Two holiday firms, Late Rooms and Super Break, have collapsed affecting more than 23,000 bookings and 50,000 travellers according to KPMG, which has been appointed as administrator for both firms. Most holidaymakers are yet to start their trip while 400 are currently away in the UK or abroad.
Those who booked with Super Break will have some financial back-up via the trade body Abta, but those who booked hotel rooms through Late Rooms do not.
Abta said that the “vast majority” of arrangements would be covered through Abta or their credit card companies.
“These customers will either be entitled to a refund or, if they’ve booked through another travel company, they should contact them to discuss options which may include continuing with their booking, re-booking or alternative arrangements.
“The majority of customers are yet to travel and in most cases they should be able to obtain a refund, either through Abta or another financial protection scheme, depending on the type of booking,”
However, people who booked accommodation-only through Super Break are being asked to pay again because mother company – the Malvern Group – has cancelled those bookings and only package trips are financially covered through Abta.
Super Break produced a hotel-only brochure that displayed the Abta logo even though the hotel room booking service was not covered by Abta.
Malvern Group also said Super Break holidaymakers who had bought gift vouchers would not be able to use them.
Late Rooms, which is not an Abta member, said it did not take payments directly from customers and that it anticipated bookings with accommodation suppliers were secure.
“LateRooms.com acted as an agent on behalf of your accommodation supplier, therefore we anticipate that your reservation is secure. We recommend, however, that you contact your accommodation supplier directly prior to travelling to confirm.”
What to do
Act quickly. When things go wrong it’s important you get on top of things immediately. If your holiday was arranged with Superbreak your first point of call should be The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta). Flight and accommodation bookings are protected under the Atol scheme and other transport and accommodation bookings by Abta.
I booked a holiday with Superbreak but have not yet departed
In short your holiday will be cancelled. Call your bank now and ask them to ‘charge back’ any money you’ve paid on your debit card.
If you made your booking through a travel agent or other travel company – not directly with Superbreak – then you will need to contact that company for advice and guidance.
I booked a hotel room only
Hotel room only bookings are not covered by Abta. If you’ve booked a hotel only through Superbreaks, or through an agent that’s now refusing to co-operate, you should contact your bank immediately.
If you booked through Late Rooms contact the hotel direct. Abta says that payments were made directly to the hotels and therefore bookings should go ahead as planned.
I am currently on a Superbreak holiday
Don’t panic. You should be able to continue with your trip as planned as package holidays have financial protection. This means you’re entitled to claim a refund or to be brought home if the worst happens.
Who to contact and useful forms
If your holiday includes a flight, you will need to contact the CAA directly to make a claim for your booking.
If you have booked a holiday which includes accommodation and travel (excluding flights) and you paid by credit or debit card, you should be able to claim through your credit card company. This will be under Section 75 (between £100 and £30,000).
If your credit card company asks you for a referral letter from ABTA for your claim, you can download a letter here. If you paid by debit card please click here.
If you paid Superbreak by any other way, you will need to make a claim from ABTA, you can do this through this link: abta.com/claims.
Anyone experiencing difficulties can contact ABTA on 020 3117 0553.
CAA’s helpline for anyone currently overseas is 0333 103 6350.
Source : https://www.thetravelmagazine.net/travel-companies-late-rooms-and-super-break-collapse-causing-holiday-havoc-for-thousands/
