A couple claim they contracted dysentery during a holiday in Turkey where they stayed at a five star hotel that featured on a TV advert for travel giant TUI.
Cindy Greaves and her husband Stephen, from Norwich, Norfolk, were attached to IV drips for up to twelve hours a day for three days after picking up the infection.
They say despite TUI reps sending them to a doctor and booking their taxis to the hospital no one visited them to check on their conditions.
They are now taking legal action against the firm, saying they have ignored their phone calls since their return to the UK and have treated them like an ‘inconvenience.’
It is not clear exactly how they contracted the infection while on holiday, but they claim that they didn’t eat anywhere else than the all inclusive restaurants at the hotel.
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Cindy Greaves and her husband Stephen, (left, on holiday before they got sick) from Norwich, Norfolk, were attached to IV drips (right, Mr Greaves with a line in his arm) for up to twelve hours a day
Stephen Greaves at a hospital in Turkey with an IV drip in his arm
TUI’s five-star Sensatori Barut Fethiye, in Fethiye, Turkey, was the backdrop of a glitzy TV advertising campaign, that featured a mother and her reluctant daughter on holiday together.
Retired Sainsbury’s food buyer Mrs Greaves, said: ‘I think the behaviour towards us has been despicable.
‘Every time I see their adverts on TV it makes me sick. We know the truth behind the glitz. People need to know what they are really like.
‘They have no customer service or manners and it felt like they just want to fob you off, they advertise it as high end but when we were sent to hospital there was virtually no assistance.
TUI’s 5-star Sensatori Barut Fethiye, in Fethiye, Turkey, was the backdrop of a glitzy TV advertising campaign (pictured)
Mrs Greaves said he first week of their summer holiday at the resort (pictured) was everything she had imagined, but the second week was ‘hellish’
Mrs Greaves (left, the red bruise left in her arm after the IV drip, and right, in hospital) says every times she sees an advert for TUI she ‘feels sick’
‘We were hospitalised under their watch. Now they have the cheek to suggest we are dishonest which is outrageous.
‘It felt like the reps in the hotel treated our illness as an inconvenience, we could have been dead for all they cared.’
The couple both contracted the potentially deadly amoebic dysentery. The bug can be passed on when an infected person doesn’t wash their hands after going to the toilet and then handles food.
Mrs Greaves said the first week of their £2689 summer holiday was everything she had imagined.
The couple claim that during dinner at the start of their second week at the resort (pictured) they suddenly fell ill and were confined to their room
She added: ‘It was great, we had a swim up room and the resort was around 18 months old and luxurious – the first part of the holiday was great but the second week was hellish.’
She claims that during dinner at the start of their second week her husband suddenly fell ill with severe diarrhoea and was confined to their room.
The following night she was also struck down with severe illness. She claims she was forced to get out of her sick bed to get her own food.
The 59-year-old added: ‘I tried to tell them I was ill and that I shouldn’t be near food, which I knew from my work in the food industry, but they didn’t care so I had to go into the restaurant anyway.’
The following day they both woke feeling sick and they spoke to their TUI rep who sent them to the onsite doctor, who immediately referred them to hospital.
A taxi was called and they went to the hospital where they were put on drips. An hour later they were summoned to a room with a consultant and given the news that they had both contracted potential deadly parasite amoebic dysentery.
Mrs Greaves added: ‘The liaison who spoke English told us we have to stay in hospital for three to seven days because there is an amoeba bug in our systems which is contagious, I broke down crying.’
The couple (pictured) both contracted the potentially deadly amoebic dysentery. The bug can be passed on when an infected person doesn’t wash their hands after going to the toilet and then handles food
Medication given to them by doctors in Turkey after they were diagnosed with dysentery
They returned to the hotel to collect their things and update the TUI reps on their situation.
After returning to hospital they were then hooked up to drips for up to 12 hours a day for three days, they say nobody from TUI came to the hospital to see if they were OK.
Mr Greaves, 65, said: ‘Nobody from TUI came to see us, it was awful.
‘We were in constant pain on the drips and the nurses were quite rough and had trouble getting the needles in, so our arms were black and blue.’
After getting the all-clear, they then spent the remainder of their holiday waiting to go home after being prescribed six strong antibiotic pills each per day.
When Stephen tried to report his illness to TUI he says they showed no concern at all about their illness.
He added: ‘It was as if they couldn’t be bothered. It was almost as if they wanted to dismiss what had happened to us and acted as if I was an inconvenience – whilst we were in turkey they refused to hand over our illness report.
He said: ‘We asked them the night before we left and then I had to keep asking them. in the end I had to sit in front of them until they handed it over.
After returning home to Norwich in September 2016 they had nearly a year long series of repeated correspondence and phone calls between Stephen and TUI which he says ended in the company ignoring his calls.
Mrs Greaves added: ‘It felt like they were just trying to wear us down, hoping we would forget about it.’
She and her husband are now taking legal action against TUI over their ruined holiday.
Travel lawyer Andrew Tarling, of Simpson Millar Solicitors, who is handling their case said: ‘This is a very nasty bug, and they experienced a horrific ordeal in a foreign country and are extremely lucky not to have their health seriously impaired for life.
‘This was compounded by their treatment by TUI, Tour operators need to do much more to ensure the safety of their guests while abroad.’
A TUI UK spokesperson said: ‘We’re sorry to hear that Mr and Mrs Greaves became unwell on their holiday. As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
‘We’d like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.’