The vacation turned into a nightmare upon arrival when the family discovered that their hotel was basically one big construction site. Scott Edward, 36, with his wife Katie and two children, Freddy and Alexandra, said they got food poisoning and were electrocuted during their stay. writes a diary
They paid more than 3,500 euros for the tour and demanded a full refund from the travel agency. The father of the family stated that none of them survived the stay in good health and it caused enormous stress for the whole family, as well as financial problems for paying off extraordinary expenses from credit cards. Moreover, they were all really seriously ill, as a result of which their children are now afraid of any further travel.
The family flew to Egypt, where they were supposed to stay in a resort with an aqua park in Hurghada, but the horror started after arriving in the room. The first room they were given was so dirty that management had to move them immediately, but the second room was no better. Annoyingly loud music was playing under their windows because they were remodeling the entertainment stage in the hotel. The rooms were generally destroyed and the hygiene was disastrous, while there was dried feces and urine around the toilet, which no one cleaned.
In addition, the air conditioner was full of mold and dust, which caused a strong, suffocating cough in the whole family, so they preferred to turn it off and cool themselves only with cold water. Plaster was falling off the walls, and the biggest threat was an exposed, live fuse box right outside their door.
The whole family fell ill during their stay, and they attribute the poisoning to the food there. The father of the family was bedridden by illness for most of the vacation, and the health problems persisted long after he returned home. Scott stated that they were unable to eat at any of the hotel’s restaurants due to their serious condition. Due to severe dehydration from constant vomiting, he still two weeks after the holiday, the kidneys hurt. The family thus lost most of the paid trips and had to spend a lot of their own money on taxis and meals outside the hotel.
When the kids wanted to have at least a little fun, they ran into another danger because the kids’ club and playground were in a deplorable state. Scott claims he himself received a painful electric shock from an exposed wire while watching over the children, which was sticking out of the play structure. All the climbing frames were broken, the children’s club was a mess and a pile of dangerous objects incl trampolines with sharp metal springs sticking outor pieces of wood with nails on the ground.
In addition, massive construction work was taking place throughout the campus, jackhammers were rumbling, and construction waste, broken bricks and glass were everywhere on the sidewalks. These zones were not fenced off in any way, and one of the children almost stepped on broken glass on the walkway leading to the room, with only the thick sole of his shoe saving him from a deep cut to his leg.
Scott Edward demanded full compensation from the travel agency. At first, the company offered them a ridiculous compensation of around 120 euros, but after the media coverage of the case confirmed that she would refund the family the full amount for the entire vacation. The travel agency apologized to the family, but noted that Scott did not contact them until seven weeks after returning home, making it impossible for them to address the situation on the spot.
A spokesperson for the company said they are very sorry, but as Mr Edward has already initiated a chargeback through his bank, the process is being carried out in collaboration with the financial institution and they will ensure he gets the full amount back as quickly as possible. At the same time, they moved the case to the accommodation provider to seek redress.
