for children who have experienced complex trauma.
The family were due to fly out on June 17, but their plans were thrown into turmoil when the partner’s daughter was referred to a cardiologist for a suspected serious heart condition, rendering it impossible to secure travel insurance for the trip.
The young woman had initially been experiencing symptoms that the family attributed to anxiety, as she was preparing for her exams and securing a university place for September. Her mother encouraged her to see a GP, hoping for reassurance.
On May 6, however, the family received deeply alarming news: she was being referred to a cardiologist over a “prolonged QT complex,” a condition that in the most severe cases can lead to cardiac arrest or sudden death.
Long QT syndrome is a rare heart rhythm disorder that can be triggered by stress, loud noises, excitement and strenuous physical activity.
Tui left a family ‘stressed and disheartened’ after refusing to refund a trip to exceptional medical circumstances
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The family looked into obtaining travel insurance, expecting a higher premium. After extensive research and consultations with a specialist broker, they discovered that cover was simply unobtainable whilst cardiac investigations remained ongoing.
The family immediately informed TUI and requested a date transfer, supplying a “Not Fit to Travel certificate” from a medical practitioner.
On May 20, the holiday firm rejected their request, citing the fact that the condition remained undiagnosed.
Six days later, the family wrote again, highlighting the contradictory nature of TUI’s stance.
Following media intervention the family was eventually refunded
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The company’s own policy demanded customers hold insurance before travelling, yet insurance was unobtainable precisely because the condition was undiagnosed, the very same reason TUI gave for refusing the transfer.
On May 28, TUI confirmed its position had not changed. The company also blocked any attempt to resell the booking to another party.
As a last resort, the family approached TransferMyTrip, an online marketplace for unwanted holidays, whose founder attempted to persuade TUI to permit a sale, but without success.
The family had also escalated their complaint to TUI’s chief executive, but received no response.
It was only after a journalist from The Telegraph intervened on their behalf that the situation was resolved, within just two days, TUI contacted the family and agreed to issue a full refund of the £6,320.
A TUI spokesman said: “We appreciate this has been a worrying time for the family, given the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s health. We’re pleased to confirm the matter has now been resolved directly with the customer.
The family’s children were overjoyed at the outcome, and the couple expressed hope of booking a future holiday once circumstances allowed.
The father said: “My partner’s daughter’s health is the key thing, and if she could just be okay again without this illness, I would happily have traded the £6,000-odd and more for that.”