Sykes cottages

coey

SmashedAvacado said:

People should be mindful that a balance is required. There is no merit in sending these companies bankrupt - so if they offer to rebook you then that seems like a sensible outcome. Everyone needs to wear a bit of pain if we are going to get through this crisis - so being unreasonable and expecting all of your money back when you are being offered a reasonable alternative is in my opinion not really on. 

I am currently showing a loss of approx £80,000 in my pension pot which i use to take £300 p/w pension....These companies have been given unprecedented financial support via grants , rate relief , loans etc. I have neither requested nor been offered any help with my losses. I have no intention of bailing out these companies from what is a short term problem by allowing them to renege on a lawful contract. They are profiteering by trying to generate guaranteed future sales at inflated prices plus admin fees just to rub it in.

J_B

coey said:

 Once my date of 9/5 with STS holidays is covered I will be demanding a FULL refund or court proceedings ,.

I suspect that you will be in for a long wait for court proceedings ... perhaps?

Brackenfield

SmashedAvacado said:

People should be mindful that a balance is required. There is no merit in sending these companies bankrupt - so if they offer to rebook you then that seems like a sensible outcome. Everyone needs to wear a bit of pain if we are going to get through this crisis - so being unreasonable and expecting all of your money back when you are being offered a reasonable alternative is in my opinion not really on. 

I agree with this an rebooked for next easter, what I don't agree with is that they can charge the customer the difference if the price is higher but dont refund if it's cheaper.... one sided much?!

coey

J_B said:

coey said:

 Once my date of 9/5 with STS holidays is covered I will be demanding a FULL refund or court proceedings ,.

I suspect that you will be in for a long wait for court proceedings ... perhaps?

Prefer to wait for justice than give in to injustice.

Skippy13

mattyprice4004 said:

SmashedAvacado said:

I am just not buying the people saying that there is no possible other time that they could take a holiday in the next year. I know you would rather have your money back, but taking a bit of a compromise is presumably fair enough given many people will lose their jobs, livelihoods and a lot lot more from all of this 

Exactly this, as I've mentioned before.
This is unprecedented, if everyone demands a refund then half the companies out there will go bust. Give and take, have a holiday next year and sleep well knowing you've helped people stay in jobs and another company survive. 

I'm happy to compromise but having to pay a lot extra really isn't compromising, it's the holiday companies taking the proverbial.  In my case Sykes will be getting 2 booking fees as I'm purposely looking for a week at a similar price. Why should they, they won't even let you change to a different cottage!  I've already moved one week to later this year and I can't wait to see what they do if that can't go ahead.

SL20

Disgraceful behaviour from Sykes, they are profiteering from a national crisis. No contact on the phone, type chat disabled and takes weeks for email reply. When you do get a reply via email, they state that no refunds are being offered despite travel restrictions in the UK, and self isolation for the elderly. I will never ever again book with this company or recommend to anyone.

SL20

Disgraceful behaviour from Sykes, they are profiteering from a national crisis. No contact on the phone, type chat disabled and takes weeks for email reply. When you do get a reply via email, they state that no refunds are being offered despite travel restrictions in the UK, and self isolation for the elderly. I will never ever again book with this company or recommend to anyone.

andrew_12345

Hello,
I would be grateful for an opinion on the following with respect to Sykes.
See the government guidance below which tells / advises (?) holiday accommodation to CLOSE.

My understanding is that if the holiday let closes then technically, the booking is effectively cancelled.

Surely, it is irrelevant whether I am allowed to travel or not. The holiday cottage I rent via Sykes is closed - I will not be able to enter the property.

Surely, Sykes has no choice but to refund? Are they flouting the law?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-advice-for-accommodation-providers

Published 24 March 2020

From:

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Department of Health and Social Care

Businesses providing holiday accommodation (including hotels, hostels, B&Bs, campsites, caravan parks, boarding houses and short term lets) should now take steps to close for commercial use as quickly as is safely possible.

Undervalued

andrew_12345 said:

Hello,
I would be grateful for an opinion on the following with respect to Sykes.
See the government guidance below which tells / advises (?) holiday accommodation to CLOSE.

My understanding is that if the holiday let closes then technically, the booking is effectively cancelled.

Surely, it is irrelevant whether I am allowed to travel or not. The holiday cottage I rent via Sykes is closed - I will not be able to enter the property.

Surely, Sykes has no choice but to refund? Are they flouting the law?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-advice-for-accommodation-providers

Published 24 March 2020

From:

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Department of Health and Social Care

Businesses providing holiday accommodation (including hotels, hostels, B&Bs, campsites, caravan parks, boarding houses and short term lets) should now take steps to close for commercial use as quickly as is safely possible.

I have highlighted the crucial bit. If they are legally obliged to close then they cannot fulfil their part of the contract so must refund.
However if the are only "advised" to close then surely legally they can follow that advice or not as they please?
But which is it?

Morally may be another matter......

Undervalued

simonbrown1967 said:

Question for the MSE teams.  Sykes Cottages (based in Cheshire) is holding a considerable amount of moneys from customers who through no fault of their own can not go.  Sykes is refusing to repay any of their customers money and insists it offers alternative dates,  Is this allowed?  In my case, the booking was for unique circumstances and an alternative date is unsuitable.  If this is not allowed and the customers must be fully refunded, how do i go about getting the money back?

simonbrown1967 said:

Question for the MSE teams.  Sykes Cottages (based in Cheshire) is holding a considerable amount of moneys from customers who through no fault of their own can not go.  Sykes is refusing to repay any of their customers money and insists it offers alternative dates,  Is this allowed?  In my case, the booking was for unique circumstances and an alternative date is unsuitable.  If this is not allowed and the customers must be fully refunded, how do i go about getting the money back?

The vast majority of the money they are holding is for bookings that MIGHT not be able to legally go ahead. As it stands the current restrictions are subject to 3 weekly review. Unless or until they are unable to provide their side of the contract they are legally entitled to stick to the terms and conditions of the booking as it is (currently) the customer who is choosing to cancel.

Morally is more complicated.