What a turnaround! A family, whose dire experience in a holiday rental cottage looked set to leave them over £1,000 out of pocket, have been fully refunded along with a goodwill payment for the misery they went through.
Loud noise and intrusive building work blighted the stay of parents Sue and Alan Shaw and their children to the point where they were driven out early.
++ If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk
After making the 300-mile trip from their home, they arrived at the cottage near Whitby, Yorkshire, and immediately saw ominous signs, they told Crusader. “The adjoining property was covered in scaffolding with a skip outside and a builders’ van parked on the road.
“From early the next day the drilling, chain sawing and angle grinding were incessant. The workmen used the shared area, walking right in front of our windows. There was no chance to enjoy the garden.”
But nothing was the builders’ fault who were only doing their job, the Shaws stressed. “The villains were the cottage’s owners,” said Alan. “To our astonishment we discovered both properties were theirs and the work had been going on for months. When I asked them why we had not been told they said they had sent an email a few days ago but to the wrong address. Their lack of care was appalling, but they had no problem taking our £3,000.”
The Shaws, who had booked through agent HolidayCottages.co.uk, were unhappy with the response to their complaint. This offered them a 20% discount or a refund for the second week if they left. “We felt we had no choice and went,” Sue added. “We were then amazed the property was still being advertised with no warnings.”
Legal responsibility for holiday lets lie with owners not agents, but with all such matters where customers pay in good faith and can lose so much, commercially as well as morally fair outcomes benefit everyone.
Crusader then raised the matter and credit to Holiday Cottages that, once the right people in the business were aware, action was swift.
The family have now received a further £1,758.50 plus a £200 goodwill gesture.
The company said: “We express our sincere apologies to [the family] for the inconvenience caused both during and after their stay. Their experience did not meet the high standards we expect our guests to receive, and fell outside of our standard processes. We have also since met with the owner to ensure the process is being correctly followed. We take this as an opportunity to remind holiday home owners of the correct processes to follow when notifying both the company and guests about any potential issues in advance of a stay.”
The family responded saying: “Crusader got us heard, we hope this improves things for others.” [Names have been changed]
