A family have been left devastated after they forked out £3,000 for a dream holiday before discovering the hotel is a nine-hour journey and ferry ride from the airport - with no transport provided. The mum, from Edinburgh, had booked to go to Tenerife with her husband and two young children, aged 10 and 11, later this year.
It was to be the first family holiday in three years due to Covid - but the mum-of-two has been left stressed after being refused a refund. Less than 24 hours after making the booking, she discovered the trip would involve a nine-hour drive and ferry from Tenerife South Airport to get to the hotel at La Oliva in Fuerteventura.
Expedia explained that the booking was non-refundable and non-transferable, so any changes would have to be made through the individual airlines. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, the mum has now explained her frustration over the holiday nightmare after booking a new hotel much closer to the airport.
She said: "We booked it on Sunday night around 10pm on Expedia. It was a package holiday so first, you choose the hotel and then the flights. The first flight options were Edinburgh to Tenerife South airport. We’d never been so we just assumed that was the closest airport to the hotel.
"I’ve never been on a package holiday where they give you the option of a nine-hour drive to the hotel from the airport, so we made the booking. The hotel said it was ‘fully refundable’ and we planned to get travel insurance to cover the flights.
"An hour or so after booking, I checked the distance from the airport to the hotel so I could arrange transport. I realised it was roughly a nine-hour drive with a ferry trip in between. I immediately messaged Expedia and, bearing in mind I’d only booked one hour before and the transaction hadn’t even reached my credit card, they said there was nothing they could do."
She was told that she could cancel the hotel herself and get a full refund but the cancellation of the flights was "up to her". The following morning the mum managed to speak to Jet2 who explained that if booked online, no refund could be issued.
The mum said: "A customer rep told me that all their flights are non-refundable. She refused to put me through to a manager or to help me escalate my complaint. When I insisted on escalating I was put on hold for 20 minutes and then she came back on, reiterated that there was nothing they could do and again refused to escalate it.
"So I hung up, and we decided that we’d just have to book a hotel near the random Spanish airport. We haven’t been away for three years and the kids are so excited."
Since being contacted by our sister title Edinburgh Live, Expedia have agreed to add 20,000 reward points to her account to help cover a new hotel booking.
A spokesperson for Expedia said: "Upon review, we’ve confirmed that according to the individual airline policies for this booking, this ticket was non-refundable and non-transferable, and any voluntary changes or cancellations must be handled directly with the airlines."
They added: "However, as a part of Expedia’s commitment to advocate on behalf of travellers, our customer service agents have contacted the airlines on behalf of Ms Kelly to assess possible resolutions. Our team has also added 20,000 reward points to her Expedia account to help cover a new hotel booking and should Ms Kelly wish to change the trip date, we are providing information on flight flexibility options."
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “Jet2.com flight-only bookings are non-refundable, and any amendment or cancellation to the booking is subject to our normal terms and conditions, and this is made very clear.
"As Ms Kelly booked her package holiday through another company, we have advised her that she would need to liaise with them about amending or cancelling the holiday.”
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