The popularity of all-inclusive holidays continues to grow – but although all-inclusive breaks are supposed to make your holiday simpler, cheaper and better value, sometimes that all-inclusive dream break abroad turns out to be a nightmare.

Many holidaymakers end up suffering from gastrointestinal illnesses because of poor food preparation or hygiene at their all-inclusive hotel – the all-inclusive buffet is often the source of an outbreak of holiday sickness and diarrhoea, especially is food is reheated or re-served to guests during the course of their holiday.

Because all-inclusive holidays are often marketed as better value, this does not mean you have to accept substandard food, poor maintenance or shoddy service at your all-inclusive holiday hotel.

Here’s how to make effective complaints to your tour operator if your all-inclusive package holiday is a real let down:

• Under the 2018 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations, tour operators have a legal obligation to make sure you get the holiday you paid for and it is as described in the brochure – accommodation must also be of a reasonable standard. So make sure the holiday you book is a regulated package holiday which comes with an ATOL certificate at the time of booking
• Booking excursions in advance when you book your holiday can add protection if anything goes wrong – eg if you are involved in an accident through no fault of your own on an excursion during an all-inclusive holiday. The same protection applies for excursions included in the price of your all-inclusive package (eg a trip to an historical site on an all-inclusive coach tour)
• Read and print out the Terms and Conditions you were asked to read at the time you booked your holiday – and take a copy of these with you in case there is a problem when you arrive at your hotel or holiday destination
• As soon as there is a problem on your holiday, eport it to your holiday representative and hotel management and keep a note of what is said. Also speak to your fellow holidaymakers and see if they have experienced similar problems – sometimes a group approach to issues can be more effective
• Take photos and video evidence of the problem if possible eg undercooked food, dirty swimming pool, unsafe electrics at your hotel – you can upload these to Tripadvisor or your tour operator’s Facebook page as a record of the issues you encountered
• Don’t be fobbed off by your holiday rep claiming an outbreak of holiday illness like sickness and diarrhoea is par for the course – or hotel maintenance issues are to be expected: but give your holiday company the chance to put things right in resort
• Don’t lose your temper when making complaints – calm determination is better than losing your temper, which might make you seem unreasonable
• If your holiday is substantially altered before departure, your tour operator should advise you in advance and provide a holiday of the same standard. If you arrive in resort and the alternative is not acceptable or you were not told in advance and have a reasonable excuse for not accepting the alternative (eg mobility and access issues), then your tour operator is legally obliged to fly you home at its own expense and refund the cost of the holiday – make sure you tell them this
• The holiday description in a brochure acts as an inducement for you to buy – so if your holiday turns out to be of a poorer standard than the brochure description, you are entitled to complain eg if all-inclusive is not all-inclusive and you are charged for unexpected extras, or facilities such as the hotel swimming pool or evening entertainment are not available during your stay.
• Write to the UK customer services department by email while in resort – and make sure you send a follow-up letter when you return home to the UK. There is a code of conduct to making complaints and you should follow the procedures for complaining set out by your tour operator, sending them all the evidence of your complaint you have collected.

Your tour operator will most likely not offer the compensation your complaint merits – usually vouchers for another holiday are suggested or a low payment to settle your complaint.

If your tour operator tries to avoid addressing your complaint or offers little or no compensation, speak to reliable firm of holiday claims solicitors about making a claim for compensation against the tour operator – most claims are accepted on a No win No fee basis and holiday claims solicitors are used to handling evasive tour operators and winning compensation for holiday illness, injuries abroad, or holidays which failed to live up to the brochure description.