Cancelled school trip

Martok

My granddaughters school trip to Paris in February has been cancelled by the school because of recent events. It was cancelled without any consultation with the parents and we received a letter from the school saying an alternative holiday has been booked in the UK. It was a very short letter with a tear off reply slip giving 2 choices:

a. I accept the loss of my deposit of £110 and would appreciate a refund on the remaining balance paid to date.

b. I would like my child to attend the residential at Caythorpe Park. Please transfer my full balance paid to date to this trip.

The trip was booked through PGL and when I spoke to them they confirmed that they will not refund deposits for trips scheduled for February 2016. Other than this they declined to speak to me as their contract is with the school not with me.

We booked and paid for a school trip to France to give my granddaughter a chance to visit the sites of Paris not for a wet week in the UK.

My granddaughter has told us that she does not want to go on the alternative trip - she did a weeks residence holiday just recently.

Could anyone tell me exactly were we the parents and guardians stand in this situation? Are the school obliged to refund the full amount as they cancelled not us?

richardw

The adults planning to escort them probably decided that they weren't going to go.

Some sort of consultation with the parents should've probably taken place.

blindman

Martok wrote: »

My granddaughters school trip to Paris in February has been cancelled by the school because of recent events. It was cancelled without any consultation with the parents and we received a letter from the school saying an alternative holiday has been booked in the UK. It was a very short letter with a tear off reply slip giving 2 choices:

a. I accept the loss of my deposit of £110 and would appreciate a refund on the remaining balance paid to date.

b. I would like my child to attend the residential at Caythorpe Park. Please transfer my full balance paid to date to this trip.

The trip was booked through PGL and when I spoke to them they confirmed that they will not refund deposits for trips scheduled for February 2016. Other than this they declined to speak to me as their contract is with the school not with me.

We booked and paid for a school trip to France to give my granddaughter a chance to visit the sites of Paris not for a wet week in the UK.

My granddaughter has told us that she does not want to go on the alternative trip - she did a weeks residence holiday just recently.

Could anyone tell me exactly were we the parents and guardians stand in this situation? Are the school obliged to refund the full amount as they cancelled not us?

Were there any T&C's when you booked the trip re cancellation by either party?

Is your daughter covered with travel insurance for this trip?

IMHO this is a knee jerk reaction and the school should be ashamed of themselves.

Also ask the school why it has been cancelled as there is no government advice against travelling to Paris.

Do not sign anything on that slip.

Moto2

I'd put a 3rd option on the form and send it back

zagfles

Moto2 wrote: »

I'd put a 3rd option on the form and send it back

Yes - and if you know other parents of kids who were supposed to go, try to get them to do the same. The school are trying it on. Insist on either getting the trip you paid for, or a full refund.

eDicky

It is shameful in the extreme for a school to set this kind of example for its pupils - I hope as many parents as possible protest in the strongest terms.

torbrex

As you paid a deposit on a trip to Paris and it was the school that cancelled the trip then you should be entitled to a full refund of all money paid.

jackieblack

I agree, if the school took an action (cancelling the booked trip) that resulted in deposits being forfeited, without consulting the parents, then the school should take responsibility and reimburse the deposit amount.

Martok

Thanks to everyone who replied, I went for putting the third option on the reply slip and saying they were liable for the refunds.

A further developement is that in todays online local paper there is a story about another school in the area that cancelled a trip to France next week and the head has said that parents will get a full refund even if their insurance doesnt cover it.

I think my granddaughters school is going to come under presure to pay up.

katejo

blindman wrote: »

Were there any T&C's when you booked the trip re cancellation by either party?

Is your daughter covered with travel insurance for this trip?

IMHO this is a knee jerk reaction and the school should be ashamed of themselves.

Also ask the school why it has been cancelled as there is no government advice against travelling to Paris.

Do not sign anything on that slip.

I agree that it seems a knee jerk reaction and also unreasonable to expect parents to lose at least the deposit without consultation. I don't think that travel insurance will help as the Foreign Office hasn't advised against travel.

callum9999

katejo wrote: »

I agree that it seems a knee jerk reaction and also unreasonable to expect parents to lose at least the deposit without consultation. I don't think that travel insurance will help as the Foreign Office hasn't advised against travel.

That shouldn't be relevant given the OP isn't the one who cancelled.

Though if there's something in the terms and conditions that says they can change the destination at their whim then I'd assume insurance wouldn't pay out anyway.