Brit couple kicked out of Corfu hotel & barred from flight after ‘complaining about food' & moaning rice was ‘inedible'
Paul Bell, 64, and wife Ellie, 65, swear they have "washed their hands" of travel firm TUI after a nightmare week-long, half-board holiday at the Terezas Hotel in Sidari, Corfu.
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The couple had enjoyed a previous stay there, but this trip ended in sparks.
TUI ejected them from their hotel and barred them from flying home - despite the couple having booked a package deal - leaving them hundreds of pounds down.
They were forced to arrange an alternative flight home with Jet2, take a taxi to the airport instead of a transfer, and book into another hotel for the rest of the stay.
Paul says he cannot understand why the couple were booted out.
TUI said they had been disruptive throughout their stay.
But Paul disputes this, and claims TUI never even asked him or Ellie for their version of events.
Trouble began when Ellie complained to the manager about the quality of the food - which Paul described as "tepid" and "not very nice".
He told the Newcastle Chronicle: "Some of the things you would get were rice with sprouts, or another time you'd have rice with a slice of beetroot in it.
"My wife spoke to the manager twice, she complained about the food being inedible and he didn't seem interested.
Moment Brit passenger hauled off Ryanair flight heading to Corfu after mid-air brawl as plane forced to divert to Italy
"She asked him to join us for breakfast the next day so we could show him what we meant, but he never turned up."
The couple went out for the day and "had a word" with the rep when they returned.
The next day, the couple were hit with a letter telling them to get out of the hotel while waiting for a day trip to Corfu town.
It explained they were barred from staying in the hotel for the rest of the trip.
The letter, dated Tuesday May 20, said: "You caused a serious disturbance by shouting inside the hotel restaurant in front of other guests, resulting in significant distress and disruption to the peaceful environment of the hotel."
It added: "You directed aggressive and disrespectful language towards both hotel staff, the hotel owners, and TUI representatives on site."
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Paul said: "I don't remember anybody shouting," and claims they were evicted without any conversations beforehand.
He said: "We only spoke to the rep on the day she was at the hotel and there was nothing disrespectful shown to her.
"They've never come and spoke to us to find out what happened, they've decided off what the manager has told them.
"But surely there are always two sides to a story? I was furious, because it spoiled the day we had planned."
Paul and Ellie were allegedly denied any chance to appeal the decision and simply told to contact the UK consulate if they needed further help.
On the Wednesday, the couple got another letter saying that Ellie was barred from flying home at the end of the week.
Yet another correspondence came through 12 hours later blacklisting Paul from the plane as well.
TUI said that this decision was based on their terms and conditions and driven by the pair's "conduct and behaviour".
Paul promptly booked flights back from Corfu with Jet2 on Thursday, May 22, - at a cost of €330.
Brit gran moans: No English food at Corfu hotel
By Patrick Harrington
A BRITISH gran's dream holiday to Corfu fell flat because her all-inclusive resort "didn't have any English food" on offer.
Susan Edwards, 69, from Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, vowed she'll never book with TUI again after being less than impressed with the grub on offer.
Susan jetted off in May with three cousins and her daughter for a seven-night stay at the Lido Corfu Sun Hotel on the Greek island.
They were looking forwards to a week of relaxation, but the ordeal was "horrendous from the minute they got there," Susan said.
After paying £750 each for the week, the sun-seekers were expecting slap-up meals and drinks on tap.
But Susan told Chronicle Live: "There was no food we could eat and we couldn't have anything to drink. We had to pay €1.50 for water."
The family discovered there was "no English food" on offer whatsoever.
Instead, Susan said: "On a morning you could have toast, a hard-boiled egg, or something in sauce.
"For breakfast there was mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. There was no hot bacon or sausage."
After they got home, TUI then revoked the ban - meaning they could have caught the Friday flights after all.
Paul said: "That doesn't help us now, because we were told we have to make our own travel arrangements and we came home.
"We had to pay €60 for a taxi to the airport as well, because we weren't allowed on the transfers."
TUI said the couple would be refunded for the extra flights they bought.
Reflecting on the whole experience, Paul said: "When we go on holiday, we try to go somewhere nice and quiet, sit and chill, try the local stuff, go to the towns and see the scenery and to have food like we did (in the hotel) was really disappointing.
"We got no back-up whatsoever from TUI.
"They took whatever the manager said as gospel and came to a decision just like that.
"Had we been drunk and disorderly, fine, but we weren't - we've never had any bother on any holidays before, until this time with TUI."
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