Complaint after a package holiday (France)
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This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — 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.
For a traveller whose package holiday (flight and hotel, tour, resort) bought in France did not go as planned: a different hotel, missing services, cancelled transfers. The organiser and the retailer are strictly liable for performance of the package (Article L. 211-16 of the French Tourism Code); you ask for a price reduction for the period of non-conformity and damages (Article L. 211-17). The letter states whether you reported the problems on the spot. In French, to send by registered post with proof of receipt after your return.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You are back from a package holiday booked in France that did not go as planned.
- The hotel was not the one you booked, or services included in the price were missing.
- Transfers or excursions were cancelled and you had already reported the problems on the spot.
- You want to ask the tour operator or travel agency for a price reduction and compensation.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Traveller
- Traveller's address
- Tour organiser (travel agency)
- Tour organiser's postal address
- City
- Date
- Booking reference
- Trip (country, resort, hotel)
- Travelling from
- Travelling until
- Price
- Description of the problem
- Were the problems reported on the spot
- Details of the on-the-spot report, or why there was none
- Price reduction asked, in euros (figures only)
- Costs and damage claimed (items and amounts, or “none”)
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Should package holiday problems in France be reported during the trip or on return?
- During the trip, without undue delay: Article L. 211-16 of the French Tourism Code requires the traveller to tell the business of any non-conformity noticed, usually at the contact point given in the contract or travel documents. The business must then put it right. A late report can reduce compensation where a prompt one would have limited the problem. Keep written proof of the report, then send this complaint on your return.
- Should a package bought in France be claimed from the travel agency or the tour operator?
- Either: the business that sold you the package, organiser or retailer, is strictly liable for its performance, even when the services are provided by a hotel or an airline (Article L. 211-16 of the French Tourism Code). Send the letter to the one you made the contract with, usually the agency named on the invoice. If a flight in the package was delayed or cancelled, the compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 is claimed separately from the airline.
- How is the price reduction for a non-conforming package holiday in France worked out?
- The reduction must be appropriate to the length and seriousness of the non-conformity (Article L. 211-17 of the French Tourism Code): for example part of the price of the nights spent in a lower-category hotel, or the value of a cancelled excursion. It is due even if the cause is outside the business's control. Damages also cover the costs incurred and the harm suffered, with supporting evidence. Give precise amounts and enclose the proof.
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