Spanish hotels could axe all-inclusive holidays for Brits due to spike in fake sickness claims

by XPRESS, 27 April 2017

A law firm that acts on behalf of the insurance companies said that Spanish hotels are also considering pushing up prices as a way to combat the problem.

Hotels have seen a sharp rise in the number of holidaymakers making fake compensation claims.

Holidaymakers are targeted by compensation firms at airports and even in resorts.

Their representatives encourage people to make insurance claims if they have suffered from sickness or diarrhoea while abroad in Spain.

The firm’s work on a no-win, no-fee agreement, in a similar way those targeting people to make personal injury claims.

Hoteliers and insurers are angry at UK travel firms who pay out claims and pass the cost on to hotels rather than go to court and fight them.

David Diez Ramos, of Madrid-based law firm Rogers & Co, told TravelWeekly: “Sooner or later Spanish hotels will increase the price or stop selling all-inclusive to Britons.

“British citizens are paying less than £1,000 for a two-week all-inclusive holiday, receiving £2,000 to £3,000 for a claim and you can add £5,000 in lawyers’ fees.”

He says that his firm has seen a sharp rise in claims during the first three months of this year.

Travel firms say that the cost of fake claims is putting them under financial pressure.

Ramos claims that at least one hotel in Benidorm has stopped offering all-inclusive deals to Brits.

Mark Allen, from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), told The Sun Online: “Not content with driving up the cost of motor insurance and plaguing UK residents with nuisance calls, there are alarming signs that ambulance-chasing claims firms are now targeting holidaymakers in popular resorts.

“Making fraudulent claims, whether for whiplash or for a stomach bug, always has consequences.

The rise in claims for sickness while on holiday may push up the cost for other travellers
“Anyone tempted to fabricate an illness overseas should be aware this is a crime, and likely to push up holiday prices for everyone in the long-run.”

The Sun Online first reported the issue in November last year, after the Hoteliers’ Association HOSBEC, which unites businesses in Spain, reported a rise in false claims.

It said that there were around 10,000 fake claims last year.

The Foreign Office has also amended its travel advice for Spain to include a warning about the issue.

It says: “There have been reports of an increase in holidaymakers being encouraged to submit a claim for personal injury if they have experienced gastric illness during their stay.

“You should only consider pursuing a complaint or claim if you have genuinely suffered from injury or illness.

“If you make a false or fraudulent claim, you may face legal proceedings in the UK or Spain.”

Article Credit: The Sun