UHPA Arbitration

Foreign traveller, when buying a service directly from the Croatian agency, is protected in the way similar to the one applied in case of travellers who buy services from tour operators and retail agencies in countries within the European Union. However, there are occasional differences in interpreting the agreed upon service or an actual absence of the service or not agreed quality of the service paid for. In such a case, a traveller has to report the problem immediately to the official representative of the travel organizer or the service supplier. If the problem is not settled, the traveller has to require a signed confirmation of his complaint and within 8 days from the return to his home send the complaint in writing to the organizer, together with the relevant documentation.

As all Croatian travel agencies, depending on their legal status, have to be members of the Croatian Chamber of Economy or Croatian Chamber of Arts and Crafts, and as they have their Arbitration courts, the damaged party should contact them or the Agency for protection of customers. Under specific preconditions, when an agency-member of the UHPA is in question, and an agreement with the agency cannot be reached, the damaged party can approach UHPA office in order to start the arbitration procedure.

The complaint will not be considered in this arbitration if the complainant, prior to submitting a complaint, has not undertaken all possible or necessary steps in order to avoid reasons for complaint (by immediately submitting the written complaint to the hotel reception, the tour guide, etc). The complaint has to be acknowledged in writing when recived by the party in question. In addition, the complainant has to lodge the complaint and the compensation claim in writing with the agency with which he has negotiated the package or he has written down his/her complaint in the travel agent's official Book of complaints.

UHPA Arbitration does not rule on complaints in connection with regular bus, air, ship, rail or other public means of transport. The arbitration can consider complaints and compensation claims corresponding to the costs of arrangements in question only, i.e. tourist services that the party complains of, including a compensation claims for actual unforeseen expenses that might have appeared through the fault of the travel organizer. Other compensation claims, such as lost time or profits, compensations for psychical, mental traumas, and alike, are not considered by the arbitration. For them the Croatian Law on legal proceedings is applicable.

For them the Croatian Law on legal proceedings is applicable. While the complaint is being considered by the arbitration, no lawsuit can be started in connection with the complaint in question, and the traveller is not to give information on the complaint to any kind of media. The arbitration decisions are final. Complainants can also submit their complaints to a regular court.