Cottage companies T&C - Ive had enough
Discussion
This is purely and simply a vent so please dont expect much highbrow context
Having kids and dogs we have always been big fans of a UK holiday in a nice cottage somewhere but I think Ive now had enough as their T&Cs are just so heavily stacked in their favour
The final straw is an email today telling me my holiday in 8 days time is cancelled for "owner reasons"
This is naturally perfectly OK in the small print and is the case in every other cottage company I have looked at this evening
The cottage in question has a distinctive name and the second hit on Google is a Rightmove listing dated March this year which is now sold subject to contract
Funny but nobody told me this when they took the thick end of 3 grand off me just after Easter
The T&C say they will try and find me alternative accomodation but at this notice with a dog its not great to say the least
Other highs were booking a cottage near a food festival (we are big foodies) which had a broken oven however this was not something that they bothered telling us or trying to fix "because contract"
And for full comedic value the Lake District place that stank like a sewage works when we arrived due to a dispute with the owner and cleaning staff who had shoved a mop down a macerator toilet and then took a huge dump immediately afterwards. Arriving at 5pm on a Saturday in the middle of nowhere meant it didnt get fixed till Tuesday with resultant stench even though we had every window open. The agent had an office in town and gladly told me that the T&C once again said they were only responsible for taking my cash and I should raise any issues with the owner who lived hundreds of miles away and coulnt be less bothered. I did resist the temptation to leave a mop behind when we left and a number 2 however still regret that decision
Clearly Im frustrated but If Id cancelled today Id lose my money
We are currently looking at Butlins
And the Ritz (this is PH after all)
Thanks for listening
EDIT: just had a call to say I'll be refunded in 10 daystime. Ive just raised a dispute on my credit card and have really had enough
Having kids and dogs we have always been big fans of a UK holiday in a nice cottage somewhere but I think Ive now had enough as their T&Cs are just so heavily stacked in their favour
The final straw is an email today telling me my holiday in 8 days time is cancelled for "owner reasons"
This is naturally perfectly OK in the small print and is the case in every other cottage company I have looked at this evening
The cottage in question has a distinctive name and the second hit on Google is a Rightmove listing dated March this year which is now sold subject to contract
Funny but nobody told me this when they took the thick end of 3 grand off me just after Easter
The T&C say they will try and find me alternative accomodation but at this notice with a dog its not great to say the least
Other highs were booking a cottage near a food festival (we are big foodies) which had a broken oven however this was not something that they bothered telling us or trying to fix "because contract"
And for full comedic value the Lake District place that stank like a sewage works when we arrived due to a dispute with the owner and cleaning staff who had shoved a mop down a macerator toilet and then took a huge dump immediately afterwards. Arriving at 5pm on a Saturday in the middle of nowhere meant it didnt get fixed till Tuesday with resultant stench even though we had every window open. The agent had an office in town and gladly told me that the T&C once again said they were only responsible for taking my cash and I should raise any issues with the owner who lived hundreds of miles away and coulnt be less bothered. I did resist the temptation to leave a mop behind when we left and a number 2 however still regret that decision
Clearly Im frustrated but If Id cancelled today Id lose my money
We are currently looking at Butlins
And the Ritz (this is PH after all)
Thanks for listening
EDIT: just had a call to say I'll be refunded in 10 daystime. Ive just raised a dispute on my credit card and have really had enough
Edited by numtumfutunch on Thursday 22 August 20:21
Rob 131 Sport said:
Put the dog in kennels and have a holiday abroad that I’m sure you’d all enjoy more in the fine weather, not to mention the different food and culture.
Edit: can't as need to be UK based for personal reasons this holiday Edited by numtumfutunch on Friday 23 August 06:56
Where's that AirBnB meme when you need it
A consequence of a seller's market I suppose. Same as the rental market -
NO SMOKERS, NO PETS, NO CHILDREN, NO DSS, NO SELF-EMPLOYED, NO UNEMPLOYED, NO GUESTS, NO SITTING DOWN OR STANDING UP, NO COOKING IN THE PROPERTY, PARENTAL GUARANTOR REQUIRED EVEN IF YOU'RE 66, TEN-YEAR'S RENT REQUIRED UP-FRONT, THREE-WEEK TENANCY ONLY, £400,000 PCM ARRRRGH I HATE AND DESPISE YOU SO MUCH FOR ATTEMPTING TO RENT MY PRECIOUS PRECIOUS INVESTMENT VEHICLE
A consequence of a seller's market I suppose. Same as the rental market -
NO SMOKERS, NO PETS, NO CHILDREN, NO DSS, NO SELF-EMPLOYED, NO UNEMPLOYED, NO GUESTS, NO SITTING DOWN OR STANDING UP, NO COOKING IN THE PROPERTY, PARENTAL GUARANTOR REQUIRED EVEN IF YOU'RE 66, TEN-YEAR'S RENT REQUIRED UP-FRONT, THREE-WEEK TENANCY ONLY, £400,000 PCM ARRRRGH I HATE AND DESPISE YOU SO MUCH FOR ATTEMPTING TO RENT MY PRECIOUS PRECIOUS INVESTMENT VEHICLE
consumer contracts cannot be unfairly geared towards the business.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
mickythefish said:
consumer contracts cannot be unfairly geared towards the business.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
Thanks, its there in black and white that all of the big "reputable" cottage companies can cancel without reason or penalty yet the customer gets hosed if they pull out of the contract. Its not Airbnb who have been mentioned in the thread - I had enough of them last year Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
Im still furious, however will decide how much energy/fun I wish to expend winding them up after the weekend
Cheers
Had similar on a trip down to for a days mtb coaching.
Arrived to find the cottage had burned to the ground nearly a year ago, and despite the owner telling xxxxx this was the case, they still took the booking.
Finding alternatives with 15k of bikes on the roof at 5pm, where the local pubs wouldn't take a booking due to my son being under 18, and no one willing to let me take bikes inside was fun...we have a railing, could you lock them to that was one helpful response <sigh>.
Arrived to find the cottage had burned to the ground nearly a year ago, and despite the owner telling xxxxx this was the case, they still took the booking.
Finding alternatives with 15k of bikes on the roof at 5pm, where the local pubs wouldn't take a booking due to my son being under 18, and no one willing to let me take bikes inside was fun...we have a railing, could you lock them to that was one helpful response <sigh>.
numtumfutunch said:
Thanks, its there in black and white that all of the big "reputable" cottage companies can cancel without reason or penalty yet the customer gets hosed if they pull out of the contract. Its not Airbnb who have been mentioned in the thread - I had enough of them last year
Im still furious, however will decide how much energy/fun I wish to expend winding them up after the weekend
Cheers
Yes this is somewhat off putting. If it was Airbnb then I can understand: you take your gamble and hope to get away with it. But with cottage platforms then I would expect a bit more coverage. Im still furious, however will decide how much energy/fun I wish to expend winding them up after the weekend
Cheers
I once got diagnosed with a tumour and had to cancel my trip. I didn't have insurance so expected to have to pay the full amount because it was past the cancellation period (I had no problem with that since I had bigger issues at hand). Instead they sent their sympathies and gave me a full refund. This was Cottages.com who were brilliant. They requested my hospital diagnosis documents as proof then just refunded me.
If an owner cancelled on me then I would have expected such platforms to provide an alternative letting given such inconvenience to the customer.
mickythefish said:
consumer contracts cannot be unfairly geared towards the business.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
You're techinically accurate. But...Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
In the OP's position unfortunately his only real recourses are:
- refund
- attempting to enforce performance (good luck with that one)
- suing for compensation (given the current state of the UK courts, again good luck...)
havoc said:
mickythefish said:
consumer contracts cannot be unfairly geared towards the business.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
You're techinically accurate. But...Consumer Rights Act 2015
The act defines an unfair term as one that significantly imbalances the rights and obligations of the parties to the detriment of the consumer, and is contrary to good faith. Unfair terms are not legally binding on consumers, and enforcers can take action to stop their use. However, consumers can choose to rely on an unfair term if they wish
In the OP's position unfortunately his only real recourses are:
- refund
- attempting to enforce performance (good luck with that one)
- suing for compensation (given the current state of the UK courts, again good luck...)
In the past the OFT would look at these firms’ T’s C’s but don’t know who would do that now.
ETA: suggested route from Which: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/the...
Edited by Sheepshanks on Saturday 24th August 09:33
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