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Where do people stand if the accommodation provider closes and cancels your booking? Asking for my mother who has had an email today asking her to move her booking to new dates, but that’s not possible due to no guarantee of anyone getting leave at the right time next year.
I've got a dorm room in a hostel in London booked for May with Smart Hostels via Hostelworld.
Neither of them are saying a peep on email, website or social media about it. They're both still advertising heavily and taking bookings. The music festival we're going to (Desertfest) are still selling tickets! The majority of the bands are international. Even bands who are playing haven't heard anything from the organisers.
Head in the sand and it'll all go away!
Also have a house in Aviemore booked via AirBnB for a lads MTB trip mid April. AirBnB are doing free cancellations up to April 14th, but we're heading in on the 17th so if I cancel now I lose the £££s. And like the hostel I paid for everyone else who is going up front. Obviously we're not going - I am holding out til all of these companies start getting more realistic and give free cancellations. I'm sure AirBnB will extend their period but the hostels are ridiculous.
A business has to have cash available to offer refunds. Not a danger a fly by night hostel or music event has the cash to refund all their customers.
Air BnB I have no idea. It might even be a stretch for them.
There may be an announcement later tonight that will make cancellations moot.
I've just cancelled our booking (for first week of april, in devon). Despite being booked last week, and airbnb being clear that they were only applying their special flexy rules to earlier bookings, they still refunded me their service fee in full (this part was not refundable) in form of a voucher (the accommodation itself was fully refundable).
Given the size of their backing, I very much doubt they're going to go anywhere. Venture capitalists seem to be the one place where cash is going at the moment, so they may even benefit..
Sykes Cottages still saying no refunds despite closing all accommodation after tonight's news.
Will they let you rebook next year?
Yes, but we (wife and I) have no idea when we will have annual leave next year so no guarantee we’d be able to go 😀
Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things - I’m acutely aware there are bigger problems for people right now - just feeling sorry for my mother who’s shelled out what is a lot of money for a pensioner to have her whole family on holiday together.
That's awful for your Mum but Sykes should be more flexible. We've used them a couple of times and they were okay.
So do we reckon booking a UK holiday for October is safe? These seem to be getting booked up but part of me thinks there might still be restrictions...
There may still be restrictions, we just don't know.
Some letting agencies are pulling a fast one, refusing refunds and only offering to reschedule. That may result in a shortage should things clear up.
Some of those same letting agencies are likely to go out of business, so any credit note or rescheduled booking might be worthless.
I'm looking at a Wildbike trip, had one booked for May which they've already cancelled and offered alternatives so be OK.
Some letting agencies are pulling a fast one, refusing refunds and only offering to reschedule. That may result in a shortage should things clear up.
Email last night from letting agent for the cottage we've booked in Yorkshire for two weeks in July telling is that our booking has been "transferred" and they'll hold our deposit for use towards an alternative booking in the future. No refund offered.
Email at lunchtime today, telling us that last night's email was a mistake and our booking is still on for July.
Due to pay the balance in 4 weeks. Genuinely don't know what to do about it at this point.
We had a booking in the next 3 weeks, fully paid for, the agents have told us we can reschedule - if the new dates are more expensive, we pay the difference, if it's cheaper, tough. No cash refund, nothing yet on how long we can defer for or when to decide. That's all better than I feared.
Some letting agencies are pulling a fast one, refusing refunds and only offering to reschedule
Seems fair to me, not a fast one. The lockdown isn't anyone's fault, reschedule is a good compromise between them losing money and the customer losing money.
Some of those same letting agencies are likely to go out of business
Particularly if they have to refund everybody.
I have a place that I let through AirBnB. AirBnB have been good in providing full refunds to all those that want to cancel. I've cancelled all my April bookings and will follow suit with subsequent months unless gov policy changes. People need to stay at home.
Re Sykes, it was stated in Parliament yesterday afternoon during the coronavirus bill reading that they're refunding. Hansard is your friend if you need to reference it.
Thanks spud, I’ll look it up.
EDIT - It’s possibly the bit where Wes Streeting said Sykes we’re doing the right thing by cancelling bookings. They’ve not budged yet on the no refunds policy.
Don't know if it's been done but the YHA have cancelled all bookings to the end of July. Seems a little knee jerk to me that they've gone so far in advance.
I've cancelled two bookings, one in April and one in June but I've got another for the Ard Rock weekend, 31st July & 1st Aug that I'd rather keep till nearer the time!
Had anybody tried to get a refund from Airbnb yet? Following their email last Thursday or Friday I requested a refund from my host, and messaged to explain why a reschedule was not possible at this time, for our booking in may. We've paid 50% and I was requesting a full refund but the host declined. Fair enough. Airbnb will refund the service charge though so we're only lose about £375 I think. However it looks like I can still attempt to claim a full refund from Airbnb in certain circumstances and not being able to travel due to epidemic seems to be one. With the UK government advice being a little grey currently I suspect Airbnb may wriggle and refuse. Anyone tried? I need to check but I think I've another 4 or 5 weeks before I'd need to pay the other 50% and would lose the lot so I'm happy to leave the booking for now and wait for the government to tighten the lockdown further and then claim. What are others doing?