ONLINE travel agent LastMinute is paying back £7million to customers with cancelled holidays following the coronavirus crisis.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the firm after receiving hundreds of complaints from holidaymakers about Covid-19 cancellation refunds.
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More than 9,000 customers whose holidays were cancelled by the website are currently waiting for refunds worth more than £7million.
Many of these will have had to wait more than 14 days, exceeding the repayment window required by law, the CMA said.
Consumer law states that airlines and travel package providers must give customers’ their money back if the firm cancels their trip.
If your holiday is cancelled by your tour operator, the money has to be refunded within 14 days, or seven days if the airline called off your flights.
How to get a LastMinute refund
IF your LastMinute trip has been cancelled, here’s how to get your money back.
If LastMinute cancels your holiday, you’ll get an email and text message from the online travel agent.
You can then choose how you’d like to be refunded and follow the status of the request on your online account area.
The online travel agent offers vouchers valid on holidays taken in the summer 2021, but customers also have a right to a cash refund.
Just keep in mind that you’re only entitled to a refund if your trip has been cancelled.
If you’ve decided not to travel, you’re likely to be at the mercy of LastMinute and its usual cancellation policy.
If you’re struggling to get a refund from your travel provider, you may be able to make a claim through your credit or debit card provider.
Credit card payments of between £100 and £30,000 are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
To start a claim, you need to contact your credit card provider directly – Which? has a free tool that can help you do this.
Those with flights and hotels booked by debit card may be able to claim a refund via their banks using the Chargeback scheme.
Claims apply for purchases made by debit card, or by credit card for purchases under £100, and must be done within 120 days of the transaction.
To start a chargeback claim, you need to contact your card provider but as it isn’t written into law there is no guarantee you’ll get your money back.
You may also be able to claim money back through your travel insurance provider, but this depends on the terms and conditions of your policy.
You should speak to your policy provider to discuss your options.
Following the CMA investigation, LastMinute has promised to pay at least half of the refunds by December 16 and the rest by January 31 the latest.
Holidaymakers entitled to a refund for a holiday cancelled by LastMinute on or after December 3 will then be paid within 14 days.
The Sun has contacted LastMinute for comment.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “Online travel agents have a legal responsibility to provide prompt refunds to customers whose holidays have been cancelled due to coronavirus – irrespective of whether the agent received refunds from airlines and accommodation providers.
“Our action today means that customers whose holidays were cancelled by lastminute.com will receive their money back without undue delay.”
The travel industry has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis causing delays for customers claiming refunds for cancelled holidays and flights.
Consumers have struggled to reclaim money they are owed amid ever changing travel restrictions over the past nine months.
In July, the CMA had received more than 17,500 complaints about the difficulty in obtaining refunds or information from holiday firms.
In mid-September, Tui promised to refund customers by the end of the month after thousands of holidaymakers complained.
Meanwhile, Virgin Holidays is refunding a whopping £203million to customers with cancelled holidays, as CMA takes action.
