Eliana Willis

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has sent an open letter to PCR Covid-19 test providers warning that a range of harmful practices in the sector could breach consumer protection law.
The move comes after the government removed more than 50 test providers from the official list, after it became clear they did not exist.
Now, the CMA has warned some companies are advertising up-front prices for PCR tests which do not include additional charges that everyone must pay.
There are also concerns businesses are advertising cheap PCR tests which are only actually available in very small quantities or are not available at all, or failing to deliver PCR tests or provide results within stated timescales, or at all.
The CMA has also unearthed evidence of testers refusing to provide consumers with refunds where tests are not provided within advertised and/or agreed timescales, or at all.ADVERTISEMENTThe letter from the CMA instructs PCR test providers to ‘immediately review their practices and policies to make sure they are in line with the requirements of consumer law and to make any changes where necessary’.
CMA general counsel, Sarah Cardell, said: “PCR test providers should be in no doubt that they need to get on the right side of the law. If they don’t, they risk enforcement action.
“Our advice today will also help people by setting out exactly what they should expect for their money.
“This warning goes hand-in-hand with action taken by government this week and is the latest step in our work to tackle rip off prices and bad service.
“We continue to work closely with Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) in reviewing this market and will be providing further advice to DHSC on action that can be taken.”
The letter lists 11 steps providers should take, including not focusing their advertising on cheap tests which are only available in small numbers; showing the full cost of tests including all compulsory charges; and providing ‘honest, accurate and clear’ timescales on when tests will be received.
PCR test providers should also ensure that PCR tests and results are provided within advertised timescales.

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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is calling upon the US government to urgently speed up approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine to help restore vital transatlantic travel.
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the main health authority in the US, this week approved the Pfizer vaccine.
However, it still does not currently recognise AstraZeneca as an approved Covid-19 vaccine.
Even if the Biden Administration allows borders to reopen, the non-recognition of AstraZeneca will be a significant barrier to transatlantic travel between the UK and the US, the WTTC said.
America will effectively remain off-limits to the majority of Brits – and many millions more around the world – who are vaccinated with the AstraZeneca drug.ADVERTISEMENTAstraZeneca has the largest global reach of all current vaccines and has currently been administered across 176 countries and territories, highlighting the importance of its approval in the US.
WTTC says CDC non-recognition will continue to seriously depress consumer demand and prevent any meaningful revival of transatlantic travel from the UK to the US.
It will also continue the serious knock-on effects throughout the tourism sector on both sides of the Atlantic.
United States carrier JetBlue recently launched its first transatlantic flights from New York to London, while Aer Lingus, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines are all due to add new routes or extra capacity to cater to increased demand from the US to the UK.
Virginia Messina, WTTC senior vice president, said: “It’s crucial the US authorities step forward to formally approve the AstraZeneca vaccine as a matter of urgency to enable cross-border mobility and the return of transatlantic travel between the UK and US.
“Unless they give it the green light then the US will effectively remain closed to the vast majority of UK visitors and the many millions around the world who are double-jabbed with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“This will leave airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, hotels and the entire tourism infrastructure, which depends upon transatlantic travel, in significant trouble for the foreseeable future.”
WTTC warns that the current CDC approval process could take months to give AstraZeneca the all clear.

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is warning travellers not to leave themselves unprotected when booking last minute deals to holiday destinations.
With many popular destinations now open for visitors, lots of travellers are expected to be searching for bargain trips abroad.
However, it is more important than ever to check that a trip is financially protected, the CAA said.ADVERTISEMENTIf you are booking a package holiday, make sure that it is financially protected by the ATOL scheme. 
ATOL protection means that if the travel company you booked with ceases trading, you will either get your money back, or, if you have already begun your holiday, be able to complete your trip at no extra cost.
It is important to look beyond the price of some offers and make sure there is ATOL holiday financial protection in place for your trip.
Not all websites ending in .co.uk will be companies based in the UK too, which means they may not offer financial protection.
There are a few ways to check if your travel company is covered before you book:

If the ATOL logo is on their shop window, website or brochure
If they have a unique four or five-digit ATOL number
If they are listed on our ‘Check an ATOL’ page on our website

Andy Cohen, head of ATOL at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “With travellers eager to get away, we urge consumers to do their research and look beyond the price when booking last minute getaways to hotspot destinations.
“It is more important now than ever that travellers make sure they are financially protected when travelling.”

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More than 80 private travel testing companies will be issued a two-strike warning after failing to maintain suitable standards for consumers.
The businesses could be removed from the official list after issuing misleading prices, the health and social care secretary announced.
Following a rapid review of the pricing and service standards of day two and day eight testing providers listed on the government website, 82 providers have been identified as displaying lower prices there than are available on individual websites at the point of checkout.
The government website will be updated to reflect the true cost of the tests and companies will be warned this week that they will be removed if they advertise misleading prices again.
The decision impacts on around a fifth of all providers.ADVERTISEMENTA total of 57 companies will be removed from the list today as they no longer exist or do not provide day two and day eight testing.
As part of the ongoing review, regular spot checks will be introduced from this week to make sure companies are complying with the rules to ensure prices displayed are accurate, providers are legitimate and companies have not changed their name to get back on the list.
Health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “It is absolutely unacceptable for any private testing company to be taking advantage of holidaymakers and this action clamps down on this cowboy behaviour.
“Some 57 firms will be removed from the government list and a further 82 will be given a two-strike warning – if they advertise misleading prices ever again, they’re off.
“We are also introducing regular spot checks this week to make sure all private providers follow the rules and meet our high standards of transparency.”
The findings of the review will be shared with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to support their own review of the market and align recommendations and actions.
Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, said: “It is inexcusable that it has taken the government nearly half a year to properly audit its own list of private test providers to remove firms that don’t exist and others advertising misleading prices.
“The number of firms being taken off or facing a warning shows the huge difficulty travellers face in choosing a trustworthy, reliable test provider.
“Many will have faced delays and missing tests because they used cowboy firms listed by the government.
“While it is frustrating that it has taken so long for the government to clamp down on rogue providers, with many summer holidays already ruined, it is vital that it now takes immediate action to remove any companies not following the rules.”

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The Advantage Travel Partnership has announced a 40 per cent increase in membership enquiries year-on-year with particular growth in conversions of Advantage Managed Services (AMS) and home working members.
From the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, the consortium has increased communication with members, provided useful and supportive webinars to tackle every issue from refunds to re-openings, actively lobbied government and given the travel agent a clear voice via national and regional media channels on issues such as furlough, the traffic light system and testing requirements.
New Advantage member, Natasha Mouscos, commented: “We recently joined Advantage and we have found that all the team have been very supportive, we are already seeing the commercial benefits to joining and the security of operating within a consortium is great for us.”
In addition to an increase in members in the UK, the organisation has also welcomed two new members from Australia into its international network, WIN. 
The Bay Travel Group and FBI Travel bring the total number of global members to 91 with representation across 82 countries.ADVERTISEMENTKelly Cookes, leisure director, Advantage Travel Partnership commented: “We are especially seeing an increase in enquiries and subsequent conversions of AMS members.
“Our AMS product is unique in the market-place with all customer monies protected in trust and a franchise ATOL option.
“Our trust facility provides an additional level of security not only for our members but also for customers.
“This has been an incredibly tough year and throughout we have tried to adapt our services to best support our members and hopefully get them through the tough times and into a period of recovery.”

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reports that over 300 respondents have contributed to the ATOL reform consultation.
The consultation received high levels of “constructive engagement” from a wide range of industry stakeholders, consumer organisations, financial institutions and travel trade bodies.
Engagement from stakeholders will allow the CAA to better understand any concerns when shaping changes to the ATOL scheme.
The CAA said it will take full account of the need to allow industry to adjust to any new arrangements that will be implemented following the overall consultation process.ADVERTISEMENTThe ATOL team has worked closely with stakeholders over the past few months to discuss the consultation and encourage engagement.
The consultation primarily looked at how ATOL can protect consumers, with a focus on how ATOL holders fund their operations and how the use of customers’ monies should be considered within the regulatory scheme.
Matt Buffey, head of ATOL regulation and governance at the CAA, said: “We would like to thank everybody who has engaged with the consultation since it opened in April.
“While the ATOL scheme exists to protect consumers, we do appreciate the travel industry has faced a period of significant financial uncertainty and it has been highly valuable to listen to their views and take on board any concerns.”
The CAA will now consider these responses and a summary will be published in the autumn, ahead of launching a second consultation making specific proposals in the spring.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the EU Digital Covid-19 Certificate (DCC) and UK NHS Covid-19 Pass can now be uploaded into IATA Travel Pass.
Both act as verified proof of vaccination for travel.
Travelers holding an EU DCC or UK NHS Covid Pass can now access accurate Covid-19 travel information for their journey, create an electronic version of their passport and import their vaccination certificate in one place.
This information can be shared with airlines and border control authorities who can have the assurance that the certificate presented to them is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it.
“Covid-19 vaccination certificates are becoming a widespread requirement for international travel. ADVERTISEMENT“Handling the European and UK certificates through IATA Travel Pass is an important step forward, providing convenience for travellers, authenticity for governments and efficiency for airlines,” said Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president for operations safety and security. 
Harmonisation of digital vaccine standards is essential to support the safe and scalable restart of aviation, avoid unnecessary airport queues and ensure a smooth passenger experience, IATA argues.
The body said it welcomes the work done by the EU Commission in developing, in record time, the EU DCC system and thereby standardising digital vaccine certificates across Europe.
Building on the EU DCC success, IATA urges the World Health Organisation (WHO) to revisit its work to develop a global digital vaccine standard.
“The absence of a global standard makes it much harder for airlines, border authorities and governments to recognise and verify a traveller’s digital vaccination certificate.
“The industry is working around this by developing solutions that can recognise and verify certificates from individual countries.
“But this is a slow process that is hampering the restart of international travel,” said Careen.
He added: “As more states roll out their vaccination programs, many are urgently looking to implement technical solutions to provide vaccine certification for their citizens when they travel.
“In the absence of a WHO standard, IATA urges them to look closely at the EU DCC as a proven solution that meets WHO guidance and can help to reconnect the world.”

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The Annual Visitor Attractions Survey from VisitEngland shows the severe impact on visitor attractions from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Released today, the study shows with a 65 per cent drop in visitors overall compared to 2019 and a 55 per cent decline in revenue.
These declines were driven by site closures associated with lockdowns and opening restrictions and the significant contraction of inbound and domestic tourism in 2020.
The fall in visitor numbers last year to England’s attractions was most marked for museums and galleries, other historic properties and places of worship, many of which rely on overseas visitors.
Outdoor attractions such as country parks, wildlife attractions/zoos and gardens showed the smallest decreases.
Overall rural attractions fared best last year with admissions dropping by 47 per cent compared to a 74 per cent decline for urban.
Indoor attractions saw a larger decline in admissions in 2020 than outdoor with decreases of 76 per cent and 43 per cent respectively, partly due to lockdown restrictions delaying their reopening but also people being more reluctant to visit indoor attractions.ADVERTISEMENTRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was the most visited paid for attraction in England last year with 1.2 million visitors, the first time a garden has taken the top spot, although numbers were still down almost half on 2019, followed by Chester Zoo and RHS Garden Wisley.
The Tower of London, which had ranked first since 2009, saw an 85 per cent decrease from 3 million visitors in 2019 to 448,000 in 2020, dropping to tenth place.
Topping the list of free attractions in England was the Tate Modern with 1.4 million visitors, a 77 per cent drop on 2019, followed by the Natural History Museum with 1.3 million, a 76 per cent drop, and the British Museum 1.28 million, an 80 per cent drop.
Tourism minister, Nigel Huddleston, said: “I know what a challenging year it’s been for our brilliant tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors.
“Tourism is one of our country’s greatest assets, driving our economy and delivering jobs across our communities.”
The survey, which gathered information from 1,301 English attractions, also showed the impact from the absence of international visitors in 2020 with a drop of 93 per cent in overseas visitor numbers.
Image: Philippe Gras

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