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Hey Guys

We have booked a New Year break, three nights dinner bed and breakfast and paid the required £100 deposit. We were told that the balance was due on checkout when we booked by telephone. We didn't receive any confirmation of our booking so we drove down to the hotel to make sure everything was okay and the receptionist comfirmed our booking for us and reconfirmed that the balance was due on checkout. Well this week we had a phone call telling us we had to have the balance paid by the end of November!!!!

I am raging, we have budgeted to spread the cost of Christmas and New Year, our new windows which HAVE to be paid and other stuff. I argued that we have entered into a verbal contact with the hotel and they are changing the terms, the woman that called me advised that if we do not pay in three weeks time we will lose our deposit

I wondered if any of you guys have any experience in contract law, I have a little but I am unsure of this. Stewart doesn't want me to make a fuss as we will have the money but it's the principal of the thing, £400 is a lot of money to find. Tell me if you think I am overreacting

Sandra

Sorry, I've no idea re. contract law and where you stand but for what it's worth I don't think you are over-reacting. I would be very annoyed and you're right - it's the principal they, told you 'balance on checkout' so that it what it should be!

This is one for Trading Standards as the terms have changed ergo you are no longer in a contract with them to my way of thinking, very checky of them to change like this but also a ploy they've possibly used in the past hence no written confirmation of booking etc.

It is probably a mistake, ring up the hotel and make sure that you always ask for a name of the person you are speaking to, often in hotels the left arm doesn't know what the right one is doing. Or one person will offer something another won't simple as.

Hotels generally take your credit/debit card details for security, but do not charge them this is incase of cancellation and the charges, perhaps even full payment (depending on hotel and cancellation notice) is taken. Are they just asking for your card details? If so do not worry that is just procedure, they will not charge until you leave.

You have paid your deposit, and that was the aggreement, hubby and I have often had cock ups like this, usually to do with varying prices of inclusive meals etc, all it took was a phone call to state the previous conversation, and there has never been an argument, they don't actually wish to loose your custom, they will bend to what the original offer was, just stand firm. :-)

P.S. I hope this is not as the above poster has indicated, always when booking ask for the booking reference number, they have no come back that way.

We have paid the deposit with our credit card to be sure of any comeback as we usually do with any purchase initially. The woman who says she is one half of the partnership said the terms we were told were incorrect even though we were told this twice, she said they change them for New year bookings ?? I am going to attempt to speak with the other half of the partnership called David. I will telephone trading standards tommorow. Stewart doesn't want me to make too much of a fuss as we really need this break and he just wants to pay up and leave it at that but I am raging especially as I feel they have not provided us with much customer service so what will we get with our stay? 

Sandra

she said they change them for New year bookings ??

Why? I would be raging too, you were told twice you only needed the deposit paid and you even went to the hotel and were told the same, what poppycock, I think you are right to speak to the partner.

A friend of mine is spending 4 days in a hotel in the UK for Christmas, it is a mere £200 deposit and the balance will be approx £2,000 paid on depature.

I would also be worried about this hotel in having to pay up front, what if the service and stay is not up to standard. Personally I wouldn't stay anywhere if you had to pay up front.

Back up plan have a look around on the internet, you may very well find a last minute deal in a really nice hotel yet.

I am so glad you have said that the only problem is we can't afford to lose our deposit.

I am sad

xx

When I was doing a similar booking for a friend last year I found that is it's standard policy for some boutique type hotels, B&B's and many restaurants too, to ask for payment in full for Christmas and New Year bookings.  Apparently there are common problems with cancellations over those dates even from people who've paid deposits.

They should have told you at the time and whilst they may be sympathetic it's unlikely that they will change policy for you.  I'm sure they will accept it is their error but they will also be pretty confident that they can still sell the room/s if you were to back out.

If you really need the break, and you were otherwise pleased with this place then you may find it easier to go ahead.  If you sweet talk the other partner - and explain your original payment plan, bills etc - you may be able to negotiate some other concessions like reduced restaurant meal, free wine etc.  Good luck

In this inst you will not loose your deposit, if you do take the legal route you were misssold, you quite simply tell them that you do not have the balance until January and this is the only reason it was booked and you were told twice the balance was on departure, they would be fools to try and hold onto your deposit, I would absolutely mention solicitors and trading standards if they take that stand. I would expect they will cave in and give you the stay you were originally offered, most hotels would also offer a form of compenstion for the upset.

Is this a chain, does it have a head office, or just a small private hotel? If a chain get straight onto the head office.

Hi Sandra,

Was this offer something you see on the internet etc do they have a website?   the reason I ask it is at times hard to prove you were misinformed with verbal converstations BUT if you could find their terms and conditions and it omits this section "they change them for New year bookings" you at least have some sort of weighing with them.   She acknowledges you were misinformed, the acknowledgement in itself by them is silly as this statement was made as the contact was actually being made and running a business they would be at the very least be expected to understand how a contract is formed.

Now the sensible part,  you are technically legally right to stand to your guns,  if they cancel and keep your deposit you can do something about it legally , however if they decide to cancel your booking your weekend may come and go and you lose the benefit of that nice weekend which I presume you don't want to.  If it was me  I would have myself armed and politely point out that if they cancel and keep your deposit they will be in breach of the contract and to an arguably degree fraud.

I can help you lay it out a bit if you want to PM me...

Thank you Blue, I am going to call the woman again tommorow when I have more time and I will say that to her, Would it be okay for me to PM you the outcome? We really want to go and would appreciate it if the hotel gave us another couple of weeks to get all the money. I have checked out their website and they have no booking terms and conditions on there.

Sandra
x

No Problem Sandra. PM whenever you like.

Hope you get a solution without too much headache.

Sometimes I laugh at my own posts my typing is getting worse. converstations  :-)  I really need to own up and get glasses.   

:-D It's not your eyes Blue, it's those darn fingers, they run away on the keyboards before the brain catches up. :-) Sometimes my fingers have typed a sentence whilst my eyes are still on the second word, must be all the coffee I drink they make them hyperactive.

:-) :-) 

Thing is because your brain is working right you think what you have just laid down is correct when at times isn't.

Just recently ( and not having a dig at this person whatsoever)  a poster made a comment about spelling and grammar and I pointed that typing mistake are definately not a measure of your inteligence or ability to spell.  They themselves had made loads of typing errors just like I do and don't/didn't notice it.   Sometimes I am ashamed at my typos when I re-read a thread :-D

Gosh I am the worst speller, I always keep a dictionary in my desks and I downloaded a collins onto my mobile, :-D

Sandra