I can’t bloomin believe it – we got caught out last year with Freedom Direct and, with one week to go, now this …..

We even booked this year with a Tour Operator instead of an Internet Booking.

At least we knew this time to pay by Credit Card.

Just still can’t believe it ………. here we go again.

Bobbyboo

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Our travel agent called us last night.

They have been fantastic but we are all so so so unhappy that our lovely turkish holiday will not now happen.

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Notes for Travelers

1. Those overseas. Your holiday should continue as normal. If the hotel charge you, keep a receipt and you can claim this back from the CAA in England.

2. Those due to travel
Do not go to the airport
Goildtrail / Sunmar traded mostly though agents. If you book this way contact your agent.

Find and KEEP all your paperwork. You will be able to make a claim though the CAA and this will take 6 -12 weeks from the time your claim is received. (Expect a little delay due to size of tour operator). NOTE the CAA does not acknowledge your claim; do not contact them for them to do this. (Send the claim record delivery)

The CAA has made a few changes since the problems with slow claims before and this will be the first test of the changes.

(Darren will check back every few hours to answer questons anything urgent contact me direct).

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Why were we not told that they were struggling when we booked our holiday???? We only booked it on Thursday as a late deal!!!!!!!

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Gutted. We were due to fly to Bodrum next week and this morning woke up to the news that we would not be going. Like most families we save up all year. How long would you expect for it to take for the money to be refunded?

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I cannot believe that this happening to us again. We are becoming experienced at applying for refunds when companies go bust

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we r due 2 fly 6 /7/10 booked by internet flight hotel would i b able juse 2 go a head and book another flight ? plz help x

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Good riddance!!!!!!! I feel sorry for those who have lost out on their holiday or are stranded abroad. I would not want to be stranded in some of the awful hotels that they put holidaymakers into.

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sorry its the 7 /9 /10 just dont know wot 2 do ? do i go book another flight orwhat ?

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we booked online as a package wiv sun4u website x

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It is not nice waking up 2 days before your holiday to find that it is ruined. The kids are miserable, I am miserable and the bloody weather outside is miserable! We booked by credit card so is it quicker to get the money back from the bank???

Thx 4 your help

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thank u and tryin 2 get throw 2 sun4u x

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@ kellie – If you have booked though any company except goldtrail or sunmar you used an agent you need to contact them.

@Becky
“Why were we not told that they were struggling when we booked our holiday???? ”

Because the rules say you can not be told if a company is in trouble and your money is protected.

Rumors can cause a lot of problems and can cause Company’s to go bust when they should not. A good example of this is Cosmos a company that has traded well (in profit) for over 60 years, a rumor was started and they now because of that made their first loss ever. (They are not in trouble have billions backing them and loss was small..and now well on the way to making a profit again).

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I came here when Freedom Direct went bust and I cannot believe that I am having to go through all this again with Goldtrail. How long do you think it will take for them to refund out money – it took 7 months last time.

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i have had 2 book new flight and no chance 4 ne refund it suck

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Good advice (as usual) from Nick. Those that are on Holiday at present will be able to continue their holiday and will be repatriated on the day that their holiday ends.
Unfortunatly with this Scenario as Goldtrail operated sub-standard hotels often advertised as 5 sun all – Inclusives that were probably not even worthy of 1 Sun, I expect that Clients might be Kicked out of Hotels or are looking for alternatives, as Nick as mentioned make sure you keep all receipts.

Yet again we are hearing of Clients who booked Cheap Flights with Goldtrail, booked Seperate accommodation with somebody else and stand to loose out on a £1,500.00 (or more) non-reclaimable costs. serves them right.

Hopefully Clients will realise that if You Book a Complete Package With a good reputable Independent Travel Agency, you have complete peace of mind and 100% protection in the event of a failure.
Also, as with ourselves, we would never have booked clients with an Operator like Goldtrail in the first place. We have never sold or even racked them

The Old Saying, if it looks too good to be true, It usually Is ,Certainly applied to Goldtrail, and unfortunatly Clients Want to pay less and less and now don’t understand what the true value of a Package holiday should cost.

Operators , Agents and Clients have to get out of this Discount Culture, So that Clients can get back to booking Quality and Value for money holiday, instead of Volume and Cheap prices which invariably are going to be a Holiday from Hell and the Tour operator going to the wall.

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@ Kellie

You should get a refund. Goldtrail sold all flights 100% atol. Contact the CAA ATOL for more details using the link darren has posted.

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hi,we booked the flight with goldtrail through travel republic,we booked the accomadation and transfers with them so i’m assuming we booked a package.travel republic sent me an email saying that goldtrail had gone into administration and for us to contact the caa and claim the flight costs back from atol but surely travel republic should be doing this because they booked the flight for us.Is it possible for me to claim the whole amount back that we paid travel republic on the debit card chargeback scheme?I read on the news that there had been some rumblings for months that goldtrail was in trouble.the same thing happened to us with excel airways,there was an indication that they were going to the wall months before it did but they were allowed to take peoples money right up to th e end.the government needs to put a stop to this practice at once.

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cant beleve what has happend we were due 2 fly on 4sept for 2weeks booked with coop travel agents they gave me a claim form & said they could not help me no sorry nothing i havent got a clue help

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You are all whinging about your holiday and I am without a job

You will get your money back but I will not get my job back!

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I cannot believe this is happening!!!!!!

A group of us have saved up all year to go on our first holiday together and it is ruined

How long will it take to get our money back???

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I booked my package holiday with lowcostholiday. if iput a claim in, would i get refunded for the holiday or just flights???

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Further bad news is that Monster Travel ceased trading on 15/7/10.

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me and my family are due to fly out a week on tuesday. i booked with sun4udirect and they have not sent an email to me letting me know my flights have been cancelled i found out through a friend that is going same time but booked through onthebeach which they sent her an email. do i wait for them to contact me? i have tried ringing but not getting through please help!!!!

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Hi I book through holiday gems and was due to go on Monday but they cannot get me a flight for these dates. In stead of cancelling they have moved my holiday to a later date.
But I am still waiting for comfirmation. I am so scared now but promised my kids a holiday this year. Is thi ok can they move my holiday around or are they playing with my money and will i be let down again advice needed.

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please can you help me my parents are over in turkey now will they be ok and will they get back ok will they have to pay as they are supost to be all inclusive so have not much money on them im very worryed being over here in england. They are due back on thurs22 july

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We were due to fly out 16th of August. Can’t afford to re book flights so now me and my family will be stuck at home. Its not only the financial upset its also the emotional one especially when you have kids who are looking forward to their holiday and the preperation that goes into the holiday such as time off work etc…. poor people who are stuck out in turkey its no way to treat human beings at all its all shameful.

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hiya we booked our holiday thro hays travel and we r or were to go 5/10/10 my travel agent phoned me yesterday and informed me that goldtrail have gone bust our holiday was flights transfers and hotel with goldtrail do we try to rebook another holiday without anymore cost to us or do we have to claim our money bk then rebook i dont understand what we are supposed to do.i would b grateful for any information as the more i read and c on the news the more i feel out on a limb as to what to do thanks

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just been informed by my travel agent that we are not going to get an alternative holiday we have to claim our money back i am beside myself with anger as i have been on websites that have stated that some of the travel agents stopped selling goldtrail holidays last year and also it has been reported that they were in trouble months ago so i would like to know why some travel agents still selling these holidays to unsuspecting people

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Hi Paul,

My travel company could not get me new flights but have offered the same holiday at a later date I excepted but I am still awaiting comfirmation. I am just worried now..
I feel so sorry for all the people.
Am I safe can you tell me are Global Travel part of Goldtrail or are they a seperate company? As my Tour operater are Global Travel who booked flights with Goldtrail.
I thought it would be a easy option to take the holiday later do you think I was wise or is this a mistake your advice welcome.

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My Stepson and his friend are staying at our villa in Turkey at present and are due to fly home next Sunday with Saga Airlines (Booked through On the Beach/Goldtrail).
Can you please advise what they should do? Wait for updates from the CAA website??

Will there flight booking still be in place with Saga? Or will another flight need to be found? Cheers

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IMPORTANT: For customers with flights booked via Goldtrail and accommodation booked elsewhere. Before rebooking make sure you speak to your agent/operator to check they have not already rebooked you. (If they have you could be out of pocket for any flights you book on your own if you do not check this.)

ANY customer in resort needs to speak to the rep (if flight only stay in contact with CAA as advice above) as the CAA will announce return flights in next few days depending on when you’re flying home. Around lunch time (UK) today the CAA will post tomorrow’s flights and then work forward from there day by day

Good news Olympic Holidays will accept deeds of assignments. This means you can book a holiday with them and send them the deed and the will take the value of your Goldtrail holiday from your new booking.

@ Ron

Monster Travel is a different case all there holidays are being handled by Freedom Group and will carry on as normal. There is no effect on customers, just the 100 staff odd that lost there job.

@Sarah

Global Travel is a totally separate company and their parent company makes the likes of Thomson look small.

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“Yet again we are hearing of Clients who booked Cheap Flights with Goldtrail, booked Seperate accommodation with somebody else and stand to loose out on a £1,500.00 (or more) non-reclaimable costs. serves them right.”
Quote from Lee Harrison above

Well Lee, what a ridiculous thing to say, that it serves somebody right that they are losing all that money, just because they booked separately. What an ignorant, know it all man you are! nobody deserves to lose out on money in these circumstances, and your comments are just ridiculous!

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“Well Lee, what a ridiculous thing to say, that it serves somebody right that they are losing all that money, just because they booked separately. What an ignorant, know it all man you are! nobody deserves to lose out on money in these circumstances, and your comments are just ridiculous!”

Well said Andrea…!!!!

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@ Andrea. What Lee has said has been stated over and over on Travelrants, TV and newspapers. The Trade is fed up of this double standard and the “Government” needs to sort this out. The only winners are airlines who save billions in not having to protect there customers. (But then we only been saying this since 1992 so who knows.)

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Dear Darren,

I booked with sun4u – an ATOL bonded flight & hotel “package”- flight with goldtrail, hotel with hotel beds turkey. Booked last wednesday party of 3 – due to go 31 July.

I have tried to call sun4u several times over the last 3 days and I have e-mailed them, but they are not responding. Has anyone managed to get through to them? Unlike onthebeach and travel republic they have not put anything on their website about the goldtrail situation.

I think my flight costs will be refunded through CAA but I have no idea what to do about the hotel costs. Getting another flight would cost too much.

I paid with visa, I have insurance – what would you do if you were me?

Thanks

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Hi
I booked with goldtrail, through bookable holidays. I have called them several times and keep being told that someone will call me with in the next few days to explain everything. I paid for the holiday with a credit card, i have called my credit card company to see if they can cancel the payment or refund me. They told me they can not refund me. I have read about section 75, is it possible to claim the money back from my credit card company?

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I booked a package with Qwerty Travel costing £2400 for 6 people by credit card, but had the email today saying the Onur flights were with Goldtrail. This was a shock as none of the email confirmations even mentioned Goldtrail and I haven’t received anything by post even though I booked at the end of May. I phoned Qwerty Travel and they say I have to pay the cost of the flights again £1430 plus £50 extra per person to fly with Kiss, who I’ve never heard of, totalling £300, then claim the flights back. This will mean I will have paid £4230 up front, which I can’t afford! I know I will eventually get £1430 back, but I have lost faith in the whole system and would prefer to just cancel the holiday altogether. Can I do this, or will they say the flights and accomodation are separate? Can they charge me to do this? I can’t find any definitive answer online. When do you claim with ATOL and when with the credit card? Thanks for any advice.

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hi john

i booked with sun 4 u aswell due to go turkey 27th july just the same as you my flights was with goldtrail and my hotel with hotel beds. i tried ringing the 0844 number but gave up as i was on the phone for over an hour and still couldnt get through. so i rang the booking number which is 0800 091 3280 and got through. i was trying to get some more flights but they are too expensive which is ridiculous i have decided now to wait for refund and go somewhere next year.

does anyone know whether the caa will refund me on my whole holiday or just the flights
and also on the caa form they need your company who i booked with to sign parts of the form what do i do if its an online company like mine.

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Hi, we booked our holiday through ” On the Beach “, our flights were Goldtrail. We have an email saying to claim back flight monies and book more flights. As we spent all our hard earned cash on the package we cant afford to simply re-book flights for a family of 5 @ 300 per person. We have requested that on the beach refund us as much as they can muster from the accomodation and then try and salvage a cheaper holiday from that. Have we done the right thing ? Im worried that we will loose the money now !! Not being able to get in touch with anybody by phone doesnt help either !!

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Thank you Darren and Nick for all your help ,i feel a bit better reading all this,I guess the email was just to give you hope still you were maybe going , ive just rebooked another holiday on teletex the same dates to somewhere else and used my credit card again i cant stand the thought of sitting home for two weeks looking at the old man and my 2 teenagers looking like they have had there bubble burst so im putting this all on hold till i return , like you said you are getting your money back so thats my last chapter on it its wound me up enough, shame did love turkey hope alcudia is as beautiful ………………..

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Hi Everyone, just to update you from my previous rant. I phoned Qwerty Travel again this morning finally got a result. As you know, I thought I’d bought a package but it turns out Qwerty is an agent and I have 2 separate contracts with Goldtrail for flights and someone else for the hotel. I asked for refund details and they are going to refund the cost of the hotel accomodation minus £50 cancellation fee. I hope you will be reassured to know that the whole of the flights cost is refundable via CAA who have sent them forms to fill in their part and will forward on to us to fill our bit in. We also don’t get the credit card fee of £53.62 back, but overall with a loss of £103.62, its not too bad. I’m going to try and get that back from the credit card company, on principle, as we only booked using it for just this scenario. Fingers crossed as I bet they have a reason not to claim. We’re not booking another holiday this year, as we’ve lost trust in the whole system ie. a package holiday is not really a package holiday. I hope you all get good news and don’t lose out financially from this fiasco.

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ps. The agent said that the CAA are recommending people DON’T download the refund form themselves. The CAA are sending them to the agents to fill in their bit (including Goldtrail proof) and send it on to clients. She said this would be within the next week. You then fill in your bit, including proof of invoice (which doesn’t have to have Goldtrail on it anywhere) return it to the agent who forwards it to the CAA. Hope this helps.

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Update from John – Sun4U have contacted me and re-arranged the flight and accommodation dates. I had to pay a bit more for the flights and I will still need to claim the cost of the goldtrail flight from ATOL – but overalI am relieved with the result. Fingers crossed all the same.

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@ Andrea, Paul

Darren I hope you will allow my right to reply, and thanks to Nick for his comments.

Quote from Andrea.

“Well Lee, what a ridiculous thing to say, that it serves somebody right that they are losing all that money, just because they booked separately. What an ignorant, know it all man you are! nobody deserves to lose out on money in these circumstances, and your comments are just ridiculous!”

Ignorant, certainly not, and Know it all certainly not.

I’d like to think i’m an honest person, and with our clients we try to match holidays to their requirements NOT ours, I Would also prefer to tell a client if we didn’t feel right about a holiday they might of chosen, suggesting something that would suit their needs better.

but unfortunatly there will always be clients that think they can save money by not booking with an Agent, and they will buy Flights and accommodation Seperatly which are not protected. Despite informing clients that if they book this way they are not likely to be covered under The Travel Protection Laws or the ATOL System, they will still go ahead and book despite this advice, so YES does it not serve them right if it all goes Pear shaped having been informed of the likely cosequences?

The sooner that Holidaymakers understand The Package Laws as they are at the moment and realise a Holiday consisting of Flights,Transfers and accommodation all booked at the same time with 1 agent and Operator, offers them 100% Protection the better.

The Sooner the Laws are changed so that EVERYBODY(including DIY) is protected the better, and Hopefully this change will come, but it’s NOT THERE YET and as some have posted above they have booked on the Internet or Teletext and Don’t know if what they have booked is actually a package. My Best advice is get to know your local Independent Travel Agent, don’t treat them as an enemy, become their friend almost, and more importantly make sure your holiday arrangements are 100% protected.

BACK ON TOPIC DARREN. ( information from Bev Fearis, Travelmole)

The Turkish Municipality of MUGLA ( Where most Goldtrail customers would be)

The Governorship of Mugla is instructing worried holidaymakers to call +90 (0)252 214 1234 or from Turkey call the Mugla Call and Information Centre by dialling 179 from any landline.
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said it is working hard to assist affected customers in Turkey. It said the crisis centre is designed to ensure holidaymakers can continue their holidays in Turkey and return home at the end of their stay.

The crisis centre will give customers the latest information about hotels and apart hotels that have been booked by Goldtrail customers and can advise travellers accordingly.
Information desks have been set up at all airports in the affected region to advise and inform passengers regarding their return home. The CAA is making arrangements for customers abroad to travel home at the end of their holidays. The majority of flights from Turkey are expected to operate as planned.

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@ Collette
There is no a simple answer this is why the system is such a mess.

If the price of your hotel is shown anywhere separate to your flight then you are not on a package. As they have said you need to book new flights (kiss is a big company) it sounds like you purchased flights and hotel as separate items and not a package.

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If you booked via a website most have FAQ’s about goldtrail. These do answer a lot of questons that have been asked here.

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We went to Bodrum airport yesterday to pick up another visitor and whilst there tried to find out information about a On The Beach/Goldtrail/Saga flight due to return to Gatwick next Sunday for other family.
Could not see any information desks for help, so asked a rep from another travel company (even though not his problem) He gave us an emergency Goldtrail number to phone in the Uk – but suprise, suprise – no answer!!
Think we will wait for the CAA updates as no money to pay again for 2 teenagers!!.

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update on my holiday with goldtrail booked thro hays travel because we arnt going or were going till 5th oct all those customers who were going after 25th sept can have their money bk less deposit which we claim from caa so a bit of good luck for us at least i feel sorry for all those customers who are stuck as i know i was gutted on sunday when i got told but its only because i questioned the 2 invoices i had 1 from hays and the other 1 from goldtrail which had 2 dates for the balance to be paid hope this might give hope to some other people

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Hi. I booked a holiday through Holidayclick on wednesday, found out yesterday that my flights were with Goldtrail. They told me that I had to rebook my flights as my accommodation still stands, and that I will get the extra money back through a Supplier Excess Insurance they have plus the ATOL refund of my original flights. I didn’t do it as I hadn’t heard of this and started looking into new flight myself – £250 with Monarch, however they were telling me £450 which means I have to pay another £900 now that I might get back in 6 months. I’ve asked if I can book my flights independently but they say that I will then have to pay more for my accommodation as it was a package. Surely if it was a package, this means it was all with Goldtrail and I am covered under ATOL for all of it? My invoice separates flights and accomm. I feel like they are trying to cash in on the situation rather than helping people.

I realise that compared to some people my situation isn’t so bad as once I book new flights, paid the extra accom they are asking for and got my ATOL refund then I’ll only be a few hundred pounds out of pocket, but I don;t know what my rights are. I’ve also asked if I can cancel the holiday but they say that I would then only get £75 each back – I presume plus the flight costs

Thanks

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@Sarah

Holidayclick can not have both cuts of the pie. It is a package in which case they have to get your new flights and they pay for them. If it not a package they have to let you buy the flights yourself.

My suggeston is e-mail them and ask if you can buy the flights independently. If they reply saying no it a package. E-mail them back and tell them they have to find you a flight and not charge you extra (they can offer a full refund instead) or you will contact ATOL (details on the website link in orginal post) and inform them. The CAA will take legal action if it comes to it.

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I only booked last week with on the beach and not yet received a goldtrail invoice just the confirmation email from on the beach which states it is through goldtrail along with the receipts. I booked to go on 7th sept 2010. I sent my claims form in already but it does ask for the invoice which I have not received even though it shows on back statement to on the beach, will my claim still go through?

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@pria

On the Beach is a travel agent. There is a section on the claim form they have to complete as well once you have completed yours. So if you have no invoice and this section has not been completed your claim will not go though.

This goes for anyone who booked though an Agent you must return the form to them after it is completed for them to send to ATOL.

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thanks Nick..much appreciated….I have now received the invoice from goldtrail should i resend a new claims form or wait till they ask for it (as i have already put a claim in)…thanks

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My cousins and I had booked a package holiday to go to turkey at the end of august the flights were only booked with goldtrail and the hotel separate we have rang up the company and they have advised us to hold on a few weeks to see if they can find us flights as our hotel is still safe, we had paid for the full holiday up front so i would like to know if this company are going to be paying for our flights as we have already paid full price for hotel and flights?? thanks

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I booked through Holiday Gems to go to Turkey for 2 weeks in september, but my flights are with thomas cook…. and my hotel is the Litera Beach Resort in Gumbet…… Am i alrite or do i need to start lookin at other arrangements……….. Also i would like to say a big sorry to all those who lost their jobs, and wish them all the luck in the world.

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I booked my holiday through On the Beach on 15/7/10 to leave for Turkey on 31st July. I only found out on the following Monday that Goldtrail had gone into administration, by which point alternative flights were far too expensive (about £200 more than originally booked). I couldn’t afford this, meaning I then had to cancel my entire holiday. I informed OTB of this, who said that they would try and keep my cancellation fees to a minimum. I received an email from them today with details of my hotel refund, and found that I have been charged over £75! I really don’t see this to be a ‘minimum’ cancellation cost, I thought it would be at most about £30. I have emailed them querying this and am waiting to hear back. I have also been informed by the transfers company ‘Resort Hoppa’ that I am not eligible for any refund as I cancelled within 2 weeks of the first transfer. It was only £30, but this brings my total losses to £105, which may be fine for some, but I cannot afford that at all. I don’t know what to do next – considering contacting my bank to find out about the Visa Debit charge back scheme…

Any advice would be REALLY useful! Thanks

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@Sarah I’m Just Interested to know how you booked your holiday with OTB and What terms and conditions you knew of that applied to your booking before confirming the booking. It might be worth Looking up the terms and conditions of your booking again, and picking through it with a fine tooth comb or did you book it thinking it was a complete Package Holiday?

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@ Craig. See who provided your trip by looking at your invoice, if it is goldtrail or any associated company you need to book again. If you do not have one or have more questions contact ABTA for advice.

@Sarah, Answering lee would be helpful. Though The CAA has lost the court case they been trying to make this illegal for a few years. (The courts say it is fine to do this to you).

If you do not agree customers should be left with bills each time a company goes bust. Write to your MP, point this out and the Fact that ABTA and the CAA have said this is wrong and are campaigning to have the law changed since 1994. ( I find it amazing the governments own department says this is wrong and has done for over 10 years but the government will not do anything about it).

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@ Pria, sorry missed your comment. I would contact On The Beach for advice.

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Hi, i know this isnt a goldtrail booking, its a sun4u another company collapse but cant find anywhere else who can help me,so here goes: please can anyone help me, im just not getting any answers from anywhere. I booked through sun4u to majorca calador on 14 september for a week, they sent me invoices and they are stamped ATOL and ABTA protected on them at the top but what i thought was a package holiday it turns out they booked my apartment through someone called hotel beds who are spanish (rang them and they say been paid for fully by sun 4u in my name) but they wouldnt tell me who i was flying with all i knew was from east midland, after many calls they eventually gave me flight times and said have no flight number as we charter our own planes. Id find out nearer the time. So i have no idea who i was supposedly meant to fly with so i cant ring any airline to see if my booking still stands, lost the transfers i believe as they were with bluebird at a cost of £15. Ive rang ATOl and asked if im comvered due to the seperate booking that sun4u have done on my behalf and all they will say is youve got the ATOL stamp on your paperwork so i think your covered, think????? Also said can take up to 2 years if i covered to get money back??? Ive send claim form in but im so unsure as to whether i will get the money back, any ideas??? If i knew id definitely get money back and they will confirm that and tell me an approx time til when i receive money back into my account (for example in a months time) id book another holiday but i cant do this as i have no money to pay for a holiday without receiving the other money i paid out back. Can anyone help me please??????

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Helen

It is hard to say without seeing your paperwork if your covered or not. The easiest advice I can suggest is to go see a travel agent. Be polite and they may give you advice for free (an ABTA or TTA independent tends to be better for this). We tend to charge £10 for advice for non customers.

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