Notice of defects on a package holiday, given on the spot (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The written notice of defects you hand to the tour rep or the tour organiser while still on holiday, under the German Civil Code (BGB). It lists the defects with dates, demands a remedy by a deadline and says you will otherwise arrange one yourself and claim the cost (§ 651k BGB). Without timely notice you lose the price reduction and damages to the extent a remedy was possible (§ 651o BGB). With a space for the rep to confirm receipt. The claim after you return is a separate document. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Traveller
- Traveller's address
- Tour organiser (travel agency)
- Local rep or the organiser's contact point (address or email)
- City
- Date
- Booking reference
- Trip (country, resort, hotel)
- Travelling from
- Travelling until
- Travellers covered by the complaint
- Failures to perform and the days they occurred
- Deadline for the remedy (date and time)
- Received by the rep (date and time — filled in by the rep)
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Why report package holiday defects on the spot under German law?
- Because the tour organiser must have the chance to put things right. If you do not report a defect without undue delay, you lose the price reduction and damages to the extent the organiser could have remedied it had you told it in time (§ 651o of the German Civil Code, BGB). Photos, videos and witnesses' names strengthen your proof. The reduction itself applies by law for as long as the defect lasts (§ 651m BGB); you claim the amount afterwards.
- Whom do I tell about package holiday defects under German law, and in what form?
- The tour organiser — in practice its local rep or the contact point named in your travel documents, not only the hotel reception. The travel agency that sold the trip may also receive the notice on the organiser's behalf (§ 651v(4) BGB), but on the spot a remedy comes faster through the rep. No form is required; the written notice is your proof. Have receipt confirmed on the letter itself, or also email it to the organiser and keep the sent confirmation.
- What can I do if the German tour organiser does not fix the defect?
- If the reasonable deadline you set passes without a remedy, you may arrange one yourself — an equivalent hotel, for instance — and claim the necessary costs (§ 651k(2) BGB); keep every receipt. If the defect seriously impairs the trip, you can terminate the contract once the deadline has passed (§ 651l BGB). After your return, claim the reduction and costs with the separate claim letter.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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