Compensation Secured for Food Poisoning Abroad

Our team of expert Travel Law solicitors were recently instructed by a client after their luxury holiday to the Dominican Republic was ruined by holiday illness.

Jula Shinks booked a two week stay at the 5* ClubHotel Riu Merengue, in the Dominican Republic in January 2016. The holiday was booked as an all-inclusive package deal through tour operator TUI UK.

Holiday illness symptoms

Unfortunately, just a few days into her luxury holiday Ms Jinks began to feel unwell. Our client suffered with various symptoms relating to food poisoning, including:

• Severe Diarrhoea
• Abdominal cramps
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Raised Temperature

Poor food hygiene levels

As the holiday was all-inclusive, all meals and drinks throughout Ms Jinks’ holiday at the ClubHotel Riu Merengue were paid upon booking and provided by the hotel.

However, according to our Ms Jinks, the hygiene at the hotel was very poor, particularly in relation to the food. Our client reports:

• A buffet style food service that was often luke-warm in temperature
• Members of the catering team were not seen to be monitoring the temperature of the food
• Staff members were not wearing gloves when serving the food
• Food was left uncovered
• A high volume of flies and insects could be seen around the eating area
• The food was of poor quality
• The meat and fish products were served partially cooked
• The food appeared to be reheated
• Hot food was often added to trays of cooler food of the same type
• The crockery provided was dirty
• Drinks tasted as though they had been watered down
• It was suspected that ice served in drinks was made with local tap water

With the above factors in mind, Ms Jinks avers that her symptoms were directly caused by the poor levels of food hygiene standards at the 5* ClubHotel Riu Merengue.

Ms Jinks commented following the outcome:

“Very efficient and approachable company. I was kept updated all throughout my claim.”

Shiamli Mehta-Cronie, Head of Travel Law here at Hampson Hughes added:

“These cases signify another triumph in the battle against the cost cutting exercises of tour operators. It is simply not acceptable to allow them to continue to take money from hard working holidaymakers and provide them with sub-standard hygiene practices in return.

“If you have been struck down by illness while on a package holiday, call us today for your free no obligation consultation.”

Holiday illness claims – expert advice

If you believe that your holiday illness symptoms are linked to poor hygiene standards within your package deal hotel, you may be entitled to holiday illness compensation. There are certain steps that you could take in support of your claim:

•Note all important dates
•Report any hygiene issues to your holiday rep
•Document any suspected poor hygiene (e.g. photo, video)

For further information on holiday illness compensation, please see our ‘Package Holiday Claims’ page.

To discover how much compensation you could be entitled to, call our expert team of travel law solicitors today for instant answers. Whatever your experience with holiday sickness, we may be able to help. We offer you a FREE no-obligation consultation. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .