A GRAN is demanding a £12,000 refund after claiming her grandson was eaten alive by bed bugs and left with open sores on holiday at a four-star TUI hotel.
Karen Levick, 47, and her family splashed out on a luxury holiday to Spain, for her daughter’s honeymoon in July, 2018.
But her grandson Alfie Garlick, who was four at the time, suffered huge sores, which Karen says were caused by bed bugs that infested his hotel bed in Catalonia.
Photos show the horrific marks on the little boy’s legs and arms after the bites became infected following the trip.
Karen, from Redbourne, Herts, said: “Alfie was four at the time and he definitely contracted an infection from that holiday bed and bed bugs in the bed.
“It turned into massive, open sores. It was all the beds, all dirty bedding, out of bags, in bags and dirty mattresses in the middle of the room.
“They had clean stuff folded up around it on the shelves. It was horrendous.
“There was a lot of the hotel that was good. It was the cleaning part of it which wasn’t. You don’t expect to pay £12,000 on holiday and for my grandson to become ill.”
She added: “I look at those pictures and I think that poor little thing, he was eaten alive.”
Alfie had to be rushed to hospital back in the UK for tests, and was diagnosed with a staphylococcus infection, which is related to MRSA.
Karen claims the hotel had been a favourite with her family and they had stayed there three times beforehand with no problems.
But when they returned for daughter Kate Garlick’s honeymoon in July 2018, the family were horrified by the lack of cleanliness of the hotel.
I just think it’s barbaric that TUI are prepared to take top dollar off you and put you in that situation
Karen claims that even after they requested for their sheets to be changed, they returned from a day out to find cleaners had left their doors open and bedrooms exposed to the public.
Karen said: “I just think it’s barbaric that TUI are prepared to take top dollar off you and put you in that situation. You just feel very ripped off.”
“The aftercare of TUI are absolutely awful. They use every technique to not respond and not get back to you.”
Karen made a formal complaint to TUI and was eventually offered two payments of £2,322 and £1,275 in compensation.
But she claims she was forced to spend months chasing them before the cash for the first payment actually arrived in her account.
Karen has rejected the second figure and is demanding the full £12,000 back.
A spokesperson from TUI said the bites were confirmed as insect bites but not necessarily bed bug bites and that they could have been from any insect, such as a mosquito.
But the family firmly believe they were bed bug bites.
A spokesperson from TUI said: “We’re sorry to hear Alfie fell ill on holiday. We’ve been in contact with the family since their return and they’ve accepted a gesture in respect of some of the issues raised.
“We’ve also thoroughly investigated the issues related to Alfie’s insect bites and although we weren’t able to confirm their cause, we have offered a gesture of goodwill to reflect the impact this would have had on their holiday.
“Unfortunately, this has been declined and we have since attempted to speak to Mrs Levick.
“We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.”
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