Sykes- Chasing good housekeeping bond.

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cjm66
cjm66 Posts: 19 Forumite
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in UK holidays, days out & entertainments
Hoping that someone has some bright ideas. It's now 4 weeks since we returned from a Sykes cottages holiday. As requested I paid a £200 good housekeeping bond by bank transfer a couple of weeks before the holiday. It was supposed to be returned 2 weeks ago. It hasn't and we've heard nothing. The property was left in a better state than when we arrived, so no problem there. Calls to Sykes have got me no-where. They claim it is nothing to do with them and is about the contract between the owner and I. They have tried to contact the owner but have had no response. I only have contact details of the caretakers and Sykes say they cannot give me the owner's details due to the data protection act. Other than starting a small claims court aimed at Sykes, I don't know what else to do. I told them a week ago that that is what I would have to do and they said only if a solicitor instructed them would they disclose the owners details.

They are still managing the property and the good housekeeping bond is now £500!

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  • redpete
    redpete Posts: 4,693 Forumite
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    cjm66 wrote: »
    Hoping that someone has some bright ideas. It's now 4 weeks since we returned from a Sykes cottages holiday. As requested I paid a £200 good housekeeping bond by bank transfer a couple of weeks before the holiday. It was supposed to be returned 2 weeks ago. It hasn't and we've heard nothing. The property was left in a better state than when we arrived, so no problem there. Calls to Sykes have got me no-where. They claim it is nothing to do with them and is about the contract between the owner and I. They have tried to contact the owner but have had no response. I only have contact details of the caretakers and Sykes say they cannot give me the owner's details due to the data protection act.

    Sykes' attitude seems nonsense. If you paid Sykes then your contract is with them and they should sort it. If you paid owners then Sykes claiming data protection for a party with whom you have a conteact seems nonsense (and if they are legally correct it's more support to the law being an !!!.)
    loose does not rhyme with choose but lose does and is the word you meant to write.
  • WeAreGhosts
    WeAreGhosts Posts: 3,102 Forumite
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    This is the big issue with all holiday cottage companies these days. They all say the contract is with the cottage owner. But how can anyone have a contract with someone that they don't have any details for? In some cases, you don't even know their name.
    Someone really needs to start regulating holiday cottages.

    Have you tried posting to Sykes' Facebook page? They get masses of bad comments on there.
  • sheramber
    sheramber Posts: 19,287 Forumite
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    Have you checked if the cottage is advertised anywhere else that has the owners details. e.g facebook?
  • Belle05
    Belle05 Posts: 3 Newbie
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    I am having the same issue with them - want to go to small claims court about issues with a property but sykes claim it is not their issue that my contract is with the owner - I don't have owners details and they wont provide it. How can I have a contract with an unknown person. It is on the terms and conditions of their website but I don't understand how this works? Can anyone help please?
  • Chekov_42
    Chekov_42 Posts: 2 Newbie
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    this thread is very old but hope this may help? Sykes' UK terms and conditions on their website state "8.3 Please note some Owners may charge a 'good housekeeping bond', which will be included alongside the charges quoted to you during the Booking process. We have no control over the payment or return of such bonds by the Owner.The Owner will communicate directly with you to collect and (if appropriate) return this bond. The Owner must, within 7 days of the end of the relevant Holiday Period return all or part of the bond to you and, if retaining any part of the bond, notify you in writing of the reasons for doing so"
    Therefore if owner dic not "communicate directly" with you, Sykes have broken their own termes and conditions? This should be sufficient for you to convince them to do something about it, they cannot just wash their hands of their own ts&cs surely?
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