TUI prospects surrender £1k deposit after studying horror evaluations for £6k vacation

A family made the heart-wrenching choice to sacrifice £1,200 rather than chancing a week at a notorious TUI hotel in Tunisia, after a barrage of unsettling reviews.

Kieran Ockenden made the call to swerve Blue Manar hotel in Tunisia. He and the family thought they were in for a treat, forking out a hefty £6,636 for what was marketed as a lush five-star extravaganza in the north African country.

But Kieran’s anticipation turned to concern when TUI dropped a bombshell, downgrading the hotel rating. He also saw horror stories of guests getting sick on the TUI BLUE app.

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In a chat with the Mirror, he revealed: “Initially we had no concerns, but once the hotel reopened four weeks later, people were posting on the hotel pinboard on the TUI BLUE app that they had severe sickness and diarrhoea.”

He continued: “Again, we weren’t concerned as it can happen, but as the months went on, more and more people were claiming to be ill.”

Despite this, TUI is holding firm that there have been zero nasty stories reported at the holiday spot since August 4. Yet, legal reps at Irwin Mitchell are saying something different, with a “a growing number” of poorly punters reaching out to them after holidays from hell at the resort, numbering at least 12.

After sifting through months of dire feedback, Kieran remarked: “My wife has a form of Crohn’s and getting ill like that will result in hospitalisation and it ruined our excitement so we decided to cancel. When we cancelled we lost our deposit of £1,200.”

Jatinder Paul from Irwin Mitchell said: “We’re being contacted by a growing number of people across the UK who fell ill during holidays to the TUI Blue Manar this summer.”

He said numerous clients, although jetting off separately, were struck down with identical nasty bugs.

“Understandably, our clients now want answers as to how they became so ill on a five-star holiday. We’re investigating these first-hand accounts and are determined to provide them with the answers they deserve,” he said.

A TUI rep expressed sympathies but essentially said tough luck with cancellation fees, stating: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Ockenden and his family have chosen not to travel on their holiday as planned.”

The rep added: “We would like to reassure customers that we take reports of illness very seriously. We can confirm that there have been no reports of customer sickness at the TUI Blue Manar since August 4, 2024.”

“As Mr Ockenden and his family were not due to travel until October, our normal terms and conditions and therefore cancellation fees were applied.”

TUI’s policy states that if a customer, who has a serious underlying health issue, is due to travel within 14 days and the travel firm is monitoring the hotel for illness, they can switch to another hotel in the same destination on the same dates and flights without any charges.

However, if a customer needs to modify the booking or cancel beyond the 14 days before departure, standard terms and conditions would apply.

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