Refund of deposit for football course that my son cannot attend

Grumpy_chap

Sheridanmh said:

Lesson learned, NEVER sign up for anything with a non-refundable deposit.

There is not really a lesson to learn as such in that regard.  Even if it had never said "non-refundable deposit", the supplier would be able to claim a deduction for their actual costs incurred.  There is no reason the supplier should be out of pocket because of your breach of contract (which is what it is ultimately).

Sheridanmh said:

I have asked what costs they have incurred to date. They have said £122 for a football kit, £100 for food, £255 for the hotel. The only thing I disagree with is paying for a a generic kit that they can allocate to another player on a future course. I have emailed them asking about this but will then just take the money.

So, the deposit was £811 and they agreed to refund half back to you (£405) then itemised costs amounting to £477, so the refund amount seems fair (or even a bit weighted in your favour).  With regard to the football kit, they could possibly send this to you anyway even if your son is not able to attend the actual course.  The costs that have been itemised are quite possibly not recoverable by the training company as they will be on a B2B contract and not benefitting from any consumer rights.

One final thing you might be able to consider is whether you have travel insurance in place that will cover the amount of the residual loss after the partial refund is received.  If you have an annual policy as a family, or maybe a "perk" policy with a bank account or such like it may be worth checking.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Sheridanmh said:

They have said £122 for a football kit,

If you would have attended would you get to keep the kit?

If yes I'd get the refund with as less friction as possible and then ask for the kit. 

Undervalued

Sheridanmh said:

Thanks everyone. 
I have asked what costs they have incurred to date. They have said £122 for a football kit, £100 for food, £255 for the hotel. The only thing I disagree with is paying for a a generic kit that they can allocate to another player on a future course. I have emailed them asking about this but will then just take the money. Lesson learned, NEVER sign up for anything with a non-refundable deposit.

However a fully refundable deposit is totally one sided and arguably not a deposit at all!

Hoenir

Sheridanmh said:

 The only thing I disagree with is paying for a a generic kit that they can allocate to another player on a future course.

For the amount the course is costing. The kit is unlikely to be generic. Probably made to order and personalised. 

PHK

Hoenir said:

Sheridanmh said:

 The only thing I disagree with is paying for a a generic kit that they can allocate to another player on a future course.

For the amount the course is costing. The kit is unlikely to be generic. Probably made to order and personalised. 

Yes, they are normally personalised. 

ThumbRemote

Sheridanmh said:

Thanks everyone. 
I have asked what costs they have incurred to date. They have said £122 for a football kit, £100 for food, £255 for the hotel. The only thing I disagree with is paying for a a generic kit that they can allocate to another player on a future course. I have emailed them asking about this but will then just take the money. Lesson learned, NEVER sign up for anything with a non-refundable deposit.

Plus their admin and office costs, plus NI and pension contributions, plus the cost of continually emailing you. They potentially have coaches to pay and may not be able to fill your space.

They've under-estimated their actual costs, and then offered you still more money as a refund. They seem pretty generous to me. 

I'd take the money and be happy.