Taking a bath at 11pm on the last night? OK.
Well, it was about 10pm when she went up. Why shouldn't someone have a bath at that time?
So you could go upstairs and ignore the deluge?
Nothing wrong with having a bath at 10. But for a family surely we are at the end of the day. I’m also impressed that they had people on site to help at that time
, I would have through “shit happens” and worked kindly with the owner, I’m not into stripping peoples private business / retirement to the bone.
It was just your view that it should come from the visitor's insurance that I had the issue with. Hate it when companies try to offload responsibility for their stuff onto customers' insurance.
Nothing wrong with having a bath at 10. But for a family surely we are at the end of the day. I’m also impressed that they had people on site to help at that time
The fairly useless wardens came out (with towels that they gave to us to dry things up with FFS - they didn't even do it themselves) but the emergency call-out plumber had just been on-site so came back.
And yes, it was quite late in the evening, but we had just started playing card games and we would have been up until midnight-ish so it cut that short. I don't really see that the exact time it happened should really have a bearing on the compensation though - it was still inconvenient to us and we just ended up going to bed once we had finished clearing up. At the end of the day, I don't expect them to refund the whole stay or give us a free weekend away, but I still think their offer was a bit derisory.
What -do- you expect?
It was just your view that it should come from the visitor’s insurance that I had the issue with.
I posted that on the basis I described because I thought the OP had rented a private lodging, and therefore taking money from the owner - whereas compensation could be had from Holiday insurance - is potentially very damaging to their smaller personal business.
Years back we had a Centre Parcs lodge with a jacuzzi. When we switched it on all sorts of detritus and biological unpleasantness fizzed to the surface.
Yeah, friend of mine did a break in feb at a CP somewhere, really looking forwards to a nice long soak, as her place doesn't have a bath.
She was just glad she switched the jacuzzi on *before* getting in the bath, just to see what the buttons did.
Apparently the "ON" button shoots about 3 litres of green sludge into the tub and renders it unusable.
They got a new cabin/upgrade and some money back.
(with towels that they gave to us to dry things up with FFS – they didn’t even do it themselves)
I guess people are different. I would always offer to help, but I guess some people are more 'entitled'
Personally I would expect £100 voucher and walk away. Doesn't really sound like you missed out that much on use of your facilities given the time of day, and I assume they kicked you out by 10am?
I just wouldn't go back there again.
therefore taking money from the owner
As opposed to the owner taking money from the guest?
And being semantic, it's not "taking money", it's just not having to pay for something you didn't receive, a nights holiday. Hard to argue that having to clean up after a water leak is part what you expect on a £600/night holiday.
but I guess some people are more ‘entitled’
Ouch
Well, if it makes you feel a little differently about us, me and my mother-in-law were stood under the drips collecting water (water coming through two light fittings), my wife was with the plumber in the bathroom (and generally co-ordinating things), my father-in-law is a bit past being able to help and the three others are all children (one with quite severe emotional issues, so he had closed himself off in his bedroom away from these people in his space).
Hard to argue that having to clean up after a water leak is part what you expect on a £600/night holiday.
But thats the point. It is what you would expect from Centre Parks. Centre Parks isnt about service, its cheap holidays with some facilities sold at an extortionate price.
I posted that on the basis I described because I thought the OP had rented a private lodging, and therefore taking money from the owner – whereas compensation could be had from Holiday insurance – is potentially very damaging to their smaller personal business.
Don't get this at all. Why should the visitor have to get insurance to cover a problem of the business?
Ouch
I guess thats just the context of how it came across in writing, apologies. However unfortunately there are people who do have that attitude - Ive paid so they can sort it.
However unfortunately there are people who do have that attitude – Ive paid so they can sort it.
I can assure you that I am not that sort of person – I am quite happy to help out but similarly, I would like to think that any inconvenience would be fairly compensated for and none of us were particularly happy with the attitude of the wardens (the ones who flippantly said 'here's some towels for you to clean up with' and said the electrics would be fine 'because the RCD hasn't tripped').
Don’t get this at all. Why should the visitor have to get insurance to cover a problem of the business?
Jeez, why is this such a big deal? Most people - and I accept maybe the OP didnt - get some kind of trip / annual holiday insurance even for free sometimes from their Bank for example. All I'm saying was that if the OP felt he was due some compensation and in the case it was a small business owner who may be more greatly impacted upon than Center Parcs, he could make use of that facility to gain his compensation rather than ask for cash from the small business owner. Its a kinder approach.
But **** it, if you think rinsing peoples small business for all they were worth because of a few entitled hours of happiness you may have missed because of an unfortunate incident, crack on and squeeze the cash out of them. And I thought we had enough issues in the UK than to treat each other this way.
Any accommodation provider will (should have) their own insurance to deal with these costs.
I don't have annual travel insurance - our (frankly atrocious - but that's a different story - I don't have much luck do I) policy with Admiral lapsed recently and, as we haven't booked a 'big' holiday yet we haven't renewed it yet. But would such a policy cover a leak that is the responsibility of the property owner?
Had it been a booking.com owner managed place the owners would be paranoid about a less than 5* review, and given you a free night is my guess, which would be reasonable for a spoilt night when you're paying premium prices. I guess CP don't have to worry about reviews? Can't say I've ever been tempted to stay at CP, Mumsnet thread factored in. But less so reading this
But would such a policy cover a leak that is the responsibility of the property owner?
It may compensate you for a spoiled holiday, without the net profitability burden on the property owner.
Any accommodation provider will (should have) their own insurance to deal with these costs.
yes, I made that point also.
Jeez, why is this such a big deal? Most people – and I accept maybe the OP didnt – get some kind of trip / annual holiday insurance even for free sometimes from their Bank for example. All I’m saying was that if the OP felt he was due some compensation and in the case it was a small business owner who may be more greatly impacted upon than Center Parcs, he could make use of that facility to gain his compensation rather than ask for cash from the small business owner. Its a kinder approach.
Kinder to whom?
Not kinder to all the people whose holiday insurance premium goes up because they are paying to subsidise someone else's business costs.
Not kinder to the visitors who don't have insurance.
But **** it, if you think rinsing peoples small business for all they were worth because of a few entitled hours of happiness you may have missed because of an unfortunate incident, crack on and squeeze the cash out of them. And I thought we had enough issues in the UK than to treat each other this way.
You're jumping to a conclusion. I don't have any particular opinion about the amount, but I sure as hell have an opinion that *if* it is compensation then it defo comes from the provider of that service. The idea that the visitor buys his own compensation is insane.
convert
Full Member
£100 maybe.
I agree.
Keep it in perspective. It's a loss of a ensuite and some of a living area. Still able to cook. Still able to eat, sleep, wash, shower etc. Sounds like a genuine things fail and you were unlucky. It sounds funny more than anything.
I don’t have annual travel insurance – our (frankly atrocious – but that’s a different story – I don’t have much luck do I) policy with Admiral lapsed recently and, as we haven’t booked a ‘big’ holiday yet we haven’t renewed it yet. But would such a policy cover a leak that is the responsibility of the property owner?
travel insurance only covers you for costs, not for compensation. If the leak had been so bad you couldn't stay AND the owners couldn't put you up elsewhere so you had to stump up for a hotel, the policy would pay out (minus an excess). As it is, you'd have got fsckall
It sounds funny more than anything.
It kinda was for me, not so much for the vulnerable child hiding in his room and my mother-in-law was getting very nervous about the electrics that weren't checked – even though the water was running through two GU10 light fittings and made the fire alarm go off (so she was worried something was shorting and a fire could have started).
Re the claim on your own insurance suggestion…Surely your insurers first question would be “is there another policy that specifically covers this?” To which the answer would be “yes” and their reply would be “claim on that policy then”
edit- I thought it true that you can’t insure the same thing twice?
Well, if it makes you feel a little differently about us, me and my mother-in-law were stood under the drips collecting water (water coming through two light fittings), my wife was with the plumber in the bathroom (and generally co-ordinating things),
...which was the right thing to do and what I would have done also. The thing is though, you chose to do that. You could easily have called services and said "there's water pissing through the ceiling, you might want to do something about that, we're off to the pub." I'd perhaps mention that in your negotiations for compensation.
But **** it, if you think rinsing peoples small business for all they were worth because of a few entitled hours of happiness you may have missed because of an unfortunate incident, crack on and squeeze the cash out of them.
a) Center Parcs is far from a small business, they employ 7,000 staff, and b) even if they were, anyone offering a holiday let should have insurance so you aren't "rinsing" anyone. If a hospitality business is going to go bust because someone asks for a single evening's refund on a £1,700 three-night booking then they have bigger problems than a water leak.
Don’t get this at all. Why should the visitor have to get insurance to cover a problem of the business?
they shouldn't IMO
My rental flat was without hot water for a week or so. I gave the tenants the same % of days rent free that they had without hot water.
any rental long or short term the landlord should have sufficient reserve to cover this sort of thing and it should be built into the sums
I’m struggling to see how a whole day was ruined when the issue occurred at 11pm at night.
Re the occupant claiming on their own insurance to save the owner expense, regardless whether it’s centre parks or a private landlord, that’s ridiculous. The land lord should have insurance for this very type of scenario. If they don’t that’s on them for being a cheapskate. And if the owner has enough assets to be renting out holiday accommodation then they can suck up this kind of cost. If not don’t be in that business
I can guarantee if you had paid a deposit and accidentally (but through your own negligence) flooded the place, no landlord on earth would give you that money back and suck up the cost entirely themselves
I’m struggling to see how a whole day was ruined when the issue occurred at 11pm at night.
I didn't say the whole day was ruined but the experience did put a (literal) dampener on what was meant to be a nice (very expensive) weekend away with family. I get that the cost of Center Parcs covers the facilities as well as the accommodation, but I still feel that we should have been offered more than they have done, to be honest.
As an aside, we *did* enjoy the experience so just looked at the cost of doing it as a summer holiday this year. JEEZ! Two weeks would cost the same as we paid last year for two weeks in a *very* nice 4 Star All Inclusive hotel with a private swim-up pool and sea views in Rhodes!
Update: We have settled on their offer of £264 (£64 refund as we paid extra to get that specific lodge, plus £200 compensation). They initially offered the £200 as a discount against another stay but we rejected that.
That seems like a fairer solution than their initial offer. Good work
I can't believe that people think that you shouldn't have received anything!
The fact that you had stand around catching water leaks at 11pm at night means that night is ruined.
I would of expected them to refund you for that night and some kind goodwill gesture, such as a credit note or discount on a future holiday.
We run a holiday accommodation business and if this happened at our place, we would refund for that nights stay and we are a small 5 room place.
We had a family group in a couple of years ago, took all 5 rooms, had a problem with water supply for the showers for one day and refunded for 5 rooms for that day.
Hah - just looked at the original post and responses - the first and third reply were...
@thegeneralist
£283.33
@lunge
I think £250 is fairly reasonable
The fact that you had stand around catching water leaks at 11pm at night means that night is ruined.
Technically they didn't have to do anything of the sort, as I said earlier up this page. They could've got on with their evening whilst enjoying the impromptu water feature. And plenty of people would've done just that.
The new offer the OP has accepted seems fair to me. When stuff goes wrong it's usually worth kicking back a company's initial low-ball offer, but can quickly become diminishing returns.
Whoop. WhaddaI win?
( bagsy not that room though 😉 )
