Rude staff, dirty rooms, terrible standards: Holiday complaints reach record numbers

The number of Brits complaining about their holidays has reached a record high this year, reveals a new survey from HolidayTravelWatch.

Rude staff, filthy accommodation, long delays, useless holiday reps and inaccurate brochure descriptions are just some of the things that have completely ruined holidays for thousands of us.


See also: THE DAFTEST HOLIDAY COMPLAINTS EVER MADE


"Calls to us have have never been so high," said a spokesperson for the organisation, which assists holidaymakers who have suffered as a result of travel problems. Here they list ten of the most common complaints made this year.


"They said: 'If you don't like the ship, you can get off!'"

31% of complaints received by holidaymakers concerned the overall standard or quality of their hotel room or cabin. Many of these were cruise passengers complaining about the overall quality of their cruise ship. Furniture was broken, old and falling apart, there was no Wifi or entertainment for families, despite this being a 'child friendly' trip. One holidaymaker on a cruise was told to get off at the next port if they didn't like it.


"The room was dirty, mouldy, hairy, and infested with insects"

23% had problems with the cleanliness of their hotel or cabin. One holidaymaker told HolidayTravelWatch of the mould, hair, dirt and insects in their room on holiday. Getting anyone to deal with the lack of cleanliness was another issue.


SEE ALSO: THE TEN MOST HATED HOLIDAY RIP-OFFS


"There was no pool, no lunch, no drinks, no entertainment - and no beach"

21% said they had been given an inaccurate description of their hotel or cabin. One holidaymaker had a shock when they arrived at their 'all-inclusive holiday'. In stark contrast to what they had expected, the hotel had no pool, no lunch, no drinks, no entertainment, no beach or snack bar and above all, it was not all inclusive. The tour company's solution left a lot to be desired. They wanted to charge them to come back to the UK...

"We were delayed for 23 hours"

21% suffered flight delays. A large number of holidaymakers have had problems with flight delays. Ranging from six hours to 23 hours and very few have been offered any compensation or clear explanations for delays


"The hotel receptionist was obnoxious"

16% suffered awful customer service in their hotels or on cruise ships. One family said that on arrival at their holiday hotel, the receptionist was obnoxious, failed to check them in correctly and appeared to be unable to direct them to their room. Once establishing the overall hotel standard was as appalling as the service the family's complaints fell on deaf ears.

SEE ALSO: HILARIOUS COMPLAINTS MADE BY CRUISE PASSENGERS

"The holiday rep was useless"

14% had issues with holiday company representatives. One disabled couple had advised their travel company of their disabilities. When they arrived in the USA they had to fend for themselves at the airport and on their return, they were dropped off at an intersection and had to manage their mobility problems with three suitcases. The travel company failed to deal with their complaint.


"The booking ended in absolute disaster"

10% have had holiday booking problems. One holidaymaker was about to leave for their holiday only to be informed that their hotel had to be changed because of overbooking. They were given no choice and told that because they did not have a package holiday if they cancelled, they would lose most of their money. They were forced to make last-minute arrangements and endured an 'absolute disaster' holiday as a result.

"We were on the loo for most of the holiday"

5% complained that they had suffered illness while away. HolidayTravelWatch received many reports of illness, including: Norovirus on a cruise, Campylobacter from Morocco, Cyclospnora from Mexico, Cryptosporidium from Barcelona, Giardia from Turkey, Salmonella from Egypt, Legionnaires from Switzerland, Bacterial Pneumonia from Malta, Hepatitis A from Egypt, Giardia Lamblia from Cape Verde to name a few.


"There was a terrible lack of security"

5% were bugged by a lack of security or crime activity within their hotel complex or on-board a cruise ship. This year, HolidayTravelWatch says it received a growing number of complaints related to rape and sexual assault incidents at holiday resorts from North Africa to the Caribbean. In many cases the travel companies failed to help the holidaymakers seek UK consulate assistance. In all of the cases holidaymakers have been apparently 'dissuaded' from making complaints to the police, primarily by hoteliers.


"The kids' club left my child unattended"

2% complained about the poor standards in holiday resort kids clubs. One parent was understandably concerned when they discovered their child was not being looked after by the hotel mini-club where they had left her. Their daughter had apparently wandered around the hotel complex and entered the hotel pool unsupervised.