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Complaint about a package holiday that was not as booked (Northern Ireland)

Northern Ireland · in English · for consumers

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For a traveller in Northern Ireland whose package holiday — flights and hotel, or other travel services sold together — was not as booked: a different or poor hotel, missing services, a changed itinerary. Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 the organiser is responsible for every part of the package and owes a price reduction and compensation for what went wrong. The letter claims them and is your final letter before a small claim in the county court, with 14 days to reply. Send it to the organiser by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For).

  • Last updated October 29, 2026
  • Document in English

Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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When to use this document

  • Your package holiday booked from Northern Ireland put you in a far worse hotel than the one you paid for.
  • Half the services in your holiday package never happened and the rep did nothing.
  • You complained at the resort and the tour operator still offers nothing.
  • You want part of the price back for a holiday that was not as booked.

What you fill in

The details the document asks for.

  • Sender
  • Sender's address
  • Town or city
  • Sender's postcode
  • Date
  • Tour organiser (travel agency)
  • Tour organiser's postal address
  • Booking reference
  • Trip (country, resort, hotel)
  • Travelling from
  • Travelling until
  • Price
  • What the complaint is about
  • When and to whom you reported the problems during the holiday
  • Costs and damage claimed (items and amounts, or “none”)
  • Amount claimed

Common questions

Is the tour operator liable when a hotel it booked lets you down?
Yes. The organiser that put the package together and sold it to you is responsible for every service in it, even when a hotel, airline or transfer company it chose was at fault (regulation 15 of the 2018 Regulations, which apply across the UK). It owes a price reduction for the time things were wrong and compensation, unless the problem was caused by you, by an unconnected third party, or by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.
Does it matter that the problems were not reported at the resort?
It can. Regulation 15(3) asks you to tell the organiser without undue delay, so that it can put things right on the spot, and a late report can reduce what you recover where an earlier one would have let it act. If you could not report a problem, say why in the letter. Photos, the rep's notes and your messages to the organiser are useful evidence.
Where can a traveller from Northern Ireland turn if the organiser rejects the claim?
Many organisers belong to ABTA, whose dispute resolution is open to their customers; look for the logo on the booking. An ATOL certificate protects flight packages if the organiser fails. Consumerline, the free helpline for Northern Ireland, gives advice. Otherwise, after the 14 days in this letter, a small claim in the county court covers claims of up to £5,000.

How you can sign this document

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