FTI customers still waiting for refunds weeks after collapse

Von Marlis Zoschke

Following FTI’s bankruptcy, all trips that had not yet commenced have been cancelled. Nearly 175,000 holidaymakers are now left in the lurch, unsure of what to do next. The holiday costs they have paid have not yet been refunded, which is unlikely to be possible given the sheer number of travellers and the short timeframe.

They are being fobbed off by the German Travel Insurance Fund. Whilst Tui, Alltours and Dertour do offer a wider range of holidays, these have to be paid for in advance. Very few holidaymakers can afford this double financial burden.

Many holidaymakers whose trips have been cancelled will also feel uneasy and prefer to wait and see. There were even rumours that travellers from North Rhine-Westphalia would probably not get their money back. Of course, nobody who shared the rumour knew why.

FTI’s collapse is having an impact in the Canary Islands

As far as refunds are concerned, I don’t have a very good feeling about it. We once waited nearly two years for compensation following a group trip, for a flight that was delayed by about twelve hours. By the time we arrived in Amman, our entry visas had expired.

However, bureaucracy in Jordan is probably not as extensive as it is here. Admittedly, that was a different situation, but the lawyers representing those liable for payment go to great lengths to look for loopholes.

But back to FTI: why does such a large travel company go bust in the first place? The travel sector is supposedly booming. Did they lure customers in with unrealistic prices without negotiating first?

A trip to the Canary Islands for 600 euros for eight days is quite an adventure for me. Surely everyone should realise that there are costs to be incurred in the country of departure too, even before you’ve even arrived at your hotel room.

Theft and budget tourism: Canary Islands hoteliers are not to be envied

The hotel owners are not to be envied. Perhaps they get 40 euros per room on such a cheap holiday. But what do they have to put up with in return? I think we sometimes make it far too easy for ourselves.

It’s interesting to hear about all the things that get stolen from hotels. You can tell just by the fact that a lot of things simply aren’t there any more. Towels keep going missing. The pens that used to be lying about are no longer there. You can often only borrow bathrobes if you pay a deposit. And when the televisions weren’t fixed to the wall, people used to take those off as well.

If hotels were still equipped as they were many years ago, they would be unaffordable as holiday accommodation. And many holidaymakers no longer pay much attention to cleanliness either. However, this does not only apply to budget travellers.