travelling-blogger

comments

A couple whose dream Caribbean beach wedding and honeymoon turned into a 'nightmare' after seven people fell ill have won a £50,000 pay out from Thomas Cook.

Terry and Keeley Ford travelled to the luxury Melia Caribe Tropical Resort in Punta Cana for what they planned would be a romantic, luxury two-week break.

However, bride Keeley, 45, fell violently sick just hours after saying her marriage vows to her engineer husband, leaving her bed-bound for days.

On their wedding day: Terry and Keeley Ford at Melia Caribe Tropical Resort in 2009 before falling ill

Four-star resort: The Melia Caribe Tropical Hotel in Playa Bavaro Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Legal action: Keeley and Terry Ford pictured with a Thomas Cook brochure, and, left, the page of the resort

Another six members of the wedding party, including the 53-year-old groom, also fell ill from a bug which caused vomiting and diarrhoea.

The couple, from Kings Heath, Birmingham, also endured a hurricane that caused flash flooding on the night of their £8,300 wedding at the all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic.

According to the law firm Irwin Mitchell, Thomas Cook has paid £50,000 to the couple and their family after they launched legal action.

Mum-of-two Keeley, a childminder, claimed almost raw food was served up at the four-star hotel and said the same utensils were used for uncooked and cooked meat during their stay in August 2009.

Nightmare holiday: Terry and Keeley Ford on the beach of the luxury Melia Caribe Tropical Resort in Punta Cana

Before the illness: The happy couple are pictured with their family members on their wedding day in 2009

'Terry and I have both been married before so did not want the fuss of a church wedding so we decided to go somewhere hot instead,' she said.

'I was concerned about some of the food which was being served in the restaurant. I remember eating a burger and the middle was pink and did not seem to be cooked properly, so I sent it back to the kitchen.'

The couple said their holiday turned into a nightmare when Terry's 21-year-old son fell ill before the wedding – and the rest were ill within two days of the celebrations. 

Keeley's father, Anthony, who had previously suffered from bowel cancer, was diagnosed with gastroenteritis on his return and needed time off work.

Compensation: Terry and Keeley Ford have won a £50,000 pay out from Thomas Cook after their wedding turned into a 'nightmare'

Keeley also fell ill along with her two children who were 11 and 15 at the time, and her parents.
Things went from bad to worse, when a hurricane hit the island.

Keeley said: 'Terry's son, Jonathan, fell ill just two days after we arrived which made it hard for us to all be together as a family.

'As we were finishing our meals on our wedding day, a hurricane hit which meant we all had to return to our rooms to take cover.

'Of course, this could never have been prevented but when we got up the next day the hotel was a complete mess, yet the staff did not seem to be in a hurry to clean it up.

'Over the following two days we all started to feel ill with each of us unable to leave our rooms for long because of sickness and diarrhoea. It was an absolute nightmare.

Holiday to remember: Terry and Keeley Ford pose for their wedding photos on the beach in Punta Cana in 2009

'It was a wedding and a holiday we will remember for all the wrong reasons but we are relieved the legal battle has now ended and we can finally start to put the ordeal behind us.'

Clare Pearson a specialist travel lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: 'This trip, which was meant to be a wedding celebration as well as a holiday, was ruined because of the illness the wedding party suffered and unfortunately nothing can turn back the clock to change that.

'Whilst the hurricane was unfortunate and could not have been predicted, holidaymakers' welfare must be the top priority for tour operators at all times and efforts must be made to ensure that hotels are following good hygiene practices when it comes to food and cleanliness.'

Irwin Mitchell has previously secured a settlement for holidaymakers who travelled to the resort in 2007 and also suffered illness.

A Thomas Cook UK & Ireland spokesman said: 'The health and safety of our customers is of paramount importance.

'We extend our apologies to Mr and Mrs Ford following their illness while staying at the Meliá Caribe Tropical Hotel in the Dominican Republic in 2009, and confirm that we have reached an agreement with their legal representatives. 

'Thomas Cook closely audits all of the hotels to which it operates to ensure that only the very highest health and hygiene standards are in place.

'We would like to assure customers that incidents of this type are rare, as we work closely with all our hotel partners to ensure that only the very highest hygiene standards are maintained.'