Irish holidaymakers are not always being offered the full refunds they are entitled to because of the troubled situation in Israel. This is leading to a new set of complaints by Irish holidaymakers to the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs (ODCA), according to its director Ms Carmel Foley.
"We are finding in relation to the Israeli situation that some operators are offering vouchers for the full amount paid to be used against later holidays to possibly other destinations, or an immediate cash refund.
"However, the immediate cash refund is only for a portion, albeit a large portion of the monies paid. In other words, it is only a partial refund."
The Package Holidays Act 1995 says the refund has to be of all monies paid and "there is nothing in the legislation which would allow operators retain some element to cover incurred costs. There is no getting away from the fact it has to be a full refund," Ms Foley said.
Complaints and inquiries about package holidays still figure largely in the work of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, and this is despite tour operators being "more cautious" in their use of language in holiday brochures, Ms Foley said.
Overbooking, over-complicated pricing structures and a reluctance by some operators to give full refunds are among the most frequent complaints to the office this year. Ms Foley was speaking at the Irish Travel Agents' Association annual conference in Tralee at the weekend.
Since the Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act, 1995, operators are more cautious about the use of phrases like "short stroll to the beach", though the office still receives valid complaints about inaccurate information in holiday brochures.
But all information, oral or written not just that in brochures, should be accurate, she stressed.
Pricing continues to be difficult to work out in some brochures, although the Act requires they should not be made available unless they indicate in "a legible, comprehensible and accurate manner the price of the holiday". Of 22,000 inquiries to the ODCA telephone helpline in 1999, holidays accounted for over 1,300.
Over-booking by tour operators has given rise to a large number of complaints this summer, when according to ITAA representatives record numbers of people, over 850,000, travelled.
Overbooking is not an "unusual and unforeseeable circumstance beyond the control of the organiser, the retailer or the supplier of services" and when it leads to a change of accommodation or location, the consumer is entitled to be compensated, Ms Foley said.