Leanne Wrigley and fiancée David Walker still haven’t received TUI’s vouchers it promised them after they missed their Cyprus holiday in July due to an IT outage
A couple say their honeymoon plans were left in tatters because of delays by TUI in paying compensation after another trip was cancelled.
Leanne Wigley, 42, and husband-to-be David Walker, 41, from were due to fly to Cyprus with their daughter in July. Their holiday was cancelled with two days’ notice due to the IT outage which hit travel firms and other companies across the globe.
The couple, from Salford, Greater Manchester, were able to re-book a holiday at a different hotel several days later. TUI told them they were owed £500 and would get it in vouchers.
Leanne, who is an accountant, and scaffolder David, who have three children, are due to tie the knot in November. They decided to use the vouchers they’d be getting towards their dream honeymoon.
But almost two months on, they still hadn’t received the vouchers which they were promised would arrive within 28 days of July 22. Since then, they had identified idyllic adult-only hotels in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica for their honeymoon – but both of these are now fully booked.
The pair said they were gutted after both the hotels they wanted were booked out. They were struggling to find other adult hotels at their preferred destinations with flights to and from Manchester.
They faced having to book a longer stay – or flying from London – and paying more than the £4,000 to £5,000 they budgeted. But, they spoke to Manchester Evening News (MEN) and, since our sister title contacted TUI, the travel firm reissued the vouchers and honoured the discount code.
But speaking initially, Leanne had said: “I’m angry. I was really upset when I realised the hotels had gone. I was heartbroken. The £250 offer has also gone now, despite us being told it was being extended until the end of September.
“I keep thinking ‘we’re not going to get away’. If they don’t sort this quickly, we won’t do. I take some responsibility in that we were relying on the vouchers.
“But when you’re planning and paying for a wedding, £750 is a lot of money, as is that £500 they owe us. If it had been paid on time there wouldn’t have been a problem. It’s a massive stress at what should be such an exciting time for us.
“I’ve rang, I’ve emailed, I’ve also been into store and I’ve just been passed from pillar to post. I go away three to four times a year with TUI and I’m just disgusted by the level of customer service.”
A TUI UK spokesperson told the MEN on Friday (September 13): “We’d like to sincerely apologise to Ms Wrigley and Mr Walker for the delay in receiving their holiday vouchers. We understand how frustrating waiting can be, especially when you’re excited to plan your next holiday.
“Our teams have reissued the holiday voucher and as a gesture of goodwill we will honour the discount code that they had hoped to use. We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding during this busy time.”
