VillaSpain Blog

• Who pays when the consumer gets a credit card or upgrade with added benefits?

  Thu 09th February 2012

  There is an increasing array of credit cards that now carry a much higher commission charge of over 3% to retailers than the normal personal credit card of 1.2-1.5%, since these premium/business/commerciall/fleet cards give added benefits to the card holder in various ways such as free points, cashback, free insurance, low credit or free credit for a period etc etc.

  In 2010 Tesco converted their Finest Platinum MasterCard to their Finest World MasterCard. Tesco's marketing giveaway of 650 points on the change effectively nearly doubled the commission charge to retailers, so it's really the retailer who actually pays for the added benefits that the card issuer gives.
  A case of give on the one hand and take from another. Tesco credit card FAQ page.

  Cards that carry the higher commission are as follows but not limited to;
  Mastercard or Visa World
  Mastercard Signia
  Mastercard or Visa Corporate, Commercial, Fleet or Business.

  VillaSpain makes no charge for personal credit card use, for which we encourage its use due to the financial protection it gives under the Consumer Credit Card Act of 1974, but we do charge 2% for those credit cards that are premium benefit cards, as displayed on the booking form.
  There is no charge for Electron or debit cards.
  

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Twello

  Thu 02nd February 2012

  @VillaSpain
  Villa SpainI just signed up with Twellow, the Twitter directory. Check me out: http://t.co/yjdGUc83 47 minutes ago via Twellow · powered by @socialditto

• Can you really trust the ABTA and ATOL symbol?

  Mon 23rd January 2012

  Can the ABTA, AITO and ATOL symbol be trusted?

  Booking a holiday with any  organisation where you see the ABTA, ATOL and AITO symbol is no guarantee that you're financially secure;

  The Guardian's article End of Travel Protection expels that myth. In addition,  ABTA was forced to withdraw from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Consumer Code of Approval Scheme, as reported by Travel Weekly - ABTA Criticised for Code of Conduct Violation.

  The full code of conduct OFT report can be viewed here. The holidaymaker's financial protection ceased back in 2006, but the holidaymaker still remains mostly unaware, according to last year's Which report which found that travellers were said to have an "unwarranted trust" in the level of protection they were offered from associations such as ABTA, AITO and ATOL. http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/1/1/1/38343

  They went onto report that more than two thirds (67%) wrongly assumed that if a travel company went into administration, and was a member of one of the associations, their money would be safe.

  Financial protection :

  We all know that sending a cheque or making a bank transfer to an individual or business for your holiday, or for anything else prepaid, offers you no security whatsoever: but when it comes to seeing well known association symbols such as ABTA and ATOL appended to brochures or websites, that have historically suggested financial protection, ones defences can be down.

  There is only one way to have 100% financial protection for your holiday villa, and that comes from using your credit card, provided the sum paid is not less than £100 (not a debit or charge card like Amex or Diners Club).

  Protection and full refund comes from the 1974 Consumer Credit Act (section 75), as advised here at http://www.villaspain.co.uk/aboutus.php#financialsecurity and  by Which consumer magazine here  

  Not only that but you get credited immediately from your card issuer, whilst they make their refund claim against the company. A claim can be brought within 6 years (5 in Scotland), although ideally should be claimed as soon as you are aware of the company going bust.

  Other European countries' banks that issue credit cards also include the same protection for the public, which means protection for all Europeans too.

  Some companies make a charge for credit use, so given the straightened times we are currently in, and the more frauds and cons there are about, it is wise to pay it.

  Debit and Chargeback cards:

  You should also be protected even if you used a Visa debit card or Chargeback card under the Chargeback scheme, which offers similar protection to section 75.

  To make a claim with any card, customers must contact their card issuer, who then contacts the company's payment-processing bank to reclaim the money. This means that even if a company goes into liquidation it is possible to reclaim money, as the claim is made against a bank, not the company.

  Sometimes card issuers misunderstand section 75 and Chargeback rules and refuse a claim. Anyone in this situation should argue their case. If all else fails contact the Financial Ombudsman.

  What about getting compensation for other costs or losses?

  Can you claim for other losses you have incurred as a result of the failure of the company. Yes, under section 75 you must be put back in the same financial position you would have been in if the breach had not occurred. So should an airline go bust and you have to buy replacement flights that cost more than the original ones, you can also claim for the additional cost of those flights.

  ATOL:

  Now ATOL you can trust, but one must be aware that it applies to the flight element and not necessarily the rest of the holiday package, so you need to check that all aspects of the package are protected. Also, to be aware that it is not a fictitious company displaying the ATOL symbol fraudulently, so a quick check of the members' ATOL CAA registration number can be done on page  http://bit.ly/wGxf3c for you peace of mind.

  Do note that some holidays, where the flight and accommodation are arranged or sold separately, and that is termed Dynamically Packaged, may not be ATOL protected.

  Note too that booking a flight directly with any airline does not give you ATOL protection. You would think  that the £2.50 per passenger charge that is levied to the tour operator by the Air Travel Trust Fund, and administered by the CAA,  in the event a tour operator goes bust, could be included on your overall flight cost when booked direct, but no it isn't. Such a nominal sum allows you to finish your holiday and get a flight home, assuming you are abroad in the first place.

  Some UK airlines do offer package holidays or flight-plus-accommodation or car hire combinations that include package holiday protection, but do require checking as to what protection you have.

  What about Travel Insurance?

  Some policies cover airline failure, usually by including Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI). However, many policies don't include SAFI and some insurance providers exclude particular airlines, so you need to check what the policy does cover you for.

  All in all, many holidaymakers believe they are financially protected in the event of insolvency, when they are not.

  What to do?

  Use a credit card in all holiday, flight or holiday accommodation cases (min £100), which guarantees that all the money you paid is refunded. Should the travel agent or airline go bust whist you are away the credit card firm will refund you too and are obliged to cover any loss you incur, as the contract has not been fulfilled.

  In addition, do take out travel insurance that includes SAFI, which then covers you for a host of other situations.

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Documents required when driving in Spain

  Mon 05th December 2011

  Of all the years travelling to and from Spain I neglected to take my vehicle registration document. Stopped on a routine police check in Spain I was asked for it. Yes, I had the driving licence in paper format and in plastic card format too, as well as the original MOT and the insurance certificate to hand and all in my name, but no vehicle registration log book, which I had left back in the UK.
  As far as the police are concerned it could be a stolen vehicle I was driving, and informed that any child could copy the other documents presented. Showing the tracking device paperwork that the car had cut no ice.
  It was nicely explained to me that they could impound the car and be retrieved upon the registration document being shown, plus a fine for their trouble.
  A lesson learned from the helpful Guardia Civil and they very kindly let me on my way, but just as he did so the nice policeman noticed that the GB sticker I thought was on the number plate wasn't there. A 5 year old car that has gone through France and Spain every year went unnoticed and unpunished.
  A possible on-the-spot fine would be 200 Euros for this misdemeanour, but the Guardia kindly let it go. Must have been the pending xmas goodwill.
  I had the document posted out to me in Spain toot de suite, along with the missing GB sticker, just in case. What documentaion is required when driving in Spain and France?

  • Driver's license in plastic card and paper format
  • Insurance document (original)
  • GB sticker on bumper or a 200 Euro fine
  • Vehicle registration (original) document (or rental documents), otherwise you risk car being impounded.
  • Wearers of spectacles should carry a spare pair
  • Fluorescent jacket (for each occupant of vehicle)
  • Two warning triangles for Spain to allow for front and rear warnings.
  • Spare light bulbs, even if you cannot fix them.
  • Fire extinguisher (recommended)
  • First-aid kit (recommended)
  Speeding:
  What is nice about Spain and France, apart from the usual enjoyments of being abroad, is that they pre-warn you of radar, so if you happen to be over the limit, by any chance, then at least you have been warned. The exceptions are when the police have a hand operated radar unit. One place notorious for this in Spain is on the Teruel to Zaragoza road around the turn off for Monreal del Campo (normally always under the bridge).
  

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Winter weather forcast for the UK

  Thu 13th October 2011

  Autumn 2011

  The UK can expect a similar theme to continue as we head into autumn (coldest summer), with a notable increase in usual wind strengths for this time of year across many parts of the UK, that will result in frequent and potentially damaging gale force winds and strong stormy features throughout autumn and winter. Although some places further South may see some spells of settled weather at times, the general theme for autumn as a whole looks largely wet and very windy with dominant grey skies. It will be generally unsettled and turn progressively colder with an early start to winter, especially more so in the regions of Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

  Winter 2011-12 Update

  As we head towards winter, I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK. In terms of the meteorological winter, I expect December, January, and February to experience below average temperatures, with the heaviest snowfalls occurring within the time frame of November to January across many parts of the UK.

  The most important factor within our weather forecasting calculations is solar activity and other major natural factors that it influences. Radiant energy from the sun is the primary influence on both the earth's ocean and atmosphere.

  Low solar activity and ocean behaviour alter atmospheric circulation and block jet stream patterns that create enhanced moisture in terms of snowfall. The UK and Ireland is hit by prolonged periods of extreme cold and snow from the Arctic regions, as cold easterlies or north-easterlies develop. Huge swirly low pressure systems also offer the potential for widespread disruption from heavy snowfall across many parts of the UK including the South, as they clash with the predominant cold air over the UK.

  Coupled with other in depth factors such as recent volcanic activity and changes to the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic drift that we consider, this does not bode well for the severity of the UK and Northern European winter of 2011-12. Frequent and prolonged cold spells with heavy dumps of snow from blizzard like conditions is likely across many parts of the UK. The areas we expect to be worse hit throughout include the vast majority of Scotland and the Scottish Highlands, Northern England, and Northern Ireland. We have particular concerns as to the huge implications that this may pose to the infrastructure of the UK and Ireland transportation systems/economy.

  James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster - exactaweather.com)

  Posted by Bruce Gibson

• Simple case of damages or not?

  Fri 16th September 2011

  Damages

  Is the tenant responsible for this damage to two sun loungers, I ask?
  On the face of it, yes, as it looks like they were used as a diving platform possibly by children into the pool.

  The answer is no after further investigation. What has happened is that the plastic polymer resin has broken down because of sun damage, thus making the sun loungers inflexible and more brittle. The marbling effect, which looks a bit like ingrained dirt, gives an indication that the resin is breaking down.
  In such cases we believe tenants should not be charged for something that they break that would have broken anyway.

  Should an item break that is perfectly good and fit for purpose, then it is only fair and reasonable to the tenant to apply the ‘Betterment' legal rule. Which means if the life of say the sunlounger is 5 years when new, but is then broken after 2.5 years then the tenant is responsible for 50% of the cost of replacement and not 100%.

  Key words not sure what get used, so need to use tool?
  Villa damages, sun loungers, damages, fair and reasonable, betterment.

  Posted by Bruce Gibson