Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 -
was designed to protect disabled people from
discrimination in employment and to increase
access to goods, facilities and services, including
those offered by travel and tourism organisations;
•
The Trades Description Act 1968 - one of the
original pieces of consumer legislation that aims to
protect customers against false descriptions, either
verbally or in writing, given by suppliers of goods
and services. In the case of travel and tourism,
any description of, for example, a hotel or tourist
attraction, must be truthful at the time it was written
(if circumstances subsequently change, the operator
must inform the customer);
•
The Package Travel Regulations 1992 - these
regulations stem from a European Union Directive
whose main aim is to give people buying package
holidays greater protection in law and access
to compensation when things go wrong. The
Regulations place a number of duties on package
holiday organisers to provide, for example, clear
contract terms, emergency telephone numbers,
compensation options if the agreed services are
not supplied and proof of the organiser's security
against insolvency;
Good customer service staf are essential to a company's
reputation
Legal
All travel and tourism organisations must work within
the law of the land, by following standard business
regulations and providing a safe and secure environment
for staff to work in and visitors to enjoy - customer
service staff play a key role in this and must be trained
accordingly. Organisations that fail to comply with the
various health and safety, consumer protection and
company laws can face serious consequences when
problems arise.
•
Health and safety regulations - are applied to
make sure that customers and staff have access to
facilities that are safe and secure. Failure to abide by
health and safety regulations can lead to travel and
tourism organisations being fi ned and even having
their premises closed down for periods of time.
There are a number of laws and regulations that lay
down how organisations must deal with customers,
including:
Weblink
Check out this website for more
information about the Data Protection Act
and the Freedom of Information Act.
www.ico.gov.uk
•
The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 - this important
legislation, originally introduced in 1984, aims to
promote high standards in the handling of personal
information by organisations and so protect a
person's right to privacy. Under the terms of the
Act, organisations holding information may need to
register and comply with a series of Data Protection
Principles, covering such matters as accuracy and
security of the information, and its use for lawful
purposes;
Importance of excellent customer
service to customers
Not surprisingly, the people who gain most from
high standards of customer service are the customers
themselves! Their holiday or travel experience can
be made extra special with the help of attentive and
