A family of four from Preston has confirmed that they are among the hundreds suing package holiday company First Choice following a nightmare holiday to Turkey. The Waites took their two young children to Turkey in order to attend a friend’s wedding, spending two weeks in the Sarigerme Holiday Village run by First Choice. There they all suffered stomach upsets halfway through their stay and in at least one case their symptoms were later confirmed to be caused by the dangerous salmonella bug.
It was later reported to the Basingstoke Gazette that they observed poor food hygiene including short cooking times, new food poured on top of old, and food left uncovered. The illness meant that the family was unable to enjoy the resort’s 17 swimming pools for fear of spreading infection, and has left their four-year-old son, Jake, suffering with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The family, who has no previous experience of no win no fee claims, hopes to demonstrate to First Choice the gravity of the situation and protect future holidaymakers from the same nightmare.
They’re not the only ones
A year previously it was reported that another family, the Barbers from Hatch Warren, sued First Choice following a stay in Sarigerme’s Holiday Village. Just like the Waites, the whole family was stuck in their hotel room with digestive discomfort brought on by food poisoning and felt that their dream holiday had become a nighmare. Most worrying of all is that these cases are only two of 1,200 separate claims being made against First Choice related to illness or poor standards experienced at the enormous Turkish resort, with a dedicated travel specialist no win no fee solicitor representing all of the claimants.
Making a claim
Making a claim with no win no fee solicitors, as the Waite family did, couldn’t be easier. Often in the case of car accidents the insurer will recommend to the injured party that they pursue a claim, knowing that the victim will not pay out a penny if the claim is not successful, a system that came into force under the Labour government in 1998 to ensure that everyone could afford to pursue a rightful claim for compensation. The rising popularity of such claims, overwhelmingly made as a result of accident or injury, is reflected by the number of no win no fee lawyers making their services available, advertising in local print media or on television.