Citizens Advice has called on Brits to be aware of their compensation rights with package holiday deals. Around four million holidaymakers were affected in some way when booking or arriving at their destination over the last 12 months.

Around 14 complaints a day are made to the charity’s Consumer Service about package holidays, including issues like unexpected hotel changes, denied refunds and poor customer service. Guidance has since been issued by the Citizens Advice team, which notes that 42% of the 3,500 package holiday complaints related to all-inclusive trips.

The largest portion (33%) of complaints related to substandard services, where the quality of the holiday fell short of what was agreed.

Complaints included hotels being misdescribed, bad food or unavailable facilities. Long phone wait times, ignored complaints and admin errors made by the holiday companies were also flagged by furious holidaymakers.

Jane Parsons, consumer expert at Citizens Advice, said: "Too often, people are left stressed and disappointed when their dream holidays are spoiled because they’re not getting what they paid for. To make matters worse, they’re having to spend a lot of time and effort trying to resolve issues, sometimes with no luck.

"A record of any issues that occur and evidence should be kept - like clear details of what went wrong and when, photos and receipts." Parsons went on to outline what you should do if you find yourself on the receiving end of poor service or a negative package holiday experience.

She added: "If something goes wrong with your holiday you might be able to get compensation from the company you booked with. You should tell them about any issues as soon as possible - if you don’t say anything until you get home you might get less compensation, or none at all."

The Citizens Advice team went on to outline five possible scenarios which could warrant a form of compensation. The team said a "loss of value" where the room booked was not represented by the room given is grounds for compensation. Extra money spent due to a problem, services booked not being included, a ruined holiday, or distress and disappointment caused are all possible grounds for refund.

John Herriman, chief executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “This research highlights the real impact poor practice in the travel sector can have on consumers, specifically the problems for consumers booking holidays online, particularly through social media.

"Too many people are left out of pocket or dealing with stress when holidays don’t meet what was promised. What should be a time to relax and unwind can turn into the opposite."