would that mean if i could prove that no booking condition were read out to me thus is did not agree to any- I may be able to cancel without paying the full dep?

Well... as it is your word against theirs, futurebride, it seems to me that it is the tour operator who is going to have to do the proving, if there is a dispute over what was agreed at the time you booked the holiday. If you dig your heels in and refuse to pay any difference they ask you for should you decide to cancel, then the ball will be in their court to chase you for the money.

I would think twice though about cancelling, as it would be a shame to lose the deposit you have already paid if there is another way of ensuring that your wedding goes without a hitch should something or other put a spoke in your plans.

IIRC, you can take out wedding insurance, and I would suggest that you look into this as I'm guessing that taking out some type of insurance policy would probably be cheaper than writing off the deposit you have already paid towards your holiday.

Thanks for that mrs j. My other half always pays on his debit card, as we have no credit cards, so will make sure they are a member of ABTA. Will this be sufficiant? if we don't pay with a credit card?BBB.

According to ABTA's web site it ought to be sufficient, but I have a feeling that Direct Holidays don't belong to ABTA, although their parent company, MyTravel, do.

If you want to be certain that your money will be protected, I think the best thing to do would be to email ABTA and ask them to confirm this.

Thanks mrs j, will look into that email address now. BBB.

Direct holidays aren't ABTA members but they are ATOL protected. See HERE for information on ATOL protection.

Thanks for that glynis, have had a look, and yes it does look as though we would get our money back, if they did go bust. Has any other ht members heard anything on this subject? BBB.

Are travel company's exempt from the Distance Selling Regulations 2000?

If you buy anything or enter into any contract on the telephone/online then you have the right to cancel the agreement withing the first 7 days with no penalty and all deposits returned.