'Our honeymoon plans were left in ruins by TUI, we're heartbroken'
A couple's honeymoon plans were left in ruins due to TUI's delay in paying compensation after another trip was cancelled.
Leanne Wigley, 42, and her fiancé David Walker, 41, had planned to jet off to Cyprus with their daughter in July. Their holiday was abruptly cancelled with just two days' notice due to a global IT outage that affected travel firms and other businesses worldwide.
They managed to re-book a holiday at a different hotel a few days later. TUI informed them they were entitled to £500 in vouchers as compensation.
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Leanne, an accountant, and David, a scaffolder, who have three children together, are set to wed in November. They decided to put the forthcoming vouchers towards their dream honeymoon.
They had their eyes on two adult-only hotels in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. They also hoped to utilise a TUI offer which would have given them a £750 discount on their dream getaway.
Leanne, from Swinton, revealed that TUI sent her an email on July 22 promising the vouchers within 28 days. However, nearly two months later, they were still waiting.
After being approached by the M.E.N, the company reissued the vouchers and honoured the discount code. The couple previously expressed their disappointment when both the hotels they desired were fully booked.
They found it challenging to locate other adult-only hotels at their preferred destinations with flights departing from and returning to Manchester. Leanne and her partner faced the dilemma of either extending their trip or catching a flight from London, which could exceed their £4,000 to £5,000 budget.
"I'm angry," Leanne said. "I was really upset when I realised the hotels had gone.
"I was heartbroken. The £250 offer has also gone now, despite us being told it was being extended until the end of September.
"I keep thinking 'we're not going to get away'. If they don't sort this quickly, we won't do. I take some responsibility in that we were relying on the vouchers.
"But when you're planning and paying for a wedding, £750 is a lot of money, as is that £500 they owe us. If it had been paid on time there wouldn't have been a problem.
"It's a massive stress at what should be such an exciting time for us. I've rang, I've emailed, I've also been into store and I've just been passed from pillar to post.
"I go away three to four times a year with TUI and I'm just disgusted by the level of customer service."
A TUI UK spokesperson told the M.E.N: "We'd like to sincerely apologise to Ms Wrigley and Mr Walker for the delay in receiving their holiday vouchers. We understand how frustrating waiting can be, especially when you're excited to plan your next holiday.
"Our teams have re-issued the holiday voucher and as a gesture of goodwill we will honour the discount code that they had hoped to use. We'd like to thank them for their patience and understanding during this busy time."