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TUI ‘sorry’ and refunds reader £196 over baggage fee – here’s what to do if it happens to you
Every Tuesday we answer your financial problems or consumer disputes. WhatsApp us yours here.
Today’s Money Problem is…
We booked a holiday with TUI and the night before we tried to increase our luggage allowance (we were travelling with our one-year-old and only managed to finish packing at 6pm). TUI wouldn’t let us upgrade the baggage on the app (it should have cost us £8 to do so) and we spent hours on hold to customer services who weren’t able to increase our baggage allowance. When we turned up at the airport the next day, they charged us £196 for overweight luggage. They won’t refund us as they say it’s our fault. What can we do?
Hannah
Megan Harwood-Baynes, cost of living specialist, says…
This was certainly an unusual one – having recently flown myself (albeit with another airline), I was under the impression you should be able to add additional luggage right up until you check in. However, you told me there was no option to do this either before, during or after the check in process.
You were, fortunately, able to upgrade your luggage on your return journey, which means you were saved another £196 fee for the 14 extra kilograms you had packed (which was largely stuff for your young son).
You said you had exhausted the complaints process with TUI, as they said it was an error on your end for turning up with bags that were too heavy.
I asked TUI if they had experienced an issue with their app that meant this option was unavailable.
We had a bit of back and forth as I pointed out to them that you received an email two days before the flight that suggested you could add luggage right up until check-in, but this had not been possible.
After about a week, the team at TUI concluded they had made an error with the fee they charged you because you should have been able to add on additional luggage right up until check in.
They have said they will send you a refund for £196. You told me you were delighted with this outcome.
In a statement, the team told me they wanted to apologise after you were “unfortunately overcharged” and said it arose due to “a human error”.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused,” TUI said, adding that they hope to see you “on a TUI holiday again soon”.
What the TUI website says about excess luggage
TUI warns that if your luggage is heavier than your allowance, you will get charged if you don’t sort it before the airport.
Excess luggage charges are
- Short and mid-haul flights (less than seven hours): £55 per 15kg bag and £14 per kilogram
- Long-haul flights (over seven hours): £75 per 15kg bag and £18 per kilogram
- For bookings that do include a checked-in luggage allowance, if you exceed this you’ll be charged per kilogram as above
However, if you add the baggage before you check in, you will be offered a cheaper price. TUI confirmed to me the only deadline to do this is before online check-in.
What you could have done next
If you complain to an airline but do not feel your complaint has been adequately resolved, the next step would be to take your issue to the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) body.
There are a few different ones depending on the airline, you can view them here.
If the airline or airport does not have an agreement with an ADR, you can refer your complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority.
Always keep as much proof as possible (screenshots, receipts, emails) to help make your case.
This feature is not intended as financial advice – the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:
- WhatsApp us here
- Email news@skynews.com with the subject line “Money blog”
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