[Brent]

Originally Posted by Phildo

It's contract law. Because you are paying the bank, then you have a contract with the bank. Then bank has a contract with the supplier, because there is a financial transaction between the bank and supplier.

That makes it a two step process, involving three parties (you, bank, supplier). You're paying the bank, so the bank has an obligation to provide the items that you are paying it for.

I didn't know about this until a couple of years ago. I was on holiday at a place, and the owner got very nasty with one of the guests for no reason. There was a bunch more to it, but the guest ended up leaving.

He turned out to be a top lawyer (which he kept secret about to everyone except me and my girlfriend). Real nice guy to, we had dinner with him a few days later and have spoken with him a few times since.

He put it to the resort owner to give him a refund. No more, no less. The owner was a c*nt and kept abusing him.

A lot of people that stayed at that resort got refunds. What we visited was not what was represented before we booked, so we didn't get what we paid for. Personally, I didn't pursue a refund and I regret not doing so.

The resort owner did all sorts of dodgy stuff. I actually went there a second time, hoping that he would have calmed down and was maybe just having a bad week the first time. Nup, on the second time it was like a prison - there was even a rule that everyone had to be in their rooms by 11pm each night! Not to mention the abusive way he was treating guests. It was like a version of Faulty Towers, but not in a funny way.

Mr Lawyer advised numerous people on credit card law and how to get refunds, which they all got. The resort owner went broke and there is now one less dodgy operator ripping off people in the tourism business.

That's all well and good, and if the Bank pays up, then I suppose you've had a win. Ultimately though, the fact that you've dealt with a dodgy operator shouldn't be the Bank's fault. Maybe you need to pick your hotels better instead of expecting the Bank to make good?