Hotel Refund - Majorca

lcolwill

Fourteen of us booked a holiday to Cala d’Or in Majorca for July. The flights with Ryanair we’re cancelled back in May and we have put a claim in with them and the credit card company and have so far waited 7 weeks and heard nothing.
My main concern is the hotel though. 
We originally booked Non-Refundable rooms (x5) only now the hotel is closed for this year. They emailed and gave us 3 options, to go to an alternative hotel on the island, move the booking for another date or  cancel the booking which was the option that we chose. We had an invoice to say that we had cancelled and I believe they are now withholding our money. Is this right?
 I thought as they couldn’t fulfil their part in the agreement we would be entitled to a refund? I have put another claim in with the credit card company but would really like them to pay up.
I’m now wishing I didn’t have another booking with them for next year (for 16 of us) as I don’t want to give them anymore money if they won’t refund us for this year.
Any advice would be gratefully received.

[Deleted User]

Oh dear!  I am taking it this wasn't a package holiday?    Who did you book the hotel with?   Did you read the terms and conditions you booked under lcolwill?    Looks like you agreed to lose the money in event of a cancellation?    I know you wouldn't have chosen this option if you had realised.    As the hotel is not open and, therefore, they can't fulfill their part of the contract anyway I am wondering if perhaps you try a chargeback?   No harm in trying (although you cancelling is a sticking point).   For same reason I don't think insurance will cover you but again, you can try if you are covered for inability to get there - whatever that comes under, but you would each all have to claim in your own individual policies.

Hope others have better suggestions, really feel it for you.

Alan_Bowen

If your booking was direct with the hotel, not through a booking agency, then if it is closed they are unable to provide any service and you are entitled to a full refund. You suggest that was the third option they gave you, how long ago was the offer made and what makes you think they are now refusing?
if you do have something in writing to say the refund is no longer available, then a chargeback is the way to go, the card company will refund you but debit them, together with fees so it would have been cheaper for them to refund you directly, but either way, it comes out of their bank account

macman

Tedber said:

Oh dear!  I am taking it this wasn't a package holiday?    Who did you book the hotel with?   Did you read the terms and conditions you booked under lcolwill?    Looks like you agreed to lose the money in event of a cancellation?    I know you wouldn't have chosen this option if you had realised.    As the hotel is not open and, therefore, they can't fulfill their part of the contract anyway I am wondering if perhaps you try a chargeback?   No harm in trying (although you cancelling is a sticking point).   For same reason I don't think insurance will cover you but again, you can try if you are covered for inability to get there - whatever that comes under, but you would each all have to claim in your own individual policies.

Hope others have better suggestions, really feel it for you.

If the OP booked the accom direct and the provider cancelled it, then they are entitled to a full refund. No contractual terms can remove that.
The accom is suggesting that the OP cancelled it, but it's quite clear that, since it was not available, it was already cancelled:  there is no obligation to accept another date or hotel. They are clearly trying to avoid refunding.
In this case, I would send an LBA giving them 7 days to refund, then do a chargeback.

lcolwill

Thank you for your comments.
We booked the hotel direct & I had to fill a form to say which of the 3 options we wanted to take......relocation, modification or cancellation. I responded to this with cancellation as we couldn’t relocate (husbands shielding and also flights already cancelled). The reason I’m slightly worried about it all is that they sent an invoice to say the booking had been cancelled by us (although technically they couldn’t honour our booking) and on the bottom it looks like they’ve put the full cost of it down as a deposit and doesn’t mention anything about any money being refunded. It’s not been very clear at all and they haven’t responded to any of my emails.
We do have travel insurance but I have escalated it with the credit card company first.

superbigal

The Key is when you were offered the option to cancel surely it either indicated a refund, or 100% loss of all moneys paid.
You choosing to cancel is not in doubt.

Mwasc

I made a booking with Hotels.com for hotels in Amsterdam and Belgium using Tesco vouchers and paid the taxes by credit card .They were non refundable and hotels.com say neither will give a refund .Any suggestions what my next move should be .We obviously can’t go as flights cancelled and gov advice is not to ? Problem with an insurance claim is part of cost was by Tesco vouchers .