Dear XXX,
I am very sorry to hear about the cancellation of your holiday. As it is now just x weeks/day until your planned arrival, we are unable to refund the cost of your stay as it is now too late to secure another booking. We are however able to refund £xx for unused cleaning and utilities.
I attach our cancellation policy which you agreed to on booking the accommodation for your attention.
I will of course readvertise the dates, and will then refund any additional income we may receive.
If I can provide you with any additional documentation for your travel insurance company, please let me know. Should you decide to visit us in the future, we will be pleased to welcome you and offer a discount of x% on a future stay.
Refunds
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Hells Bells
- Posts: 13173
- Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:42 am
- Location: French Alps
- Contact:
Works for me - no "unfortunately" or "we can't afford to refund" or guilty hand-wringing but a realistic and fair presentation of the facts and the promise to help if possible.HelenB wrote:Dear XXX,
I am very sorry to hear about the cancellation of your holiday. As it is now just x weeks/day until your planned arrival, we are unable to refund the cost of your stay as it is now too late to secure another booking. We are however able to refund £xx for unused cleaning and utilities.
I attach our cancellation policy which you agreed to on booking the accommodation for your attention.
I will of course readvertise the dates, and will then refund any additional income we may receive.
If I can provide you with any additional documentation for your travel insurance company, please let me know. Should you decide to visit us in the future, we will be pleased to welcome you and offer a discount of x% on a future stay.
Fair/unfair, afford/can't afford shouldn't really enter the equation. Your cancellation policy serves an important purpose in a binding contract. Ignoring it on a whim sets a worrying precedent of where to draw the line.
For me, a polite referral to the Terms & Conditions is in order & any further refund requests should be addressed to their insurers - if they don't have any, that's just tough I'm afraid.
For me, a polite referral to the Terms & Conditions is in order & any further refund requests should be addressed to their insurers - if they don't have any, that's just tough I'm afraid.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
When I get a cancellation I immediately quote the relevant clauses from my T&Cs:
For arrival dates less than 35-days from when you cancel we will try and re-let the holiday property to mitigate your/insurance company loss of the full holiday rental. If we re-let the holiday accommodation at the same rental terms the
Holiday Rental is refunded if already paid, all is due if not. If we re-let at lower rental terms then we will refund the Holiday Rental we achieved if already paid, if not paid you will pay the Shortfall in Holiday Rental. You
will pay any additional advertising fees we incur at cost, if applicable.
In all cases we apply an Administration Fee for all bookings and Cancellation Fee to cover the cost of the cancellation administration.
Any Security Deposit paid will be returned in full.
My view is that we are a business exactly the same as the airline and any hotels they are using. We have T&Cs and they must be applied.
I had a 1-week booking for September cancelled by a repeat guest just the day before the balance was due. There was no argument - they lost their deposit to cover the original admin cost and the cancellation admin cost. I have now received a 10-night booking starting on the same date - paid in full at the full rate. There will be no further refund to the original guest who cancelled - it's business and thats it!
The repeat guest who cancelled has stayed for the past four years and has now booked our other property for a week in October. They get their repeat guest discount but they never asked for and I didn't offer anything due to the cancellation.
I believe you must be clear with your T&Cs and you must apply them to all guests regardless of the individuals circumstances involved in the cancellation.
I sometimes feel a pang of guilt and of course sympathy for the guests due to the reasons for cancellation - it sometimes lasts minutes!
For arrival dates less than 35-days from when you cancel we will try and re-let the holiday property to mitigate your/insurance company loss of the full holiday rental. If we re-let the holiday accommodation at the same rental terms the
Holiday Rental is refunded if already paid, all is due if not. If we re-let at lower rental terms then we will refund the Holiday Rental we achieved if already paid, if not paid you will pay the Shortfall in Holiday Rental. You
will pay any additional advertising fees we incur at cost, if applicable.
In all cases we apply an Administration Fee for all bookings and Cancellation Fee to cover the cost of the cancellation administration.
Any Security Deposit paid will be returned in full.
My view is that we are a business exactly the same as the airline and any hotels they are using. We have T&Cs and they must be applied.
I had a 1-week booking for September cancelled by a repeat guest just the day before the balance was due. There was no argument - they lost their deposit to cover the original admin cost and the cancellation admin cost. I have now received a 10-night booking starting on the same date - paid in full at the full rate. There will be no further refund to the original guest who cancelled - it's business and thats it!
The repeat guest who cancelled has stayed for the past four years and has now booked our other property for a week in October. They get their repeat guest discount but they never asked for and I didn't offer anything due to the cancellation.
I believe you must be clear with your T&Cs and you must apply them to all guests regardless of the individuals circumstances involved in the cancellation.
I sometimes feel a pang of guilt and of course sympathy for the guests due to the reasons for cancellation - it sometimes lasts minutes!
"Write something, even if it's just a suicide note"
"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise"
"As for my amnesia, I've had it as long as I can remember"
Real name: Steve
Gender: Male
"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise"
"As for my amnesia, I've had it as long as I can remember"
Real name: Steve
Gender: Male
Thank you all for your help and advice. It seems that the majority vote is not to refund.
Quite rightly they should have insurance that they can claim from.
Perhaps as my first port of call I should say no refund and direct them to their insurance company.
I am rubbish at wording these things.... probs because i dont like to upset people and would just give them the money back. but as you pointed out quite rightly, why should I lose money. It is not their fault they are ill but it is not my fault either. I just feel so mean though as the illness sounds v serious.
Quite rightly they should have insurance that they can claim from.
Perhaps as my first port of call I should say no refund and direct them to their insurance company.
I am rubbish at wording these things.... probs because i dont like to upset people and would just give them the money back. but as you pointed out quite rightly, why should I lose money. It is not their fault they are ill but it is not my fault either. I just feel so mean though as the illness sounds v serious.
Well, i have contacted them and said that we cannot refund but can assist with insurance details for a claim.
they have replied saying they are not insured for this?? And asked please could we refund? I am not very knowledgeable on insurance but you would think that you would be insured if your flights were? Why would you book a holiday for £2k plus and not arrange insurance? Perhaps I am over analysing the situation?
they have replied saying they are not insured for this?? And asked please could we refund? I am not very knowledgeable on insurance but you would think that you would be insured if your flights were? Why would you book a holiday for £2k plus and not arrange insurance? Perhaps I am over analysing the situation?
Stand firm, as has been advised.
If they are cancelling due to ill-health, and do not have insurance then that is either by choice (theirs) or because the condition that has arisen is excluded (eg. pre-existing or limited policy): again, to book a holiday with that type of insurance is their choice. Not yours.
Re-iterate that, if you can re-let, you will offer a partial refund.
You are unlikely to ever know the truth of the matter....
If they are cancelling due to ill-health, and do not have insurance then that is either by choice (theirs) or because the condition that has arisen is excluded (eg. pre-existing or limited policy): again, to book a holiday with that type of insurance is their choice. Not yours.
Re-iterate that, if you can re-let, you will offer a partial refund.
You are unlikely to ever know the truth of the matter....
Don't give in - it is their problem that they didn't take out insurance or have a condition that insurance wouldn't cover. they chose to take that risk, why should you lose out instead? I wouldn't even enter into any more correspondence on it. Send them an amount to cover utilities etc. not used and walk away. I sense they know you are possibly a soft touchZingara wrote:Stand firm, as has been advised.
If they are cancelling due to ill-health, and do not have insurance then that is either by choice (theirs) or because the condition that has arisen is excluded (eg. pre-existing or limited policy): again, to book a holiday with that type of insurance is their choice. Not yours.
Re-iterate that, if you can re-let, you will offer a partial refund.
You are unlikely to ever know the truth of the matter....
and are playing on it. Be firm. They blocked off 2 weeks effectivley on your calendar for 8 months, you are not a charity. Make your correspondence short, concise and business like. Don't say 'unfortunately' don't say 'sorry' just reiterate tht you cannot refund unless you can relet the dates, end of conversation.-
PW in Polemi
- Posts: 1781
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:23 am
- Location: A village in Paphos, Cyprus
Ditto that.kyreniagirl wrote:Make your correspondence short, concise and business like. Don't say 'unfortunately' don't say 'sorry' just reiterate tht you cannot refund unless you can relet the dates, end of conversation.
Ill health & stupidity (no insurance) is not your responsibility.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
They appear to be suggesting that their insurance won't cover this particular situation - which is hogwash if it is ill health and not just a desire to change their plans. Either they have no insurance or they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes. Either way you just have to say that while you commiserate with them over their need to cancel their arrangements you cannot offer even a partial refund while the dates remain unlet. They may get aggressive about this but you must not weaken. You are not at fault in any way and even if they believe that they are also not at fault they have no entitlement to a refund, end of.july wrote: they have replied saying they are not insured for this??
Just a thought......
I refer to "Terms and Conditions" all the time and use this phrase in my documentation.
Would we all be better using the phrase "Booking Contract" rather than TCs??????
Would this help in focusing the minds of guests who cancel, or leave early (as in another post recently)?
Would this have helped July in her responses to this booking?
I refer to "Terms and Conditions" all the time and use this phrase in my documentation.
Would we all be better using the phrase "Booking Contract" rather than TCs??????
Would this help in focusing the minds of guests who cancel, or leave early (as in another post recently)?
Would this have helped July in her responses to this booking?
Kyreniagirl said:
I'm often a 'soft touch' but in this case, they've accepted your booking conditions, haven't taken out adequate insurance and now want you to take on some of their loss when none of what's happened is your responsibility at all.
As others have said, stand firm - you're 100% in the right.
Say it's unfortunate they don't have insurance to cover this situation but you can only refund xx for unused utilities etc. Ask for bank details if you need them and sign off. If they ask again about a refund I'd avoid getting sucked in to yet another dialogue and would simply repeat whatever line I'd already used (as previously explained, you can't refund unless the dates are relet)Make your correspondence short, concise and business like. Don't say 'unfortunately' don't say 'sorry' just reiterate that you cannot refund unless you can relet the dates.
I'm often a 'soft touch' but in this case, they've accepted your booking conditions, haven't taken out adequate insurance and now want you to take on some of their loss when none of what's happened is your responsibility at all.
As others have said, stand firm - you're 100% in the right.
I'm sure others have something similar, if not better, but:
Just above the signature line of my contract are two 'phrases' :
1) I have read and accept the T+Cs that form part of this contract
2) I have arranged travel insurance with.....(to be completed by guest)
They all complete 2), even if to say 'to be arranged'
Just above the signature line of my contract are two 'phrases' :
1) I have read and accept the T+Cs that form part of this contract
2) I have arranged travel insurance with.....(to be completed by guest)
They all complete 2), even if to say 'to be arranged'