Have you suffered with Sickness and/or Diarrhoea on an - TopicsExpress

Have you suffered with Sickness and/or Diarrhoea on an All-inclusive Holiday? There are some basic steps you will need to follow: 1.Evidence -Take photos of the conditions you feel made you ill. 2.Witnesses - Ask and take the details of other people who are ill at the hotel. 3.Treatment - See the doctor when you’re abroad and again when you come home. 4.Call one of our Advisors now on 01625 253 020. If you did not manage to do any of the above, do not worry. We could still help you claim provided you were sick in the past three years. Main causes of sickness and diarrhoea. Sewage - Recently our staff discovered that an estimated 95% of hotels in Sharm El Sheikh and Habada spread waste water from showers, wash basins and toilets (sewage) on to the hotel greenery. This practice is also used in other countries such as Tunisia, Turkey and the Dominican Republic. We are currently investigating new sites and locations to understand how widespread this issue is. In Egypt tourists report sprinkler systems at the hotel running late in the evening producing a foul smell, the water being used in most cases is sewage water from the holding tanks below the hotel which has been collected from the day’s waste water. Although the smell is horrific, the main issue is the mass illness spread due to this ignorance. Hotel management when questioned with evidence say waste water is used to save on the cost of fresh water and fertiliser. This may be true however the risk of cross contamination is huge and guests are becoming seriously ill as a result. Food - The food is often undercooked or poorly prepared, again due to low budgets and cutting costs. Rice, chicken and salads are the foods at particular risk, when tested they showed the highest population of bacteria. Water - Tap water can be dangerous to UK tourists in foreign countries, however locals often use this to make ice or even attach soft drink dispensers to the main water supply. This may not affect the local’s health but without doubt can make you and other tourists very ill. Cross Contamination - We have taken samples and written reports on various hotels, where the hotel staff have failed to adhere to the most basic standards of food hygiene i.e. not washing their hands after handling raw food, using the same utensils for raw and cooked food, leaving food uncovered as well as unrefrigerated. This inevitably can cause the safest of foods to become contaminated. Regulations Even though you are in a foreign country, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations were brought into place in 1992. These regulations cover tourists when visiting foreign countries as part of a package holiday protecting them under the power of English Law. If you have booked all-inclusive as part of a package holiday, you have paid to eat and drink at the hotel. The tour company you booked with have a duty of care towards you and your wellbeing, therefore if you fall ill as a result of poor hygiene or something you have eaten it is then the hotel’s responsibility. This is where we can help, due to the fact that the holiday was not fit for purpose, you are entitled to claim back the cost of your holiday and possibly more depending on the circumstances. Compensation Amounts Compensation amounts for holiday sickness vary from £1000 - £500,000+, for the most severe cases. An ever increasing percentage of people are suffering with life long side effects as a result of holiday sickness. These can range from such illnesses as IBS, inflamation of the gut leading to lactose intolerance, damage to kidneys and irreversible damage to the digestive system. Windsor Stuart and its panel members have the experience to help recuperate the full cost of your holiday along with compensation for the illness and inconvenience caused. The average pay out is around £2,200 per person but compensation is not the only way we can help. If you are suffering from any long term affects, additional services or assistance can be sought after such as private health care to make the whole experience much easier. Length of Process A common question is how long will my claim take to settle? As the basis of the claim is not within the UK, your tour operator legally has 6 months in which to make any internal investigations. This makes the process of claiming slightly longer than usual but the average time is around 12 months. Every claim however is dealt with on an individual basis and often if there is more than one person who has suffered from the same resort, the process is much faster. If you have been affected by any of the above or simply would like some more information, call our team on 01625 253020.