This applies to all Virgin Holidays corporations that offer vacation packages.
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– Competition and Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) October 23, 2020
The CMA announced Thursday that it had won “formal commitments” that all refunds would be processed “without undue delay. “
Holidays cancelled until the end of August will be refunded by October 30, while holiday cancelled last month or this month will be refunded on November 20.
Trips cancelled from next month will be refunded within 14 days, which is the maximum duration according to the customer’s law.
The CMA warned that it is “ready to sue the company” if those deadlines are not met.
Andrea Coscelli, CEO of CMA, said: “People whose vacations have been canceled due to a coronavirus deserve a full refund.
“Our action means that Virgin Holidays consumers get all their cash without additional delays.
“We are proceeding to investigate vacation packages in connection with the coronavirus crisis. If we discover that a company is following the customer coverage law, we will hesitate to act. “
A Virgin Holidays spokesman said the Covid-19 outbreak had caused “extraordinary pressure” on package companies.
There were “significant demanding situations in refund processing” at Virgin Holidays due to an unprecedented “volume” of requests combined with formula restrictions, he said.
He added: “We have reduced refund times and are now 98% in the refund queue, with 1,300 remaining bookings to be processed on Friday, October 23, in line with our plan to do so until the end of October. “
In July, the CMA wrote to more than a hundred combined travel corporations reminding them of their obligations to comply with customer law and earned payment commitments from Tui, Sykes Cottages and Vacation Rentals.