AK intervenes

Dream trip almost becomes a cost trap after separation

It was supposed to be a dream trip for a couple from Carinthia. But before the start of their vacation, the Carinthians split up and had to pay a horrendous amount in cancellation fees. A solution was only found when the consumer advocates of the Chamber of Labor intervened.

A trip to Phuket was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime for a couple from Carinthia. But shortly before the trip was due to start, the Carinthian couple's relationship broke down and their dream vacation of 11,000 euros was finally history. 

When the couple then canceled the trip, the tour operator presented the Carinthians with a hefty cancellation fee of 5,800 euros. The ex-couple immediately turned to the Carinthian Chamber of Labor for consumer protection. "We first intervened with the tour operator, but they were not accommodating," explains consumer protection activist Stefan Pachler.

Separate apartments as a plus point
But the Chamber of Labor did not let up. The ex-couple also took out cancellation insurance when they booked the trip. And after repeated interventions by the consumer advocates, the insurance company was prepared to pay the cancellation fee. "The decisive factor for this was the fact that the couple were already living apart from each other at the time of the cancellation," says Pachler. And the consumer advocates also used this fact as a legal argument and were proved right.

If the trip cannot be taken for valid reasons covered by the contract, the insurance will cover any cancellation fees incurred.

Stefan Pachler, Konsumentenschützer der Kärntner Arbeiterkammer

Travel cancellation insurance pays off
For the consumer advocates at the Chamber of Labor, this case alone shows that travel cancellation insurance is always worthwhile. "This should be taken out immediately when booking," explains Pachler.