XL holidays about to go tits up

[Herr Tubthumper]

Do other countries suffer from this?

 

[binky]

I am a merchant, and pay 2.1% and my turnover is a piss in the ocean compared to these companies, and theres no way they more than 2%, more likely as low as 1% so theres profit in this 3% charge they make.

That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

There waS TALK a while ago that this charge was going to be made illegal, but i dont know what come of that

Why would it be illegal?
It's one company charging another for a service provided.

 

[Beach Hut]

You don't spend £4000 in Next when you make a purchase though, do you? Or maybe you do.

Regardless, the money (which is a charge, not a tax as you stated above) recompenses the merchant for the charge levied by the card payment provider for allowing them to accept the payment by credit card.

When your margins are wafer thin, taking a £120 charge for making a £4000 sale would sting you considerably.

But no-one is under any obligation to use a credit card to make a travel booking, but if you are paying cash, or equivalent, make sure you are buying a package, or similar, from an ABTA or ATOL bonded agent or operator. Do not buy flight only direct with the airline in this way as if they do go bust, you're money is gone.

I suspect Mrs Hut spends £4k in next

OK I say tax as that is Easy Jet used to call ot, just think there needs to be some consistency here either all retailers charge it or not

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.



Why would it be illegal?
It's one company charging another for a service provided.

I guess if someone is telling you they are passing on a cost ....but it is the cost plus more then it is misleading at the very least.

Why do we need to be told the fuel surcharge, VISA costs etc? Is anyone interested? Ah yes, the HMRC are wrt BA and Virgin.

 

[desprateseagull]

about tiem DEBIT cards had the same protection-

the banks already have your money..

 

[Cian]

Do other countries suffer from this?

Those where its not illegal, yes.

 

[Cian]

Why book a holiday with a company/travel agent in the first place? They're only going to rip you off.

For a 'two weeks in the sun' holiday if can often be very difficult to find a cheaper price unless you're:

a: able to use the net
b: extremely flexible over dates

Buying a pre-made package with all the bulk discounts that having 300 people doing the same thing gives people who can't be bothered going through price comparison sites and want to take a specific two weeks the ability to get a cheap holiday. If you can do a: and b: you'll get a cheaper deal online...

 

[Icy Gull]

Good points. Seeing as I am both a AND b I wouldn't dream of going to a travel agent, but I suppose you're right. I prefer the "book easyjet flights 6 months in advance then worry about the hotel later" method.

When you can afford a PROPER holiday which involves multi sector flights and decent hotels in various resorts with transfers, you'd be a mug NOT to use a travel agent though

 

[Bozza]

Just remembered - Next may not charge you to process your card payment, but Ikea do.

 

[Mr Burns]

Why would it be illegal?
It's one company charging another for a service provided.

Something to do with profitering. I'm not exactly sure of the ins and outs, but it revolved around the fact you could take a dbit card transaction and get charged 25p per transaction no matter the amount, should know really, being a merchant and all!!!

 

[Tooting Gull]

I've had better days. Letter in the post of probable redundancy. Still, at least we're off to Turkey on holiday in October. Oh. We're not.

Apparently flights only (what we had) booked with excel and on their own web site weren't ATOL protected, it's just packages with tour operators are. This seems an anomaly that needs sorting out. Only by pure chance we booked the flights on a credit rather than a debit card, so therefore hope to get the money back under 'goods not received' Credit Act legislation. Also by pure chance and lack of organisation we hadn't already paid the hotel. Flights to Dalaman have now doubled with other carriers.

In the same post my Man City ticket arrived. Funny old game.

 

[Gazwag]

Where's Jevs, is he ironing his WH shirt to get the transfer off

 

[Barrel of Fun]

When you can afford a PROPER holiday which involves multi sector flights and decent hotels in various resorts with transfers, you'd be a mug NOT to use a travel agent though

Proper holidays and resorts should not appear in the same sentence.

 

[Icy Gull]

Proper holidays and resorts should not appear in the same sentence.

Really? Are you still living the student dream on your holidays and roughing it? Upmarket holidays are fanbloodytastic imo and 9 times out of 10 there will be a resort involved imo

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Really? Are you still living the student dream on your holidays and roughing it? Upmarket holidays are fanbloodytastic imo and 9 times out of 10 there will be a resort involved in my experience

I have no intention of sharing a resort with huge numbers of fellow Brits or Europeans (depending which country I were to visit).

I guess it is very much different if you have children in tow, but I can't think of anything worse than being stuck in the same place, with the same people etc. etc.

I don't see the point in spending ££££s in upmarket hotels, when you get a real feel for the country and their customs staying at the battle front as it were.

 

[Icy Gull]

I have no intention of sharing a resort with huge numbers of fellow Brits or Europeans (depending which country I were to visit).

I guess it is very much different if you have children in tow, but I can't think of anything worse than being stuck in the same place, with the same people etc. etc.

I don't see the point in spending ££££s in upmarket hotels, when you get a real feel for the country and their customs staying at the battle front as it were.

You have a totally different perception of resorts to me then as this is the sort of thing I mean, which is not anything like you describe

Hotels Resorts in Far East - XO Private – The Luxury Travel Collection