“On The Beach are refusing to refund package holiday flights that are to destinations with advise against travel.
ABTA disagree with this approach. And so did On The Beach 6 months ago. They've changed the wording recently, but looking at archived websites we can see their stance was...
" "If after you have booked a package holiday the government advises against travel to your chosen destination, then you are protected. In these circumstances we will try to find you alternative travel arrangements but if that is not possible, or you do not want to accept the alternative arrangements, then you will be offered a full refund."
So, they are breaking their own terms and I suggest anyone affected (and who booked pre-pandemic) to try to get the money back through their bank.
For those wondering whether to book a holiday with them.... don't! Ever!
Never will use t”
“People beware if you get a confirmation email they'll ask you if you want to confirm or cancel very misleading triple check you're answer. This company is a massive scam no communication at all impossible to call them, never reply to emails. I don't recommend this company to anyone as I said massive scam, how can these people look themselves in the mirror.”
“We booked a holiday to Egypt (Hurghada ) in December with On the beach. The phone call cost me £19 because the lady I was talking to put me on hold. Fuming when I saw that cost on my phone bill.
We are due to fly on the 4th September, Foreign Office saying essential travel only, so still Tui flights are showing they are going. We are supposed to pay the final instalment this week coming, but don't want to if its getting cancelled. No communication from them at all.”
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. Our customer service number (0371) is a free phone number so if there are any charges, this will have come from your phone provider.
Unfortunately if the flights weren't cancelled by the airline, we're unable to claim for a refund. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused. - Wendy
“Absolute crooks - stay well away. Can’t get any response whatsoever as to the status of our holiday. They are happy to take new bookings and well earned money but DONT respond to any enquiries due to pandemic !!! You’ve been warned !!”
“Very poor communication, just like the sister company sunshine holidays, they are taking people's money before You've hard a chance to cancel. Been had by sunshine and on the beach now in the space of 6 months. So looking for all avenues of letting the people know what this company if doing.”
“We have a holiday booked for 19th August to Tenerife and have been trying to rearrange or cancel our holiday from beginning of July. We have stopped all payments to them as we do not want to go and do not feel it is safe to take our family. OTB have now said we must pay ALL the money and that our holiday is going ahead. All travel to Spain must be essential, going on holiday is NOT essential. They have only responded to our Messages when demanding payment. They are absolute crooks! We do not know what to do. We complained to ABTA and they were also very unhelpful.
Would be interested to hear anyone in the same situation and what you have done?”
“I will never book
With these con artists again ... I have just complained to abta and awaiting a response .Due to fly to Spain on 29 th of this month , not replying to my messages , I can’t get through on the phone ... I’ve actually now had to cancel my bank card so they can’t even take the rest of the money and now I’ll probably get a Black mark next to my name for that too . Nearly half the holiday cost to cancel it and not even messaged me back to see if I can change it to next year but I expect after reading these that will be double the cost too. Absolutely fuming and I will not be paying one more penny, I know three other people who have just took the hit and lost hundreds as they had no reply , never again !”
“Have used in past and never had an issue , but the way they are dealing with us as customers during Covid is appalling and I shall not ever use again or recommend !”
“Bad customer service, never get back to you
If anyone out there is thinking of booking a holiday, please stay clear of on the beach, since this COVID-19, I have tried to cancel our holiday to Turkey, which after so many attempts to contact them, they cancelled hotel and flights home, but couldn’t cancel flights going ? So they decided to leave flight going still live, and cancel the rest ??? Then we got a call from them and we move it to same time next year? Two bookings as going with daughter and her family ( to large of a group to go in one booking) so it’s 2 bookings, to be told it’s gone up by nearly £600, which we expected, to then be told a further deposit off £500 nearly to be paid ( we’ve been paying our last holiday from feb this year ) so surly enough has been paid off it to make a deposit for sept 21 !!!!!
To then find out it’s 2 separate hotels they booked us into, this was not a computer it was a lady on the end of a phone ???
Email after email after email have I sent customer service is the worst ever
But can send emails to say my deposit hasn’t been paid on a nightly base !!!!
Anybody this this is strange because I do”
Hi Jeanette, thanks for getting in touch. I'm sorry to hear this. The cost we quote to you to change the dates of a booking comes from the suppliers. In order to change the booking with the airline, they require the payment up front unfortunately. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thanks. - Wendy
“We booked a holiday for this year in September to Majorca. We’ve been enquiring for months to change the dates to September next year. Constantly phoning and emailing for months with no response - they finally replied and now to change it to next year the price has DOUBLED?! Obviously we do not want to pay double the price so are now faced with a £333 cancellation fee (£111 per couple). Will never ever use this company again.”
Hi Polly, thanks for getting in touch. I'm sorry to hear this. The cost we quote to you to change the dates of a booking comes from the suppliers. I do apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thanks. - Wendy
“Like some of the reviews, we had a great faultless holiday with OTB in early 2019 but OTB cancelled our holiday to Tenerife which was due in May 2020. Several emails to them give the impression in their response that the are waiting to be reimbursed. Come on OTB do the decent thing and give us back our money. I doubt that we'll be seeing OTB as a travel company any more.”
“I have spoken directly to EasyJet via phone and had confirmation via email that they have refunded our flights to On the Beach- yet they still not responded regarding our flight refund. Therefore are holding our funds.
I've never found a company to not answer phone, email or messaging especially during this hard time.
Will never book with OTB again! Tui dealt with much better.”
“Ive recently booked booked holiday with on the beach .first time.made some amendments but have heard anything from them status of my request is still pending. And im travelling in 7 weeks.tried email and phone calls no luck.i hope i get response before i travel.ive never experienced anything like this before. 0 communication.noy very helpful. Automated phone lines.”
“I won’t ever book with on the beach again. I had my holiday cancelled in June due to COVID 19, still waiting for my refund . Every message I have sent I get an automated reply back . They don’t answer the phone either. Every automated email seems to be blaming the airlines for the delay with peoples refunds !”
“Avoid at all cost. Hotel cancelled, booked us into an adults only hotel and spa and we have 2 toddlers, which are on the booking confirmation. We contacted the new hotel to be told 4 adults had been booked in. OTB told us we are not eligible for a full refund as the hotel is not a significant part of the holiday and they have found a suitable alternative. 😑
We tried to amend the dates For next year and charged nearly £700 more, and with an admin fee. I have asked for a call every other day as the call centre is blocked and nothing, this has been going on for about 3 months and our holiday is in 7 weeks. I have made a complaint to ABTA and I will be following on from what another very angry customer said and going to my local MP.
I understand there is a crisis but seriously the customer service is horrendous.
DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM”
“due to of travelled to mallorca 19th july hotel booked and paid for in full oct 2019 with OTB i contacted the hotel to ffind out it was closed during our stay so tried to contact OTB everyway i could we never and still havnt had no contact we never travelled as we had no options of another hotel and when we trid to book other hotels the bookings were cancelled as not open we are a couple in our late seventies who if our daughter hadnt checked would of turned up in mallorca with no accomadation absolutely disgraceful customer service we will never book with this company again”
“Avoid! Holiday cancelled by otb in April. I have sent numerous emails, tweets, dm's with no reply apart 'from TUI still have not refunded your flight money'. RUBBISH! 4 months on...where is my money? Thieves!”
“Do not use. I have sent about 6 emails through manage my booking and nothing all they do is send a standard reply if at all but it doesn’t answer query.
Tried to ring and too busy to take calls. It’s amazing I work for NHS and through this pandemic we still worked and saw patients yet on the beach can’t even be bothered. Quick enough to take the money but customer service is disgusting when a problem. Never use them again!”
“Have the same issue like most customers here. Holiday cancelled due to COVID and no refund given, though I spoke to Ryanair and they confirmed that they have refunded OTB for my flights weeks ago. OTB sent me an email to come claim my refund, which I did, and the message said that it will be credited to my card within 3-7 working days, This never happened, and now this refund is simply gone from my account saying there are no refunds associated with my booking. On top of that this amount now appears in the payment section of my booking, as if I need to pay that amount, but not get it refunded, though holiday was cancelled back in March... I complained to ABTA. I hope we all get our money back and this company gets shut for zero transparency, zero communication and scamming people...”
