Beware Sun Holidays

Gracust

Hi,

I would just like to point out how disappointed I am with The Sun newspapers Uk Holidays In The Sun special offer.

For the third year running I put down five dates and five locations. Once again, despite posting the coupon off, with my £47.50 cheque at 6 o'clock in the morning and needing one token fewer because I was a "valued customer" I missed out. This time they didn't send my cheque back but emailed me with a link to their website. It read:

[HTML]Thank you for your application for a UK Holiday in the Sun.
We are very sorry to advise you that at the time your application
was processed, the availability for your selected parks and dates
had already been allocated.
However, there are still thousands of holidays available, and you
can make your re-selection immediately on-line. Simply click this
link www.sunholidaysbookings.co.uk and enter:[/HTML]

On entering the sparse website it came up with one site in Cornwall, Duporth. No information was available about the site and all it had at the side was the word caterered. No information about any extra cost incurred, so I went ahead and booked it. The following week I get a telephone call from Duporth stating that all they had for that week was half board and it would cost me an extra £180.00 I obviously cancelled the trip and asked for my £47.50 cheque back I was told to take it up with The Sun and given the phone number 0870 1253344. I tried this number for TWO days and it is constantly "busy".

Eventually I found out that it is run by a marketing company called GFM -www.gfm.co.uk They have told me that they will not refund my £47.50 because I have entered into some contract with them and they will not refund or amend the booking.

As a father with three children we were obviously looking forward to getting away for a break but not only will we not be going we can't even get our cheque back.

...Gracust

stugib

Gracust wrote:

On entering the sparse website it came up with one site in Cornwall, Duporth. No information was available about the site and all it had at the side was the word caterered. No information about any extra cost incurred, so I went ahead and booked it. The following week I get a telephone call from Duporth stating that all they had for that week was half board and it would cost me an extra £180.00

Eventually I found out that it is run by a marketing company called GFM -www.gfm.co.uk They have told me that they will not refund my £47.50 because I have entered into some contract with them and they will not refund or amend the booking.

So they think you're in a contract where they can vary the terms of the product and the price and you lose the deposit if you cancel?

Even if that was in the small print I'd imagine that'd be deemed an unfair contract term. But you need to check exactly what you agreed to when booking - when I've done similar offers in the past your up-front payment is small but you agree to pay for linen hire, facility fees etc, and they're based on 4 sharing, so a '£9.50 holiday' quickly becomes £80+. What did you expect to be paying above the £47.50 for the original holiday and what was the £47.50 for?

Gracust

Hi Stugib,

The £47.50 was for the total price of accommodation and was the price that I was willing to pay. I just can't believe they would expect someone to pay an extra £180 and will not refund my original £47.50

I am also convinced that they never have all the holiday camps that they list available. What more can you do than collect one less and post off your coupon at the earliest possible opportunity (6a.m.) with five sites and five possible dates...It's a rip off!

I am writing to their head office but would like to warn others to just be very careful.

...Gracust :mad:

stugib

Gracust wrote:

The £47.50 was for the total price of accommodation and was the price that I was willing to pay. I just can't believe they would expect someone to pay an extra £180 and will not refund my original £47.50

Just had a look at the sites you mentioned. GFM just look to be a marketing company/web design compnay/front for the bookings. Are you sure the contract is with them and not the Sun? It's difficult to know what to advise because you need a login to get to the booking system and they only refer to the T&Cs on the booking form, and don't reproduce them on the website. They refer to clause 10 about bookings cannot be amended, so they're assuming you agreed to pay it and now want to cancel. I'd be making clear to them (whoever 'them' is), given what you've outlined here, that you never agreed to that amount in the first place.

Gracust wrote:

I am writing to their head office but would like to warn others to just be very careful.

That's general advice I'd give to anyone: DON'T BUY THE SUN

black-saturn

Did you ask for a popular date like a school holiday? I've been on about 7 or 8 Sun holidays and always got the first choice of park and first choice of date. I didnt do it this year though so maybe they have had a lot of people apply this year.

Sam_Spends_Too_Much

I sent off for a Sun holiday. Got my first choice park but 3rd choice dates. Only thing is, I have been allocated a 2 bed (6 person) van for my 6 person family. Me, hubby 1 boy and 3 girls. The youngest has to go in a single bed as needs cot side, 3rd youngest needs single as has cerebral palsy and tends to thrash about which leaves my 9yr old and 8yr old. They either have to share a bed with each other or with me or my husband.

I don't consider either option to be viable but the caravan site says this is usual practice, if I pay a minimum of £24 I can upgrade to a 3 bed basic van.

I also have to pay another £88 :eek: for linen deposit, linen hire, entertainment passes and gas/elec. These holidays appear a good idea on the surface, but this one is just going from bad to worse.

Does anyone have anything thoughts on whether I can get my money back, as in this day and age, I don't think my children should have to share a bed. I mean, you can't even take their picture at school because of all the new laws yet Haven consider it OK for them to share a bed

Becles

What's wrong with children sharing a bed?

My 9 and 7 year old may have to share a double bed on our forthcoming holiday (depends what room we get), but the fact has never bothered me to be honest.

Sam_Spends_Too_Much

I have a 9 year old girl and 8 year old boy. Apart from the fact they don't want to share, I don't consider they should have to.

black-saturn

Sam_Spends_Too_Much wrote:

I don't consider either option to be viable but the caravan site says this is usual practice, if I pay a minimum of £24 I can upgrade to a 3 bed basic van.

I also have to pay another £88 :eek: for linen deposit, linen hire, entertainment passes and gas/elec. These holidays appear a good idea on the surface, but this one is just going from bad to worse.

Sometimes even though you were told you are getting a 6 berth van they may still give you a larger van. One of the Sun holidays I went on we were given a 4 bedroomed van and theres only 3 of us. It all depends what park it is and how many full paying customers there are on there at the time.

You dont have to pay the linen deposit or hire if you would rather take your own sleeping bags. Just ammend the invoice. You only need clubroom passes if you intend to use the entertainment facilities or the swimming pool.

I think you must have chosen one of the more expensive parks. The most I've ever paid extra is about £36 and that was to stay on a Haven site.

barbie_babe

have they cashed your cheque even though they knew they didnt have a 9.50 hoilday to offer you .if they havnt cashed it cancel it with your bank .

juno

We went on a 9.50 holiday a few years ago, and the caravan we got had really mouldy walls and was not habitable. My mum complained, and was told she'd only paid 9.50 so what did she expect?! But she persisted and we did get it changed.