holiday cancellations

[my.taid]

i cannot travel on a holiday booked and paid for since last october in two weeks, due to having an operation. my travel agent says i have to loose all my money and will not allow a name change. is all this true, they are just saying no to eveything. help please

[vehelpfulguy]

If you have holiday insurance this should cover it.

Get a letter from your doctor or hospital to confirm you are having the operation.

Travel agents normally dont like name changes as it can be difficult to change the names on plane tickets.

[auntiebertie]

This is what holiday insurance is for. Claim to recover what you have paid out.
If it is with a scheduled airline then what the TA says is true - they rarely allow name changes - some impose a stiff penalty, others make you cancel and rebook the seat at the full current price.
It will all be in the small print.

[bednobs]

of course the travel agents are saying "no" to everything, you don't have insurance which would have covered you for this eventualty. Most airlines keep their ticket prices low by imposing rues such as "no name changes" on the tickets.
You may have got some refund if you had cancelled with a fair amount of time to go, but at 2 weeks, i'm afraid there is little else you can expect

[KARL]

Unfortunately, the outlook is not good if you have no travel insurance. However, you might consider bypassing the travel agent and appealing directly to the travel company/airline/other as applicable (in that order and if a tour operator then only that outfit). Prepare your communication carefully with the suggested documentation, and direct it to the very highest positioned individual you can get hold of and waste no time - it might be best to speak by telephone in the first instance, if only to try to get a name and address. The travel agent has a vested interest because if you do receive a refund (even if only partial) he/she/they are likely to forgo any commission.

[my.taid]

thanks to all replies.much appreciated.