Cottages.com UK holiday

Debz111_2

Back in February we booked a UK holiday cottage through Cottages.com, we were due to travel on Good Friday.
We have received an email from them saying they will credit our account with them and we can book again within the next 12 months. 

However, for a number of reasons we would like a refund, but they’re automated telephone system states they do not issue refunds.
Their original booking confirmation email states to access their terms and conditions on their website, but this takes you to their most recent ones, which I’m assuming have been amended in light of COVID-19.
Given they’re effectively cancelling the holiday, can they still refuse to issue a refund?
If so, we paid by credit card, can we claim the money back that way?
We also have travel insurance through my partners bank, but the holiday is in my name, does this make a difference?

Aylesbury_Duck

Have a look at the hundreds of similar tales on here.  In summary, you are entitled to a refund but have limited mechanisms with which to force one.  Your credit card will probably refuse to act because the company are offering a "refund" in voucher form.  Your insurance may cover it, check the policy but you'll have an excess to pay and note that some policies don't include domestic breaks.  Legal action is a possibility but will take months.

SK0602

Hi

Wondering if you could provide any advice to the situation regarding our holiday cottage booking....

Here’s the situation, so I booked last summer to stay in a Holiday Cottage in Anglesey for a week during our Half term (30th May- 6th June) we’ve paid a £97 deposit. The rest is due 2nd May (£400)

At the moment the company, are  saying they are working on assumption that they will be open.

They are however offering everyone the chance to rebook at an alternative date (2020 only) no refunds. We’re very limited with dates we can go due to school holidays/ affordability/other commitments etc etc so there isn’t any other suitable dates available in 2020 that we can go. If there was another date we’d have to pay the extra for a prime school holiday slot.

If they are open we would happily go given the chance, (I’m a radiographer annual leave is hard to organise!) but what I don’t want to happen is we pay the final balance and then they are still closed (pending Boris’s announcement mid May) and we can’t rearrange or that we don’t pay the final balance & Boris says we can go but unfortunately it’s been cancelled as we broke the T&Cs by not paying the final balance. 

We paid via credit card and intend to pay the rest using a credit card- is there any comeback via this route? Or should we just suck up the £97 deposit.

Do we have any legal comeback? Unfortunately we don’t have travel insurance.

Aylesbury_Duck

It comes down to choice.  Don't pay the balance and you've effectively cancelled, thereby forfeiting your deposit.  Credit card won't come into it because you would have voluntarily cancelled.  Pay the balance and if the holiday can't go ahead, they will issue you with vouchers which should be redeemable for a proper refund at some point in the future, although there's no guarantee of that.

With only £97 at stake, I'd cancel, but that's me and only you can determine what's comfortable for you. 

Denty221

Be aware this particular company are offering to defer payment of the balance of your booking until nearer the departure date -sounds great but they are not amending their cancellation fees as well which increase the nearer you are to departure date. So this is enticing people to hold off cancelling until they have to at which point it will cost them more. 
more than 70 days notice- lose your deposit.
43-70 days 50% of cost
29-30 days 75% of cost etc. Plus an admin fee for the trouble. Their phone number is the only way to cancel and it puts you on hold. I gave up after 30 minutes. 

Denty221

Should be 29-42 days 75% of cost- typo

Denty221

Posted on another thread as well but in relation to this company- just to warn anybody...
Be aware this particular company are offering to defer payment of the balance of your booking until nearer the departure date -sounds great but they are not amending their cancellation fees as well which increase the nearer you are to departure date. So this is enticing people to hold off cancelling until they have to at which point it will cost them more. 
more than 70 days notice- lose your deposit.
43-70 days 50% of cost
29-42 days 75% of cost etc. Plus an admin fee for the trouble. Their phone number is the only way to cancel and it puts you on hold. I gave up after 30 minutes.

marlot

After yesterday's announcement from the CMA, I'm sure getting a refund will now be possible.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/30/uk-watchdog-vows-to-get-tough-with-uk-firms-over-stalled-refunds

Denty221

Just had an email from them...
"To give you extra flexibility, whilst we await further updates from the UK government around non-essential travel, we have changed your balance due date to just three weeks before your holiday is due to start. "
But then they say
"Should you cancel on or after your new due date clause 7b of our booking conditions, at the time you booked your holiday apply. This means that you will need to pay the cancellation charges as set out in the cancellation table (according to the number of days before the start date of your holiday) which can be found in your booking conditions as well as any non-refundable charges to the extent already paid."
Looking that clause up it means if you leave it until the date they suggest you are liable for 90% of the holiday cost. 
They don't answer the phone (3 times I've been on hold for 30m+) and don't accept emails- I have used their "Contact us" button on their website and taken a screen shot of my instructions to cancel, as well as their automated response. That was 6 days ago- nothing.  This company needs to be investigated for this conduct. 

cazzerb

Hi there.  I had a family holiday booked for end April with Cottages.com.  I got the voucher (not wanted) waited an hour to speak to someone who told be I'd lose 95% of cost if I cancelled!! Subsequently complained to CMA/Watchdog/MSE etc and have now just written formal letter requesting refund (quoting CMA statement on consumer protection law).  I've created an account on their website as someone here stated they requested a refund via this route............... but it states it can't load my booking!  I wanted to send my letter recorded and also send in an email.  Does anyone have a direct email for them please.  Thank you

[Deleted User]

cazzerb said:

Hi there.  I had a family holiday booked for end April with Cottages.com.  I got the voucher (not wanted) waited an hour to speak to someone who told be I'd lose 95% of cost if I cancelled!! Subsequently complained to CMA/Watchdog/MSE etc and have now just written formal letter requesting refund (quoting CMA statement on consumer protection law).  I've created an account on their website as someone here stated they requested a refund via this route............... but it states it can't load my booking!  I wanted to send my letter recorded and also send in an email.  Does anyone have a direct email for them please.  Thank you

Not wanting to add to your distress Cazzerb but am assuming you didn't cancel the holiday yourself prior to the date?  What did you do when you were offered a voucher?

I had a holiday booked with cottages.com for May 22nd.  I did nothing.  I kept looking and listening to what was going on but did nothing until after the date had passed, even though was offered a voucher, I just ignored it!   on 2 June, I looked at 'my account' and there was the option there to accept voucher, rebook, or a refund.  I choose refund and sat back, thinking it would be months before I ever saw any money.  My money was transferred back to my account on 11 June!   I hadn't even spent any time trying to phone anyone.    Just wondering IF you accepted the voucher in some way?   I do hope you get it sorted.