Can we just move on and remove the smugness from this site ..........

We are very very silly people who didn't want to pay double the amount from a high street TA and have now had our fingers burnt please repeat 1000 x

My mum always said if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all it be good if some people could do the same on here.

*** on a happier note the Visa Chargeback does work so please don't be fobbed off by your bank ***

Firstly can I say I am sorry to all the people whos holidays are either lost or hanging in the balance, i do work in the travel industry and have worked for several companies over the years,I do think holidays have gone up in price and agree everyone likes a bargain,but I firmly believe you get what you pay for(or perhaps have to expect a catch if its too cheap).My current company doesnt deal with Goldtrail,and I have to agree with kerry25 and huge abba fan on alot of the points they make.I dislike it when customers are in my shop and announce in an extra loud voice the mega cheap deal they have found online,teletext etc,when myself and staff are trying to serve others,this is also unnecessary! and we also get inundated with requests from people wanting help when things go wrong ,with stuff they havent even booked with us.

thanks david can you tell me if i have to send my claim form to OTB or can i send it straight to the CAA have all documentation ready to go

sandy149 ... have you been able to speak to OTB yet ? The CAA advice is to contact your agent in the first instance. And then when submitting your claim form, the address is shown on the CAA/Goldtrail advice page:
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2036&pagetype=90

David

This thread has made me very sad.

I had always thought we were a friendly bunch on here. We all like different holidays and have different budgets. That is just life.

Many the time i have read some post and thought ... now i would not have gone down that route, but each to their own.

But i feel nothing but compassion for any one who has had a holiday ruined. It is so easy to be sanctimonious, but it does not help after the event.

We just need to be there for our friends on here.

Well said Wendy, it's nice to be nice

i agree ..wendy..well said indeed..

david the caa web site says rwturn to them but when you look at parts of the form it appears the agent which i presume is on the beach have to fill parts in so im not sure OTB Website say they will post to say how to fill it out and then return to them nothing as yet
no i cant contact them cuts you off god help people stranded or waiting to go, we were not due to go till 5th sept so im sure they will be prioritising
i have found most with a exeption of a few comments very helpful and thank everyone for there input
the ironic thing is its the first time i have booked this way and its been constant problems but you live and learn
we desperatley wanted to go back to florida this year but thought we would give it a miss so we could go back 2011and just find a less expensive holiday (not by cutting corners) this year nevermind
i am just curious what fee they will charge for cancelling the accomadation fortunatley it was only self catering all in all it cost 700.00 the same as thomas cook!!! ( didnt want a night flight) flights were 500.00 even though they changed it and stuck us on the cheapest no frills pocketing the difference.. dont get me started on that one its irrelevant now
thanks again for everyones help
sandy

*have just rang CAA They say to return the forms to OTB so they can deal with it i will send it recorded tomorrow i have really lost my trust in OTB with all the hassle i have had i just hope they deal with it promptly and dont lose it!! that would be the icing on the cake still cannot get through to OTB on the phone

no i cant contact them cuts you off god help people stranded or waiting to go, we were not due to go till 5th sept so im sure they will be prioritising

That is the problem. People who are due to go in a couple of weeks besides those not due to go until later in the year are all trying to call. I am sure there will also be other companies than OTB who have also booked people through Goldtrail as well.

I can understand that people are anxious to sort it out, but if those who are not due to go for a couple of months just wait a few days then it is possible they will find it easier to contact OTB, or any of the other companies.

It is not OTB who are not answering just that they are overloaded.

In the meantime if people post any positive information they obtain here on HT then they will be helping others. And that is what we do best on HT - help others.

fwh

Does anyone know whether as i booked a holiday through a travel company as a package i should get my money back for all of it from CAA? Im gettin told different things from my travel company, firstly that i should get it all back from CAA, then that i just get my flights back from CAA and accomodation and transfers back from them but when i requested a break down of what i get from CAA and what i get from them it was 100 quid short of what i had paid!

Any advice appreciated im becoming increasingly frustrated with my travel agent

Thanks

Hi.
As Goldtrail did not pay agents any commission on flight-only bookings companies that "dynamically" packaged holidays using their flights would often add on what we call "yield" or a service charge so it made it worth their while to sell them. This is why the baggage charges with OTB and the like are usually much higher than direct with the airline. It's likely this £100 is their cut of your holiday.

As an aside, to the poster who said he's embarrassed to correct a travel advisor, please dont be. We cant go everywhere and know everything, as much as we would like to. I do, however know exactly how ATOL works. Most people who self-package wouldnt have the foggiest. This has been proved by the amount of people who are now on the web, desperate for advice when their tour op/airline goes under.

Anything I can help with, just ask. I promise I wont charge. Much

fwh .... i understand they are very busy i just wanted confirmation as to where to post the form--sorted now
and also ask what we will lose having to cancel the accomodation (or should i say the fees they will charge)
ill let the dust settle

agentQ Anything I can help with, just ask. I promise I wont charge. Much

happen to have a few hundred quid going spare?
sandy

can anyone tell me if flight number vik121 on 10th August out of Gatwick to Heraklion, Crete is affected by the collapse of Goldtrail

Welcome harry ... whilst the flight may not be affected, any passengers booked through Goldtrail would be. Have you reason to believe that you are affected ?

David

Hi Harry

VIK121 is showing as operated by KISS flights who are not involved in the Goldtrail collapse

John

I booked flights direct with goldtrail only 10 days ago using my visa credit card,Ive been on the phone to my credit card supplier today trying to get chargeback,they dont want to know,they said they dont do it on travel related issues,and that I have to claim off ATOL first !!.

Thats rubbish .. you need to keep on & on at your bank especially because you paid by Credit Card it can be claimed back !!!

Hope you get it sorted !

I seem to remember from the XL collapse that CC companies would only pay out if you had a letter from the CAA saying that they would not be refunding you.
Might be worth trawling through that thread to see what happened.

John.

Thanks John and yes David as I was sent an email saying some flights to Greece and Turkey were affected.