Berlin (dpa/tmn)
Construction noise instead of the sound of the sea, a closed beach or occupied hotel rooms – a dream vacation can quickly turn out to be a bad booking. Travel deficiencies should be reported immediately. But how?
Whether broken toilet in the hotel room, missing sea view or noise. Travelers do not have to put up with shortcomings on vacation. On the contrary: package holidaymakers in particular should always report defects immediately – at best on site – to the travel agent and ask for remedial action.
Mold growth, unfulfilled booking requests or an overbooked hotel: If you ask for a remedy, the organizer must first have the opportunity to eliminate the problem as quickly as possible. A reasonable period of time must be set for this. Otherwise the money won’t go back into your wallet, but stays with the organizer. The consumer center Berlin draws attention to this.
Don’t forget to document the defect. That works with photos and videos. It is also helpful to have the problems confirmed by staff – for example in the hotel – or to write down contacts of other travelers who can attest to this.
How much money can I get back?
If the organizer cannot solve the problem, the travel guests are entitled to a subsequent reduction in the travel price – the ADAC advises that a registered letter with a return receipt be sent to the organizer. In the letter, the defects are described in detail again and the proportionate repayment is demanded accordingly.
The amount of the reduction depends on the scope and severity of the defect. Court judgments or relevant lists can provide orientation here, such as the “ADAC price reduction table for travel defects“, the “Frankfurt table‘ or the ‘Kempten table“.
Don’t let problems sit on you
Incidentally, the consumer advice center advises that you shouldn’t wait long at your holiday destination to complain to the tour operator. Because the travel price can only be reduced from the day on which you have requested a remedy of the defect.
By the way: If the travel time has been postponed or there is no room left in the hotel despite a reservation, one can even assume “serious defects”, according to consumer advocates: Then the travel contract can be withdrawn, terminated and compensation demanded.
Important is: Not every inconvenience is also a travel deficiency. Vacationers have to accept minor annoyances. It always depends on which services were agreed in the travel contract.
