XL Collapse: Who To Call For Help

[Paule]

If you are on holiday with an XL company or have a booking for the future, there are numbers you can call to find out more information.

Customers booked with The Really Great Holiday Company, Kosmar Villa Holidays, Freedom Flights, Aspire Holidays:

:: XL helpline:

For UK Customers: 0800 068 8991
For International Customers: +44 208 242 4783

If you are already abroad you should be able to complete your holiday.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will arrange a flight to bring you home.

:: CAA helpline +44 (0) 2891 856 547.

If you have a booking but are yet to travel you should contact your travel agent who will help you make a claim on Air Travel Organiser's Licenses (ATOL).

:: Further information is available on the ATOL website

Customers booked with XL Airways through XL.com or XL call centres:

You are not ATOL protected and are not eligible for a refund from ATOL for your flight.

If you are currently abroad the CAA can make arrangements for your return journey, but you will be asked to pay on your return to the UK.

Check the ATOL website for details or go to the local airport ticket desk to make arrangements and find out the costs.

If you want to make your own arrangements to travel home, the CAA will not cover the costs of this.

:: Contact numbers for potential alternative carriers -

First Choice 0871 200 7799

Thomas Cook 0870 750 0119

Thomson 0871 231 5938

Check your travel insurance policy - it may provide cover for airline or accommodation failure.

If you paid by credit card you may be protected under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Check with your card issuer for more information.

If you have an advanced booking but are yet to travel your flight has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

:: For further information from XL's administrators there are two helplines -

From the UK 0800 068 8991

From Abroad + 44 208 242 4783

Customers booked with Medlife Hotels:

You are not ATOL protected. If you are already abroad, you may be able to complete your holiday. Contact your travel agent to find out.

If you have a booking but are yet to travel, your holiday is cancelled and you will not get a refund from XL.

All customers not ATOL protected:

If you are owed money as a result of a cancelled holiday or incurring costs on returning to the UK, send details of the amount owed to you to Kroll Limited, Wellington Plaza, 31 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

[strangewayofsavin]

Re: XL Collapse: Who To Call For Help

Just a quicky, check your paper work and see if your product is ATOL protected, if so you will be entitled to compensation/refund, or if you are able to rebook, keep your receipt, as you can reclaim extra costs (if Atol protected), through the CAA.
If you booked through XL.com with a credit card you can reclaim the costs, if with a debit card, then you are not protected unless you paid with a VISA debit card, then you can claim your lose back through the charge back method.
If you have relative abroad, easy jet are offering a one of charge of £75 per person (inclusive of tax and baggage charge), also bookable from the U.K, phone the easy jet booking line and quote XL.co.uk
Because of the situation, the ATOL website & the CAA website keep crashing, and because thier first priority is to get those people home, & the people who are due to travel in the next week, your claim or complaint will be delayed.
BMI & RYAN air have also pledged planes to get those protected home.

[Paule]

Re: XL Collapse: Who To Call For Help

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Moneybox | Payout dispute delays XL refunds

Payout dispute delays XL refunds


More than half of the 60,000 XL customers who have sought refunds are still waiting for their money six months after the firm's collapse.
The issue has been complicated by a dispute between Atol and the banks over who should pay some of the claims.
Atol wants credit card providers to refund anyone who paid for all or part of the holiday with their cards.
But some banks are telling these customers to seek refunds from Atol instead.
Many XL customers thought they had two types of protection when the travel group collapsed in September.
Firstly, the Civil Aviation Authority's Atol compensation scheme, which most travel agents are signed up to.
Secondly, if they paid by credit card, they believed their credit card company would be liable under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
Frustration
XL customer Shirley from Suffolk booked a holiday to Florida for her extended family costing £6,000.
She paid the deposit on her Tesco credit card and other members of the family paid the balance.

She had first applied to Atol to get her money back but three months later Atol told her to go to Tesco to get her full refund.
Then, after a further three month wait, Tesco Personal Finance wrote to say it was not refunding her and advised her to seek her money back from Atol.
Shirley told BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme she was frustrated: "I think whatever way you pay for a holiday, you should be able to get your money back. It seems like nobody wants to take responsibility."
Atol wanted Shirley to claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which holds credit card companies liable for goods or services which are not received, even if just the deposit was paid for this way.
'Legal right'
The payment card industry says it reached an agreement with Atol several years ago over who should pay out in these situations.
The umbrella body - the UK Cards Association - has written to its members to remind them of their obligations.
The organisation's Sandra Quinn admits some customers do not know which way to turn: "I think there has been quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between Atol and the credit card companies.

Those people who've paid by credit card have a legal right to claim from their credit card company."
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it has paid out £20m to more than 20,000 claimants. It said it was hoping to settle claims by September.
The CAA's David Clover admitted where there is a dispute with a card company over who pays out, some customers may have to resort to the Financial Ombudsman Service in order to obtain their refund.
"We are seeing some claimants coming back to us having gone to their credit card companies. We will review all these cases. The Financial Ombudsman Service may well have a role in this as well," he said.
BBC Radio 4's Money Box was broadcast on Saturday 11 April at 1204 BST.
The programme will be repeated on Sunday 12 April at 2102 BST.