Prague, 18. 7. 2013 - Has your dream holiday turned into a nightmare? Every travel agency is liable for the services you have paid for. The ITQ Codex, which helps solve ruined holidays, was introduced to the Czech market five years ago by ERV Evropská pojišťovna, following the example of western European countries. Today, more than 15 leading travel agencies identify with it – CK Fischer, Blue Style and ESO Travel, to name a few.
In simple terms, the ITQ (International Travel Quality) Codex stipulates the value of financial indemnification for the poor quality of services provided by travel agencies or their suppliers. It clearly states how much money you are entitled to if the travel agency fails to fulfil any of the provided or provable promised services. The ITQ Codex makes the claims process more effective and faster, while also ensuring greater transparency vis-à-vis customers. “The ITQ Codex is a great help to clients and travel agencies alike. The Civil Code only mentions the liability of travel agencies on a general level. However, the law does not provide a specific guide for calculating the value of financial indemnification,” says ERV Evropská pojišťovna Sales Manager Štěpán Landík.
Indemnifications apply to a whole range of deficiencies and are divided into several groups (accommodation, meals, delegate services, transport, etc.). For example, you will get a discount of up to 20% from the holiday price for broken air conditioning, up to 30% for bad food, if these problems lasted throughout the entire holiday. If they lasted a shorter time, the said indemnifications are reduced proportionally. All this is evaluated according to the indemnification tables. The client is always entitled to indemnification for the days when the problem existed. “According to the ITQ Codex, the customer obtains indemnification as soon as the travel agency’s deficiency reaches 1%. If the total percentage of all deficiencies exceeds 50%, the client is entitled to daily indemnification in addition to the discount on the problematic holiday,” explains Štěpán Landík, adding: “This starts at one thousand crowns per person per day. Clients, including children, receive it for the entire duration of the holiday, and not just for the days when the problem existed.”
A client that reports the problem on the site and follows the instructions below has the greatest chance of obtaining a refund:
1) If you find deficiencies, contact the delegate (or hotel employees) immediately and compile a report.
2) Document (photograph) everything that bothers you.
3) Claim the deficiencies during the holiday, so they can be solved immediately.
Within a classic claim procedure, you are entitled to complain for 90 days from the end of the holiday. According to ERV Evropská pojišťovna, it applies that clients apply some form of claim regarding about 4% of holidays. Only in a minority of cases does the scope of deficiencies in the compensation table exceed 50%. Details available at www.ervpojistovna.cz/cs/pojisteni-profesni-odpovednosti.
Vlastimill Divoký
Marketing and Communication Manager