Charge for not cancelling a non-cancellable reservation

MarsdenCuckoo

It seems I've been charged £29 for not cancelling a non-cancellable reservation at Premier Inn - is that fair or even legal and if not is there anything I can do to get my money refunded?

* Normal room rate is £58
* I booked and paid £29 in advance for a specially reduced room rate (non-amendable, non-cancellable)
* Due to the snow I decided against travelling (300 miles).

Never dawned on me to ring them to cancel - am I wrong?

somethingcorporate

If they had an empty room as a result of your cancellation (or non-cancellation, I cannot really tell from your post as to whether you cancelled or not) then they are entitled to retain their losses which would amount to the price you paid.

If they could fill that room then you'd be entitled to your money back.

For the sake of £29 it would probably be worth chalking up to experience.

neilmcl

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

It seems I've been charged £29 for not cancelling a non-cancellable reservation at Premier Inn - is that fair or even legal and if not is there anything I can do to get my money refunded?

* Normal room rate is £58
* I booked and paid £29 in advance for a specially reduced room rate (non-amendable, non-cancellable)
* Due to the snow I decided against travelling (300 miles).

Never dawned on me to ring them to cancel - am I wrong?

Most definitely.

bcl999

Was it a Premier Saver rate? Section 14 of their T&Cs seems quite specific and doesn't make any mention of an additional charge for a no-show. There is also a paragraph about Premier Saver under the "cancellatiosn" section 4 of the T&Cs but again no mention that there will be an additional charge over what was pre-paid.

Lavendyr

Don't really understand your post. Did they charge you £29 twice, or just once?

System

Lavendyr wrote: »

Don't really understand your post. Did they charge you £29 twice, or just once?

I assume twice otherwise this whole thread would be pointless!

OP its a mistake, they don't realise you had paid the £29 upfront. Phone up to complain and they should refund.

MarsdenCuckoo

Thanks, peeps, for your input and sorry for any confusion.

On 19 Feb I paid £29 for a reduced rate room (non-amendable, non-cancellable)

This morning I received a letter as follows:

"It is Premier Inn policy that if you book a non-cancellable reservation and do not arrive, you will be charged the full value of your stay for every room booked.
As you did not arrive or cancel, a charge of £29 has been raised.
The amount of £29.00 has been redeemed against this charge from previously supplied deposit(s)."

TBH when I first received the letter I took it to mean I was now being charged an extra £29 i.e. £58 in total, but on re-reading it am actually wondering if it's just confirming that they're keeping the £29 that I've already paid and expected to lose.... Doh!!

(Am off to double-check my bank a/c..... :think:)

:easter:

gb12345

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

As you did not arrive or cancel, a charge of £29 has been raised.
The amount of £29.00 has been redeemed against this charge from previously supplied deposit(s)."

TBH when I first received the letter I took it to mean I was now being charged an extra £29 i.e. £58 in total, but on re-reading it am actually wondering if it's just confirming that they're keeping the £29 that I've already paid and expected to lose.... Doh!!

I would read this that they are charging you just the £29 that you have already paid to them.

arcon5

I can't see them having grounds for charging you £58 for it tbh.

Their losses are zero... had you shown up they would have received £29 for the room. You didn't show up, haven't asked for a refund, so they still have £29 for the room.

So lets just hope they are referring to the original £29 paid.

neilmcl

Sounds to me that they're simply keeping your advance £29 "deposit" as payment for the room you booked and failed to cancel. Seems entirely reasonable to me.

agrinnall

Your second thought is the correct one, I had exactly the same letter when I wasn't able to show up for a pre-paid booking, the wording is slightly ambiguous but there is no additional charge made.