Bad news for Thomas Cook customers: The insolvent tour operator has now canceled all trips for the coming year. Travel from 1 January 2020 could not be started for insolvency reasons, the company said. So far, the trip was until the end of December 2019.
Anyone who has already paid the trip in whole or in part, should try to get the costs back. The most important questions and answers:
Which customers are affected?
Affected are customers who have booked a trip through the German subsidiary of the British tourism group Thomas Cook. These include the tour operator brands Neckermann Reisen , Öger Tours , Bucher Reisen and Air Marin as well as trips booked via Thomas Cook International . After the British mother went bankrupt, German Thomas Cook filed for bankruptcy on September 25.
According to Thomas Cook, travel by third-party organizers who have booked customers via neckermann-reisen.de and urlaub.de or in the Thomas Cook travel agencies are not affected.
Where can holidaymakers go?
For those affected now the insolvency insurance of the company. Responsible in this case is Zurich Insurance. The insurance company has in turn commissioned Kaera AG for the settlement of claims. However, the hedge only covers package holidays - which, according to Kaera, consist of at least two types of travel, such as transport and accommodation. "Package tourists have a security certificate, they are insured," said Nicole Mertgen-Sauer, Legal Officer of the Consumer Center Bremen.
However, she points out: Even package travelers must reckon with the fact that they get back only a partial sum - "if the amount of liability does not provide enough and state aid is not available". In such a case, the refunds are usually proportionally reduced.
And that's what it looks like right now: the sum insured is limited to 110 million euros. According to the insurer, however, about 150,000 claims have already been received by November 1, amounting to more than 250 million euros. In addition, there would be the costs for the retrieval of holidaymakers who were traveling with the German Thomas Cook at the time of the bankruptcy.
How can package travelers register damage?
Kaera AG has set up a website for those affected. Customers are requested to report claims only through this webform. If you do not have an internet connection, you can also contact us via phone number 06172/99761123.
For the registration of the claim package travelers have to submit their documents. These include, among other things, the booking confirmation of the tour operator, proof of payment of the travel price and the security certificate, which they received after the booking.
What applies to travelers who have booked individual services?
If you have booked only the flight or the accommodation, you can not turn to the liquidator. "You can only register claims through the insolvency administrator or via the insolvency table," explains consumer advocate Mertgen-Sauer. Provisional insolvency administrator is the law firm hww hermann wienberg wilhelm.
However, the chances for travelers with individual services are even lower. "Affected may recover only a very small fraction of their money," says the consumer advocate.
What else can affected people do?
If the booking of the trip is not too long back, sufferers can get their money back if necessary. This applies, for example, if the trip was paid by direct debit. They can be reversed within eight weeks. "And even those who have paid by credit card can try to reclaim the amount through the bank," explains Mertgen-Sauer.
However, the insolvency administrator may later claim the payments again. If you want to go to court, you should get legal advice in advance.
In addition, those affected should regularly inform themselves about the insolvency proceedings on the corresponding websites. Because the German Thomas Cook keeps trying to find investors. So far, however, there is still no reliable offer for the continuation of Thomas Cook as a whole.
Why does Thomas Cook seem to be asking for data via email?
Caution: There is a fraud behind this. It's simple: Scammers ask sensitive data such as passport and credit card details via e-mail. The message with company logo looks authentic. But the emails are not from Thomas Cook, informs the tour operator. He advises customers to ignore and delete these messages with the subject "Important: Refund of Your Thomas Cook Trip."
