Partial refund for bad Christmas holiday rental in UK

Sea_Shell

I'd like to know which lodge park this is, so that I can AVOID it!!

born_again

artemist wrote: »

We paid by direct debit via their website that allows payments to be processed. Is there any course of legal action we can take, whether with them or via our bank? We paid the final instalment of £1600 at the end of November. I have read around Chargeback but can’t tell if it would apply in this case due to the nature of the complaint.

Thanks!

Chargeback only covers Card Payments. Debit or Credit...

When you say direct debit, do you meant you paid them via they bank account details? Balance via what payment method?

Perhaps a link to the site so we can check it out.

artemist

Pollycat wrote: »

I can't offer you any advice re refund but
thousands of flies?
at Christmas?
in Dorset?

Were there lots of flies when you went out of the property?
What sort of flies? tiny fruit fly type ones or bluebottles?

They were your bog standard black flies. They did look like cluster flies as someone pointed out. Yes there were loads on the porch and front door etc.

artemist

DCFC79 wrote: »

Where on earth did you find the property ?

Dish washer filled with food could have been sorted by just putting dishwasher on.

Online, privately listed on their own website. It had good reviews.

Sea_Shell wrote: »

I'd like to know which lodge park this is, so that I can AVOID it!!

It’s not a lodge park, it was a lodge in a private estate surrounded by nothing but fields and farms. It’s called Wrackleford Estate in Dorchester, Dorset.

born_again wrote: »

Chargeback only covers Card Payments. Debit or Credit...

When you say direct debit, do you meant you paid them via they bank account details? Balance via what payment method?

Perhaps a link to the site so we can check it out.

We paid via a link they sent us that led to a page that you put your invoice number in, and your card details and it pays the amount due via your debit card. I can’t be sure beyond that without paying them again via the form so can’t say for sure beyond that. I know we used debt card to pay them via their form is all.

If you google Wrackleford estate Dorset it will come up. It won’t let me post links. It should be Wrackleford dot co dot uk though
We stayed in the Shooting Lodge listed under self-catering.

The payment link was Wrackleford dot co dot uk forward slash payments

artemist

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

In my opinion I would leave out the toaster and microwave (you can make toast under the grill and a microwave isn't that important, padding out a claim with things which are trivial might not help your case).

The washing machine is one of those things that comes down to bad luck and a decent holiday owner would give you a bottle wine and some chocolates to say sorry if this was the only issue but it could be an area where you have to prove negligence to be awarded more than a few pounds.

Main focus should be on the flies and poor state of the accommodation.

Regarding the walking I would assume health and safety would require areas of an estate that are used for for shooting and public access to be clearly marked (in addition to any maps) and if they wasn't I would raise this with the local council.

There actually was no grill either at the lodge so we ended up having to buy our own toaster as they were incommunicado for four days (when they finally gave us one) and we had 12 people to feed breakfast to every day.

It was a large sprawling estate used for shooting pheasants, we could see them shooting from the living room window, there were no clearly marked signs just a main dirt road. I asked for instructions on where we could walk by email prior and kept being told to just check the map when we arrived and there wasn’t one.

I’ll put together a letter and see what happens. I don’t know if it’d be worth the money actually perusing in small claims though if they ignored it. It took them a whole month to respond to this issue at all so I can’t see it happening. Thanks for your advice, I’ll make the threat and see what happens.

Manxman_in_exile

Looks like Wrackleford concentrates on anglers.


Fishermen will put up with anything.

Sea_Shell

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Looks like Wrackleford concentrates on anglers.


Fishermen will put up with anything.

Maybe that's where all the flies came from....and old box of maggots (bait) that then hatched!!!:eek:

(i'm sure hatched isn't the right technical term...but I can't think what is at the mo.)

Pollycat

artemist wrote: »

They were your bog standard black flies. They did look like cluster flies as someone pointed out. Yes there were loads on the porch and front door etc.

But not as you were out and about away from the property...?

As in - it was something to do with the property, not the area.

In your initial post, you list 4 areas of complaint.
Did you phrase your complaint in this way?
If you did, did the accommodation owners/managers respond to each complaint or did they simply reject it in total?

And do you have photos?

Manxman_in_exile

Sea_Shell wrote: »

Maybe that's where all the flies came from....and old box of maggots (bait) that then hatched!!!:eek:

(i'm sure hatched isn't the right technical term...but I can't think what is at the mo.)

You may have something there. I once got a lift home from work with a colleague. Her husband was a real fishing aficionado, and their car was full of angling paraphanalia.


A few days later our lobby was absolutely alive with flies. There were no flies anywhere else, but the shoes I'd warn that day were in the lobby. Apparently there had been maggots in the car and we concluded I'd somehow got some (a lot!) on my shoes without noticing.


(The point I was making is I'd be wary of good reviews for a place that caters for anglers. They're notorious for either not noticing or putting up with the sort of discomfort most normal people would run a mile from).

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

artemist wrote: »

I don’t know if it’d be worth the money actually perusing in small claims though if they ignored it. It took them a whole month to respond to this issue at all so I can’t see it happening. Thanks for your advice, I’ll make the threat and see what happens.

Based on my limited understanding, the cost is around £25 to file and another £50 if it actually goes to court.

The fees may be slightly higher depending upon the amount being claimed but the process is designed to be affordable. The awarding of costs is also very limited so one party can't use high priced legal services and end up with the other party footing the bill.

If they didn't respond at all you'd win by default and, again limited understanding but, as you are a consumer and the other party a business I believe you can apply to the court to have the case heard locally to yourself which would be another deterrent to the company wishing to fight the claim rather than offering you something.