Monthly Archives: July 2021

I have booked my own flight and hotel online.  If I have to cancel what will happen to my money?

If you have planned a holiday where you booked the flights and hotel individually, you do not have the same level of protection as with a package holiday.

Your rights to cancel your flight and accommodation will be set out in the terms and conditions of the contract.

Cancelling your flight

If you have to cancel your flight or decide not to fly, you may lose the money you paid if the flight has not been cancelled by the airline or if you have not booked it as part of a package holiday.

If you booked the flight yourself you have no automatic right to re-routing or a refund. However, if you have to cancel because of COVID-19, you should contact the airline. Some airlines may be willing to offer you other alternatives like a voucher or credit note, or allow you to rebook your flight for a later date.

Cancelling your accommodation

Check the terms and conditions carefully to see what your rights about cancellation and refund options. You should contact the booking site if you need to cancel. In general, if you booked with a booking website, your contract is with the hotel and not the booking website. You may need to go to the hotel directly to ask for a refund. If you have a non-refundable hotel booking, it may be difficult to get your money back if you have to cancel.

Travel insurance

If you have taken out travel insurance to cover your holiday, check to see if flight and accommodation cancellations are covered. If you are not sure, contact your travel insurance provider directly to see if you can claim on your policy.

You can read more about travel during COVID-19 and your consumer rights on citizensinformation.ie.

During COVID-19, you can find comprehensive integrated information online at citizensinformation.ie/covid19/ and you can get daily updates on what’s changed on Twitter at @citizensinfo.

You can also get information and advice from:

• The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm

You can continue to contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in the Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.

I want to travel to the EU with my family this summer. How can I get my Digital COVID Certificate?

Ireland has introduced the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) for travel from within the EU and EEA (the EU, plus Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland).

The DCC provides proof that you have been fully vaccinated with one of the EU approved vaccines or you have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months or you have received a negative COVID-19 test result immediately before travel.

The Digital COVID Certificate comes as a QR code on your smartphone, by email or in paper format.

If you plan to travel abroad, you should check the testing and quarantining requirements of the country you are travelling to.

There are 4 different types of DCC. If you have been vaccinated in Ireland your DCC will be sent to you automatically.

*Antigen testing is not accepted for travel to Ireland. You should check ReOpen EU to check if it is accepted in the country you are travelling to.

DCCs based on vaccination are being sent out by email or post. If you don’t get yours in the coming weeks, you can call the free Digital COVID Certificate emergency helpline on 1800 807 008. You can phone +353 76888 5513 from outside Ireland.

You can request the certificate based on recovery from the helpline or by completing an online form. If you submit a form online, you will get your certificate by email within 5 days.

During COVID-19, you can find comprehensive integrated information online at citizensinformation.ie/covid19/ and you can get daily updates on what’s changed on Twitter at @citizensinfo.

You can also get information and advice from:

• The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm

You can continue to contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in the Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.

What has changed in the law on drinking outdoors?

The law on drinking outdoors was recently changed to clarify that pubs and restaurants can serve alcohol to customers who are seated in ‘designated areas’ outside the premises.

Pubs and restaurants have been unable to open for indoor service due to COVID-19 restrictions. Local authorities have permitted outdoor seating in designated outdoor areas, but, previously, it was illegal to serve alcohol in those areas.

There has been no change to the laws about drinking outside in public places that are not ‘designated areas’ of a licensed premises. Drinking outdoors is not prohibited in general, but local authorities have bye-laws that don’t allow drinking in some or all public places.

If you are drinking in public and behaving in a way that could cause worry for safety, the Gardaí can confiscate your alcohol. They can also confiscate alcohol if it is being drunk by a person under 18, or if they have cause to believe that it will be consumed by a person under 18.

It is an offence to consume alcohol bought in a closed container (like a bottle or can) within 100 metres of the off-licence where it was sold. The law does not forbid a pub from delivering drinks to people’s homes, or stop customers from  bringing drinks home.

It is also an offence to be so drunk in a public place that you could reasonably be assumed to be a danger to yourself or to anyone around you.

You can also get information and advice from:

• The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm
• Our national call back service: Visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to request a phone call from an information officer

You can continue to contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in the Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.

I was in hospital recently and I was not happy with my experience there. When I complained to the nurse in charge I wasn’t satisfied with the response. How can I take my complaint further?

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has a complaints system, called Your service your say, that you can use to make a complaint about your experience of a service provided by the HSE or on behalf of the HSE.

If you want to make a complaint about a public hospital to the HSE, you can get support from the Patient Advocacy Service to help you make your complaint.

The Patient Advocacy Service is fully independent of the HSE. It is a free and confidential service that can provide you with information to support you to make a formal complaint about an experience you have had in a public acute hospital.

The Patient Advocacy Service provides support by phone helpline, on 0818 293003, and on its website, patientadvocacyservice.ie. You can also email info@patientadvocacyservice.ie.

The service can explain how to make a formal complaint, including what you should include in your complaint and how to write it.

If there is a delay with the processing of the complaint or if you are not satisfied with the outcome, the Patient Advocacy Service can give you information about your options.

If you have a question about the Patient Advocacy Service, but you are not looking for information or support in relation to the care you have experienced, you can submit a contact form on its website.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

You can also get information and advice from:

• The Citizens Information Phone Service: Call 0761 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm
• Our national call back service: Visit citizensinformation.ie/callback to request a phone call from an information officer

You can continue to contact your local centre by email or phone using the details in the Find a Centre page on citizensinformation.ie.