Bristol-based Lawclub Legal Protection (LLP) has issued a guide for brokers with problem holiday clients.
If a travel agent or tour operator makes a false description in its brochure, customers can complain to the Trading Standards Department. But to do so successfully the customer must prove that the description was made recklessly by a senior staff member.
The guide pinpoints three types of damages: money back for the proportion of the holiday ruined, general distress and disappointment and out of pocket expenses.
However, compensation varies. One tourist won £250 for having no accommodation and being forced to sleep on the beach, while a family won £8,000 for grossly sub-standard accommodation despite only paying £3,058 for the holiday.
