Hiring private caravan at Butlins Minehead for next 3 weeks - Beware !!!

[Deleted User]

Not quite sure, LOL. Perhaps hes thinking word will get around all the other owners and they'll take his word for it and no-one will rent out to me....

DVardysShadow

[quote=[Deleted User];31776021]Well cheque turned up which is good news.

He couldnt resist sending a note also where he says that hes disgusted that he as, an old pensioner, was spoken to in this way. Basically, I think he means that my wife had the nerve to complain about it and didnt back down when he started shouting down the phone. And that he got caught out.

So, still no apology or anything but a result. If I ever book a caravan at butlins I'm gonna phone to make sure all services are normal.

Apparently, hes reporting our behaviour to the caravan association too.

For the record, we left the caravan in an immaculate condition because I didnt want to give him anything to moan about. (Also, I'm not the sort of person who'd do that sort of thing).[/QUOTE]

Dear Old Git

Thank you for your refund cheque. You are out of order reporting us to the Caravan Association, because you knowingly let the caravan to us while the Butlins facilities were not available and did not inform us.

I quote a poster on the internet

Judith_W wrote: »

This has been taking place for years. I'm glad you got the refund. He really should try and get some contacts with some christians who go as I'm sure he would get full money and a very happy family if he could fill it with a family who want to go during spring harvest.

and I hope that this advice serves you well in future. At least if you follow it, you will not land a disappointment similar to ours on another family..

[Deleted User]

The guy even said it wasnt his fault because he couldnt be expected to ask people if they were church goers or not? Seems he have missed the point somewhat.

marleyboy

Sounds like a case of "sour grapes" to me, for not doing the simple thing of "checking" first. But you have your refund, so accept that as a form of apology.

I am sure any caravan owner would be right to say "I dont run Butlins" and cannot guarantee Butlins facilities are available, check the T&C of the caravan owner. But most importantly check the Butlins Camp that his caravan is on (I am sure its not a Butlins on his Caravan site). Butlins facilities may well be available to anyone staying in a private owners caravan, but that does not mean he has any control over "which" facilities are available or indeed what events are arranged for the camp.

For all he knows you could have been a hamish couple going on a pilgrimage. He is certainly under no obligations to inform you of anything beyond "local beach & a Butlins membership card". So you should be grateful you have had a refund, maybe complain to Butlins for their lack of amenities instead of blaming a caravan that resides there.

Quite obviously the information is available to anyone who chooses to look into it (as has been proved on this very thread), that you picked the wrong dates, is solely your own fault for not checking first. He is under no obligation to inform you of it, just as Curry's are not obligated to warn you that their new LCD telly on display, is cheaper just down the road.

[Deleted User]

marleyboy wrote: »

Sounds like a case of "sour grapes" to me, for not doing the simple thing of "checking" first. But you have your refund, so accept that as a form of apology.

I am sure any caravan owner would be right to say "I dont run Butlins" and cannot guarantee Butlins facilities are available, check the T&C of the caravan owner. But most importantly check the Butlins Camp that his caravan is on (I am sure its not a Butlins on his Caravan site). Butlins facilities may well be available to anyone staying in a private owners caravan, but that does not mean he has any control over "which" facilities are available or indeed what events are arranged for the camp.

For all he knows you could have been a hamish couple going on a pilgrimage. He is certainly under no obligations to inform you of anything beyond "local beach & a Butlins membership card". So you should be grateful you have had a refund, maybe complain to Butlins for their lack of amenities instead of blaming a caravan that resides there.

Quite obviously the information is available to anyone who chooses to look into it (as has been proved on this very thread), that you picked the wrong dates, is solely your own fault for not checking first. He is under no obligation to inform you of it, just as Curry's are not obligated to warn you that their new LCD telly on display, is cheaper just down the road.

Hmmm. Would you have been happy?

I would say he has a MORAL obligation rather than anything else to check first once he is aware of this information. Personally, if it was me I'd feel guilty if I hadnt provided the full information.

Also, the only reason some people on this thread were aware of it is because they are caravan owners themselves or are otherwise aware of it. Theres no mention on the butlins site.

marleyboy

No I would be angry about it, but I would blame myself for not looking into it further, he has no MORAL duty to inform me of Butlins events, as a businessman, he has a choice to fill the caravan, or keep it empty REGARDLESS of Butlins events.

His only moral duties would involve the caravan itself, "the door is stiff" or "the caravan has a leak", his caravan could just as easily have a neighbour, known for burgling caravans during the all night illegal Rave's at the beach just behind the caravan, he has no duty to warn me of this.

It's no different to a landlord warning me of the surrounding estate's "gang" culture, prior to renting a house. Nobody is likely to rent the house from him, however nice it is, if the surrounding area is a threat to the tenants. These are the type of things a landlord would "hope" people have not checked out first before signing that lease.

There is nothing illegal about it, yes its not really the moral thing to do, but being moral does not guarantee making a sale - in his case quite the opposite.

His main concern is securing tenancy at any given dates, its how he makes his money, its certainly of no benefit to him to talk people out of it, he certainly has no "moral" duty to do so.

marleyboy

Butlins have a huge article about it

http://www.butlins.com/splash-pages/spring-harvest-2010.aspx

I found this by simply searching "Butlins" and the date of your holiday, something I would have done anyway were I planning to book a holiday camp at a particular given date. It is certainly nobody Else's fault that you didn't do this yourself.

dmg24

[quote=[Deleted User];31625549]Yeh. But I'd never even heard of Spring Harvest before! LOL

Maybe Butlins should have put something on their website too.[/QUOTE]

The centres are not bookable by the general public during the relevant periods, surely that is sufficient?

[quote=[Deleted User];31625601]True. How do I edit the title?[/QUOTE]

Click on Edit then Advanced Edit.

tenmah

marleyboy wrote: »

For all he knows you could have been a hamish couple going on a pilgrimage.

What is this? A new scottish religious cult that we don't know about?

Torry_Quine

Spring Harvest has been at Butlin sites for years, it is nothing new.