John and his wife Sarah are both registered blind and both use guide dogs. They were considering a holiday and John telephoned a travel company to ask whether guide dogs were allowed on their coaches. John was told that company policy prohibited the carriage of guide dogs. John and Sarah wrote to the company and explained that, in the past, their guide dogs had been accommodated by other travel operators.
John and Sarah then received a response that the company would be happy to accept the booking if they agreed to certain conditions; John and Sarah would have to select their chosen holiday destination in advance so that all fellow passengers could be notified, they would have to pay any additional charges on their hotel bill for allowing pets to stay, and to prevent the dogs causing an obstruction there would be a charge for additional seating room on board the coach.
Outcome: Full and Final Settlement
During the mediation, the travel company raised a number of questions and concerns about guide dogs travelling on buses, and specific advice was provided by a specialist.
The travel company agreed that in future when an assistance dog is travelling with a customer, a suitable feeder vehicle and tour coach will be allocated. The company confirmed that it will be the responsibility of other passengers with concerns or allergies relating to dogs to request a seat further away, and that standard terms and conditions would be amended to reflect these changes.
The representative for the travel company confirmed that all their future holidays will be fully DDA compliant with regard to guide dogs/assistance dogs, and that visually impaired customers will be fairly and appropriately treated.
The company provided an apology to John and Sarah concerning the original incident and telephone enquiry. The representative said, “Mediation has been very helpful in providing a better understanding of the context in which problems arose, and in agreeing effective solutions for both parties.”
The representative for the travel company then went on to thank John and Sarah for bringing the issue to their attention, and as a gesture of goodwill they offered a £100 voucher redeemable against any of the travel company’s holidays, which John and Sarah were happy to accept.