Shane Richie who plays Alfie Moon in EastEnders went on a 5 star holiday with his family to the Moon Palace Resort in Mexico where they reportedly endured the holiday from hell.
Shane’s celebrity expectations led to him complaining about queueing for breakfast eggs, fans taking his picture, the poolside DJ starting up at 10.30am and having to put towels out on sunbeds at 5.30am. Shane demanded a full refund from Thomas Cook who had already provided him and his family with £10,000 worth of complimentary upgrades, as well as an offer to move them to a premium hotel next door.
Shane Richie is not the only celebrity to have high expectations, Mariah Carey is known for not doing stairs or liking busy patterns and Van Halen demanded all the brown M&M's be removed from the group's candy bowl. Whether Shane is successful in his legal action will depend on his contract but it looks unlikely.
Coming back to legal reality, what holiday related problems can you claim for?
If Shane had been injured by a faulty deck chair, or if he had come down with holiday sickness after eating gone off eggs, or if there had been a breach in his contract, or if he had been delayed at the airport he could well have a claim for compensation.
- If your flight has been delayed by 3 hours or more then you could claim compensation of between 250 – 400 Euros.
- If you have suffered holiday sickness whilst on an all-inclusive package holiday you could claim compensation. In Wood v TUI Travel Plc T/A First Choice 2017 compensation awards of £16,500 and £7,500 were paid out to the pursuers after they contracted gastroenteritis whilst on a package holiday.
- If you have been involved in an accident abroad The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations 1992 allow you to sue the travel agent for your injuries so there is no need for a foreign legal action.
- Parties are required to perform their obligations under the contract and a breach of contract can be claimed for.
Talk to Thompsons to claim compensation if you have been injured in an accident abroad; have suffered holiday sickness; have had your flight delayed; or if your contract has been breached. Get in touch with us for advice on 0800 0891 331.
Blog by Tara Davison
