Q&A: Goldtrail customer disruption

Holiday company Goldtrail went into administration on Friday , leaving an estimated 16,000 people abroad and tens of thousands more who have yet to travel with their holiday plans in tatters. Find out where you stand. I have booked a holiday with Goldtrail Travel but have not yet departed. What should I do? If you were due to fly with Goldtrail your tickets will not be valid, so don't got to the airport as planned. The good news is that Goldtrail was part of the Civil Aviation Authority's Atol scheme which kicks in when a travel company fails, so if you booked through a travel agency you need to contact it in the first instance to ask about getting your money back or to arrange alternative flights and accommodation. If you booked directly through Goldtrail you will need to complete a claim form . What happens if I only booked flights through Goldtrail? The CAA says it expects this to be very few passengers, but the outcome depends on how they booked. It advises that you should still claim using the CAA claim form. Is there another way to get my money back? Yes. If you booked by credit card or Visa debit card you can make a claim via your card company. A part of credit card law, introduced in the 1970s and known as section 75, means that credit card companies must take responsibility for refunding customers if the goods they bought don't turn up or the supplier goes bust. The total cost of the goods you are paying for must be more than £100 and less than £30,000 for the law to apply. Anyone who made their purchase with a Visa debit card is covered by its Chargeback scheme, which offers similar protection to section 75. To make a claim using Chargeback customers must contact their card issuer which then contacts the company's payment-processing bank to reclaim the money. This means that even if a company goes into liquidation it is possible to reclaim money, as the claim is made against a bank not the company. Sometimes card issuers misunderstand the section 75 and Chargeback rules and refuse a claim. Anyone in this situation should make sure they know their rights and argue their case . If all else fails, contact the Financial Ombudsman . I am on a holiday booked through Goldtrail. What should I do? Because Goldtrail did not have its own airline, passengers will be flying back via various chartered airlines. As such, the CAA is working to make sure these airlines honour the bookings made by Goldtrail . Most of these flights were scheduled for a Saturday as Goldtrail holidays were booked on a Saturday to Saturday basis, and most passengers were able to get on their flights as planned. Those who did not fly back at the weekend should all be back by tonight, the CAA says. Those who are due to fly back next weekend should continue with their holiday and they will be contacted by their holiday rep to confirm alternative flights. Anyone concerned that they might not get to fly should ring the CAA's overseas helpline a couple of days before they are due to come back: 00 44 203 441 0846. I have paid for an extra night's acccomodation. Can I claim for this? Yes. You need to make a claim through the CAA, using its claim form. I am on holiday and my hotelier has asked that I pay for the accomodation again as it has not received any money from Goldtrail. What should I do? Contact the CAA on 00 44 203 441 0846 and its staff will speak to the hotel manager. It says holidaymakers should not be paying twice. If you have already done so, however, keep the receipt and make a claim for your money back using the CAA claim form. I have more questions. Who should I contact? Passengers with forward bookings can telephone the CAA helpline on 0844 856 2585, or on the overseas number if abroad. The CAA warns that it is dealing with a high number of calls at present and is asking people not to call unless the query is urgent. Additional information on claims will also be posted on its website when it becomes available.