Cancelled holiday due to lack of internet

[Rainingcatsandog]

We were due to go to the Highlands today for a week. The holiday company informed us that the internet isn't working due to a general issue on the area and they don't know when it will be fixed. I was offered £75 off or the chance to change the date .I took the latter.
I'm now feeling annoyed as I think we should have been offered a full refund.
Does anyone know my rights?

I’d never go anywhere without the internet, most tv’s are smart tvs meaning without internet they don’t work.

The internet was down in the holiday cottage we went to and the tv didn’t work. I’d spent all day out and about or reading so wanted to watch films in the evening. Was a real bummer.

Make it make sense. You’re rescheduling your break in the majestic Scottish Highlands, with so much to see and do yet you would rather stay home and schedule a new trip so you can pay to stare at a screen? Not entitled or deserving of full refund imho and if it’s not too late OP might you reconsider going? If it’s a network outage it’ll be a temporary issue.

'Endless doom scrolling' seems to be a catch-all charge levelled at people who want everyday access to phones, explaining why they shouldn't be allowed/encouraged/trusted with it.

It's been used all over the news with the ban on SM for teenagers, as though young people don't want or know how to do anything else worthwhile using the primary modern communications system.

A couple of decades ago, luddites used to consider the entire Web in the same way, derisorily asking "Oh, is that something that you read on the in-ter-net?!" - as though there couldn't possibly be anything true, educational or worthwhile on the world's main knowledge-base network.

I wouldn't book a hotel or apartment knowing it didn't have internet access as it is useful on holiday for the reasons people have stated.

But certainly wouldn't expect a refund from a company because they couldn't provide it through no fault of their own. Their offer seems quite generous to me.

'Oh godness me' my aunt would say....

Yes, but surely you’ve planned for this and have everything you need in place before you go so you don’t need to rely on internet?

Why are people assuming OP wants to doom scroll and uss social media? Like some others it enhances the holiday by being able to look at online maps, traffic, eateries, walks etc. Often any resesrch done before is less useful,when you actually get there.

Just get a data esim….

You can still read your kindle if you stock it up with books before you go.

We had the same at a holiday cottage last year - it did have wi-fi as advertised, but it was just so extremely slow and kept failing to do anything that it effectively didn't have it at all. As you found, the telly didn't work either.

We had wonderful trips and days out, but in the evening, we wanted to relax and use the internet - as we do at home. I wonder how many of the people on here who are scoffing and saying how beautiful the Highlands is (very true) actually like to go roaming that beautiful landscape long after dark?

This^

It's perfectly reasonable to expect internet connection in 2026.

It's nothing to do with doom-scrolling 😅

I do not believe that all these posters feigning disgust would also not feel inconvenienced if it were themselves in this situation...

I do agree, OP, that you should have been offered a refund; I would feel the same. Unsure about the consumer legalities, though.

I’d imagine there is phone reception. I’m always amazed when in rural Scotland up a hill or in a tiny village how good the signal is, when I barely get one for miles in some directions from my house in certain Edinburgh however with your resolution to the problem the WiFi should be back when you go anyway so not sure why you want a refund?

Reminds me of the Motherland episode where they go away for the weekend and there’s no working internet (but a wifi code). And then the Amandaland episode where they go camping in a field near the woods where you’d expect no or little internet and Fi orders breakfast and coffee the next morning by Deliveroo or something. Either I’m not tech savvy but I don’t expect that in this day and age. Stayed at DB’s PIL’s house in Peasedown St John and around their estate the wifi is shocking especially if you do the bus back as I did (rather than driving as I’d been out meeting a friend in Bath and had had a few drinks) one early evening (dusk and getting dark). Got lost, google maps didn’t work as no or zero internet. Been like that for yonks.

I run my own business and we cannot
holiday unless I can keep on top of emails from customers and the bank. I also cannot simply change dates easily so in this instance I personally would have to have a refund as we couldn’t do the holiday. It doesn’t really matter what your own reason is for needing the internet Op, the fact is that you do want it as part of your holiday (and we are all entitled to enjoy a holiday as we see fit, whether that be back to back Netflix or digital detox without any tech).

And for others, camping of any sort with no running water would be absolute hell, not pure bliss.

We're all different. We like the sorts of holidays where we rent a cottage, explore during the day or go out visiting, pub meal, back to the cottage, jammies on, Netflix movie before bed. Internet is a must-have.

My parents old holiday home in rural SW France in a hamlet had no internet when they first bought it, then dial up and then they paid for better internet connection somehow. I used to go to the nearest wifi cafe in town or to friends who had working internet. When parents bought and first stayed there I was by myself with my mum. It was so quiet it freaked my mum out and it was like you were in space where no one can hear you scream (Alien). The next day my mum went out and bought a radio.

I've been there before.

I quite liked the silence.

One camping trip a few years ago at a campsite in Cotswolds (farm nearby) the showers were so rubbish it almost wasn’t worth having them, barely a trickle came out. Years ago I stayed at a campsite in Fairlight (Pett Level) which had a special purpose built plumbed in shower block. Well worth the short walk in the morning. This was 70s/80s too.

The highlands are indeed majestic, with lots of things to see and do. Many of those things need booked in advance (bike hire, water sports, craft activities), many don’t have standard opening hours, you may want to check somewhere has toilet facilities, where the nearest cafe is to the trail you’re walking, or book tickets for the cable car.

Think about how many times you reach for your phone that doesn’t involve any kind of social media. Or how many times you download a book or audio book, or a movie, or fact check something you’ve been talking about, or move money between bank accounts. It’s ok to want at least the same facilities you have at home, while enjoying the majestic highlands.

I have enough data on my contract for the needs. Our summer cottage sounds rather ancient but people I have taken there loved it. In the evenings we read books and play games until it’s too dark. Then we go to sleep and get up early. There is no lamps so we have to rely on candles and head torches if wanting to read in bed. It’s get dark rather late in summer.

In the Scottish highlands? Probably minimal depending on where OP was planning on staying.

If I was OP I’d be happy with an alternate date though, I wouldn’t be expecting an offer of a refund for something that’s affecting the whole area!

I’ve been a few times and always managed to get a signal, but granted there might not be any in the exact place she’s going. That’s why I asked.

This. I bought a week esim last month as I needed to work from Italy (but even if I hadn't been working, internet access is a non-negotiable for me at all times). I had unlimited data (that I could have shared) and it cost less than £20 for the week. Check out Holafly. Dead easy to set up.

"The Highlands" is the size of Belgium. Just because you have been to one small place and got three bars of 5G, that does not translate into a good mobile phone signal everywhere.