Holidaymakers Taking Holiday Illness Fight To Court
19/04/2011
Forty-six holidaymakers who were taken ill at a holiday resort in Turkey have taken their three-year fight for justice to court.
The group, who stayed at the Aqua Fantasy Hotel in Kusadasi between June and October 2008, have approached leading travel lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to start court proceedings against the tour operator First Choice.
The group of holidaymakers have all reported illness problems at the hotel, where they claim to have routinely witnessed poor hygiene standards during their respective stays. Reports include food that was undercooked, meals being reheated and faeces in the swimming pool. Complaints also centred on problems with staff behaviour and power cuts at the hotel.
One group affected were the Smith family from Harlow, Essex, who fell ill during their stay at the Aqua Fantasy between August 30th and September 15th 2008.
Steven Smith, his wife Penny and daughters Emily and Amy all suffered illness during their holiday and Mr Smith continues to suffer with post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome, which he has been told is linked to the illness he contracted while on holiday.
Mr Smith said: “As soon as we arrived at the hotel we spotted a number of issues which really raised our concerns.
“The list of issues was frankly ridiculous – for example, the swimming pool was dirty and smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned for months, let alone weeks. Things were so bad that we and others simply weren’t surprised when at one point we saw that the pool had faeces in it.”
However, Steven recalls that the one thing more stomach churning than the pool was the food.
“Meals often seemed to be reheated, but even then a lot of hot dishes were served at the wrong temperature and chilled food was not even cold. Crockery was also dirty and flies were always in or around the food,” he explained.
“My wife once mentioned undercooked food to a waiter at the Beach Bar and he just brushed it off, telling us to eat at another restaurant in the hotel. We were completely dumbfounded by his attitude. The hotel was horrible and there is no way I’d ever go back – I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else either.”
Adam Wright from Irwin Mitchell’s travel law team is representing the group in their compensation claim. He said: “First Choice has continued to deny liability for the suffering caused at this hotel. We are determined to continue to fight for our clients to ensure that justice is done. First Choice should face up to its responsibilities and pay our clients fair compensation for their ruined holidays and illnesses.
“We have previously recovered over £40,000 in compensation from First Choice on behalf of 22 other holidaymakers whose stays at the Aqua Fantasy hotel in 2009 were ruined by illness, including confirmed salmonella and giardia. It is particularly disappointing; therefore, that First Choice has refused to adequately compensate its customers who stayed at the hotel in 2008.
“There is no reason why anyone who books a holiday should face the problems seen at this Turkish hotel. We are determined to fight for our clients to ensure they get the justice they deserve, including an explanation, an apology and fair compensation.”
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