The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, many hotel and travel businesses have refused to refund holidaymakers, with some left out of pocket for large sums.

Just this week, a UK family who booked a £17,000 chalet in France were told they couldn’t rebook, or receive a refund even though they couldn’t attend the venue due to the lockdowns in each country.

The UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) which offers free advice and help to consumers who’ve bought goods or services in the EU, Norway and Iceland, has seen a surge in queries from concerned holidaymakers looking for refunds for their cancelled holidays.

Andy Allen, service director at UK ECC, said: “This unprecedented pandemic has led to an enormous increase in consumers attempting to cancel or rebook their holidays. Sadly, many hotels are refusing either option and leaving some holidaymakers out of pocket with substantial sums.

“If the holiday venue cancels then it’s an entirely different story altogether, but in many cases, venues are refusing to cancel, or rebook. I advise consumers in this situation to contact UK ECC, as there may be options to try and get back some if not all of their fees, or to gain reward vouchers as a form of repayment.”

You can email UK ECC here: eccnet-uk@ec.europa.eu