I think you might be better puting this on holiday complaints forum you may get more advice in there.

Moved to holiday complaints forum.

Possibly other members may be able to offer help but my first thought would be to contact your Credit Card supplier.

fwh

Can I just clarify how you know this:

I have now found out that he only booked the flights with the different company after I telephoned on 26 July when I asked where my tickets were!!!! He had obviously not booked the first flights!

Kath HT Admin

I'm not going to be any help here either I'm afraid as I have not heard of Lanzarote Airfares. Also I am not sure about the first set of tickets that were issued to you? If they were with a charter flight company then I am not sure how you go about getting a refund, these tickets are normally non refundable. Were the second set of tickets for the flights you had originally booked in October 2006? If they were, why did you have to pay again?

I hope someone else can throw some light on an answer for you.

You have paid for a service that was not provided and have not received a refund. First contact your CC company and explain the situation. Then send a letter by registered post (or whatever they call it these days), detailing what you purchased, what they failed to provide and detailing that you have not yet received a refund. If possible fax a copy of the letter too. Give them ten days to respond with the refund and advise that if you do not receive the refund in that time you will be contacting the police and Trading Standards. It's called fraud/theft. Either way it is illegal.

You may find the following link helpful, it is basically the government's response to the trading standards postcode lottery. It offers the same service to everyone where ever you live. Although they cannot take your problem on, they can advise on all aspects and help you draft letters. Personally I would telephone them tomorrow.

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

Good luck

The thing is Magster, a service was provided, tickets were issued, just not for the times that the OP thought were booked. This is the problem with charter flights. The flight times etc for August 2007 would not have been finalised in October 2006, if it was a charter flight, and would always be liable to change. I did also see that Sands Beach Villas also feature on the Lanzarote Airfares site. Were the flights linked to accommodation there?

Perhaps nickypickles can shed some more light on the complete picture?

Perhaps I have got the wrong end of the stick here? I've read it all again and I am not sure. The flights were booked in Oct 06 for flying XL in Aug 07 but the tickets were for a completely different company? If I book flights now for next summer, they don't tend to change that much and certainly not by airline which is how I read what has happened.

Nicky, perhaps you could illuminate further because I may have got the wrong of the stick. If I have then apologies for naff advice.

Confused? Yup, sure am!

Hi Thanks for all your help. Just to clarify - I purchased tickets to fly with XL & paid Lanzarote Airfares in October 2006. I hadn't received my tickets and on 26 July I phoned Lanzarote Airfares to ask where my tickets were. He said he would send them. I received tickets for flights with Thomas Cook. After all the situtation with the tickets, I contacted Thomas Cook when I returned home from my holiday and they told me that the flights were booked with them on 26th July - this tells me that after my telephone call to **** (name removed) at Lanzarote Airfares on this date (26 July) to ask where my XL flight tickets were, he obviously hadn't booked them and therefore booked us on flights with Thomas Cook! I feel that he should have been truthful and told me that he hadn't booked my flights with XL (and he has had my money since October the previous year!) and offered me a refund or flights of my choice. Anyway, after abusive phone calls (he got angry with me!) I explained that I would take the matter further, but he kept telling me that he would refund me once he had received a refund??? I didn't get this bit either - who was he going to get a refund from? I contacted Trading Standards and filled out the forms for Small Claims Court. I then wrote to him giving him seven days, telephoned him again near the end of the seven days, then emailed him to ask him his second name for the court information, told him that trading standards had confirmed that it was illegal not to put your terms and conditions on a Website, and finally that I was aware that he didn't book the original flights and that I knew that he had booked the Thomas Cook flights on the day that I telephoned him and hey BINGO! He said he would send the cheque off. I explained that I had an interest fee on my credit card as I hadn't been able to afford to pay for the second lot of flights, and he paid the interest too. I have checked my bank today and the cheque has cleared (didn't want to rejoice too early in case it bounced!). Thanks for the help Guys - this one has a happy ending!!!

I didn't read it wrong then!

Well done to you nicky for pursuing the matter and getting what you were owed plus extras, returned to you.

Thanks for letting us know the outcome.

Another name to go on the roll of honour.

fwh

Excellent news, well done

Many thanks for coming back to tell us the result and congratulations on a successful conclusion.

luci