Norma Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 2 months ago we booked and paid in full for 5 nights at an established campsite in Amstedam, costing us 95€. As we are still not back on the road - into our 4th week in Valencia - we have had to cancel going to Amsterdam for the marathon. The site are refusing to repay any of our money. They say it is part of their terms and conditions, which oddly, we can´t find anywhere! We would understand them retaining a deposit or even reducing a charge for a later stay. NO, they say claim it on our insurance, that´s what it´s there for. They insisted payment in full for the reservation and wouldn´t accept a deposit. Is this ´greed´ normal practice in Europe? Any other similiar experiences out there? We had expected that ´reservation´ meant just that. After all if you book and pay by credit card for a hotel room you can still cancel the booking and be refunded. Stupid of us to think that campsites would be the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Hi, We had a similar problem with a cottage holiday booking in the UK, we didn't take out travel/cancellation insurance as it was in the UK where we live and thought who needs travel insurance in the UK NO ONE ?? well check the small print as that is why a lot of holiday companies offer it as they expect you to make a claim if you have to cancel. I think more and more holiday companies and hotels and i suppose campsites are starting to adopt the same standpoint, most of them seem to try or certainly offer to sell you cancellation/travel insurance when you book. Which i suppose they make money from and if you don't take up the offer they expect you have your own and then as they say that is what its for, so make a claim. I know it sounds very hard but from there position they may not be able to re-let the room/pitch/etc and have probably had to turn other people away, so would need to re advertise which obviously has a cost implication, albeit it does feel a little harsh Hi, Again, just remembered reading somewhere that some people think that the CC and the C&CC should start to adopt a similar arrangement as they felt that it would stop some of the over booking at weekends on the more favoured sites, so there is fours and against on everything ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 I would have thought that any campsite that insists on full payment is not likely to offer a refund or a transfer to alternative dates. Whilst I appreciate that it leaves a bad taste you perhaps have to view from the law angle. The two parties have entered into a contract, you to pay and them to provide a pitch. It is not their problem if you can't be there so they have kept to their side of the bargain. Its also not just a mainland European thing either, some campsites in the UK operate the same way that why I tend to us CC sites here and am inclined not to book whilst abroad unless it really is required. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Norma, this has to be very much dependant on circumstances. many years ago we had a hotel in Llandudno and ran ski holidays in the winter. Now if somebody booked either ahead and paid the full price we would refund, less a percentage, if cancelled more than four weeks ahead. However if cancelled less than four weeks ahead we would not refund, nothing to do with greed just business. For ski holidays we had to book flights and this money was not refundable to us and flight could not be transfered, things have changed now but at that time this was the situation. With the hotel we could not afford to suddenly have a room empty due to a cancellation. We may have refilled it at peak season but at other times probably not. If you cancelled very late then I would fully understand the sites attitude, if you gave them a lot of notice then they should have refunded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 have you ever tried paying a french campsite in advance my biddies? dont be silly, never pay in full until you sniff the goods. franglaisfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Why book in the first place? we travelled for six weeks through Holland Germany and France and didnt book one site, its too tying we got a Motorhome for the freedom it gives us, if you make for a site and cant get on there is always another not far away, we werent refused at one site we tried. To answer your question though I think you would have a job reclaiming your money back in this country never mind abroad :-S their excuse is that you booked a site that they could have let someone else have!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 OK. We take the point. Hind sight is a wonderful thing and I can see everyone elses points. I wouldn´t have booked but hubby wanted to be certain we´d be camping near to the stadium for the marathon. It´s just been a very bad holiday and that was just something else on the list. The van was with the mechanics in Valencia for over 2 weeks and when we collected it wasn´t drivable home - 40mph in third. And yes it had been roadtested, or so they said. We had hoped to cut and run and take the CC up on their suggestion of repatriation. Till the underwriters started to work it out. Then the goal posts kept moving. Now the van is going back to the original garage and no sign of when it might be ready. We´ve been advised not to upset the mechanics as they will just go slower, if that is possible. So instead of a week with my son and Spanish girlfriend and 5 weeks touring, finishing in Amsterdam, we have ended up staying with them in their flat for 3 weeks and now entering our 4th. And now´s it raining... So the campsite was just more bad news. But you are right and in the cold light of day it does seem different. But still a b****r. Oh well, we could be in a hotel... Sorry - just having a grump. Things could be a lot worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 Oh Norma thats terrible Im so sorry for you :-S did you mean you had breakdown insurance with the Caravan Club? if so thats bad they should have brought you and the van home! what would have happened if you didnt have family to stay with? And I would write to this campsite with evidence of your M.H. breakdown and try to reclaim again. Good luck. maggy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 Norma - 2008-10-12 10:18 AM OK. We take the point. Hind sight is a wonderful thing and I can see everyone elses points. I wouldn´t have booked but hubby wanted to be certain we´d be camping near to the stadium for the marathon. It´s just been a very bad holiday and that was just something else on the list. The van was with the mechanics in Valencia for over 2 weeks and when we collected it wasn´t drivable home - 40mph in third. And yes it had been roadtested, or so they said. We had hoped to cut and run and take the CC up on their suggestion of repatriation. Till the underwriters started to work it out. Then the goal posts kept moving. Now the van is going back to the original garage and no sign of when it might be ready. We´ve been advised not to upset the mechanics as they will just go slower, if that is possible. I would have thought booking when there is a major event makes sence, so wouldn't critisise for that, canceling at one weeks notice normaly you would expect to get charged thats when holiday insurance comes in handy, question might be, if they had offered full refund how many would come on here to say "I had this good service..."? (yes I know all of us :D ) As to the van, ASIUT you have had all injectors and pump fitted? I still wonder if it's a fault in wiring loom to injectors as I first posted, I've just got something in back of my mind that it's not an uncommon fault on that model, it seems to be a problem with many vehicles that have electronic injectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 Thanks Maggy Yes we are with the CC and on the whole they have been pretty good. Promised us nights away - Madrid, Barcelona etc and hotel and hire car covered. But we can´t really afford the ancillary costs (fuel and food etc), oddly enough not in original budget. Then they offered to fly us to Amsterdam for the marathon with hotel and car etc. One snag - we have the dog and the family were unable to look after her. Our problem, not theirs. And not all the repairs are covered by insurance. Then they would ship the van home now they won´t. Mind you if all else fails they will have to. And as for the back up to them (NOT the CC´s fault) from the RRAC in Madrid. Totally conflicting stories from them about the garage info. Meanwhile the Spanish girlfriend was also speaking to the garage and was told that the Madrid people were having no contact with them and therefore the info the RRAC was apparently feeding back to the CC was hogwash. Four times we were told by London, via Madrid, that the van was ready and it wasn´t. And we did explain the problem but we more or less got a ´expletive´ removed email back. Not worth persuing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 Maggy, I know it's not of much help to you right now - though it might be to others - but I'd be very surprised if any travel insurance policy would have paid up for the cancellation of your Amsterdam camp site. Cancellation normally only covers the need to do so for medical reasons affecting the insured or their near kin. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey72 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 My holiday insurance, for hotels, cottages etc, has always covered loss of the holiday due to breakdown of the vehicle getting you there. Don't know about campsites, as I've never took out insurance, and your own vehicle is also part of your holiday. I still wouldn't take it out having said that, as the cost of the insurance is probably half the cost of the campsite again as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I feel that this thread's title is wrong I do not believe that you have been 'ripped off' it is unfortunate you have had to cancel but never the less the pitch was being saved for you. I have a CS site and I cannot tell you the number of times people book to stay and do not turn up or even have the decency to let me know! It is so frustrating from this side of the fence too furthermore I do not ask for payment in advance, though this may have to change. Regards Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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