Originally Posted by
alexss
although I did have travel insurance, it does not cover this, so my only chance of getting the remaining £1,000 back is if I can force BA to refund this as per (my interpretation of) their Conditions of Carriage.
Firstly, very sorry to hear about your loss.
The only valid reasons I could see for them denying you the full refund/credit could be that they weren't told promptly about the events beyond your control OR there was there a pre-existing condition and you were aware of the risk of cancellation when you booked the tickets.
From the limited information we have, it sounds like
neither of these reasons are valid and you should press for a credit for the remaining £1000. Send a letter (recorded delivery) outlining your case along with copy of the terms of carriage. Give them an ultimatum to pay up within 14 days or you take the case to small claims court.
If they refuse to pay up you could give the small claims court fast track service a try. That way, you can at least have the case heard by a judge who will make a final judgment on the matter and you can put the case to rest...
Alternatively, you may just decide that it's best to drop it completely and put all this behind you.
It's a really tough decision to make, good luck with what ever you decide to do.