Early departure fees

DAWMOBILE
DAWMOBILE Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited September 1 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

We recent left Cae Mawr site owing to illness. We were charged for 3 days cancellation amounting to almost £100.

Whilst being prepared to accept some penalty such as 1 day we found this quite punitive for a site that was not even half full at the time of departure.

We have communicated our unhappiness three times over the last six weeks but have yet to receive the courtesy of a single reply.

This is the first instance in over 20 years and surely given today’s relatively high site fees these should not be aggravated by having to add travel insurance to a UK booking.

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,134 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 1 #2

    The booking terms to which you agreed are here -

    https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/booking-terms-and-conditions/

    Section 7 refers to early departures.

    Does that help you fathom it out?

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 1 #3

    Sadly this is the deposit booking system many apparently wanted. I really liked the old system but that has now been lost to us. Today we know and agree to the T&Cs being applied at point of booking! I remember several years ago when deposits were first discussed on CT and some were warning us then to be careful for what we wish. I suggests booking a site on a day to day basis when we know occupancy is not an issue.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,425 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 1 #4

    While you may think they are punitive you did agree by making a booking with the T&Cs and so you are bound by them. It was your choice.

    Travel insurance wouldn't usually be that much help in club site holidays, You only pay on arrival and not some time (sometimes weeks) in advance so all you could claim back is the deposit you paid but there is usually with these insurances an excess and most of the time that will be bigger than the deposit. Also again the excess is usually between £50 to £100 so is it worth paying the higher premium? Or pay an ever higher premium to have a lower excess? Obviously if you already have a yearly type of insurance then you could claim perhaps some of your £100 back but it's just not worth it for club site stays.

    This doesn't help you as you only gave a less than three days notice but if you had given more notice you would have a number of whole days back less deposits as in the link by TW. That's generous compared to other providers where you would have lost everything no matter how long the holiday.

    As to high costs, well again you knew the price before booking?

    Did you write in a formal complaint? I think the club is then bound to give an answer within a set time frame but sadly it sounds as if you accepted the T&C and the club has just kept to them.

     

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 1 #5

    Dawmoblie, I am sorry you were ill and hope you have recovered.

    Few sites are full these days. Check the availability and go. Pay on arrival for one day, then repeat payment day by day. When you leave for any reason - because  of illness, bad weather, unpleasant neighbours, or when you have simply had enough you lose nothing. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,856 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 1 #6

    Despite the T&C's there are some inconsistencies in the booking system. Had you become ill on the day of arrival and decided not to travel you would have only lost your deposit, which if the current offers are anything to go by is next to nothing. The fact that you paid for your stay changes all that. Even under the old system you would have only lost one nights fees. None of us know what instructions are given to staff re leeway on refunds. For example do they treat people carted off the A&E differently to those who go home under their own steam?

    David

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Forum Participant Posts: 3,579
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    edited September 2 #7

     Not had the problem recently but it used to be loss of one days fees. 

  • Kasspa
    Kasspa Forum Participant Posts: 359
    edited September 3 #8

    In March this year we arrived at Wharfedale for a 5 night stay at approx 1545 & received a phone call at 1730 that my mother-in-law in South Africa had passed away.....

    We managed to speak to site staff who were now off duty to advise that we would be leaving the next morning to get home, collect passports & travel to Heathrow for a last minute expensive flight as it was Easter weekend approaching....

    The following morning site staff could not have been more helpful, all details had been forwarded to HO & we were only charged for the one night.....

    This was a bereavement & possibly the club have different protocols but their response times were excellent....

    I am sure there is a dedicated email address: earlydepartures@camc.co.uk

    Worth a try!

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