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?

This for me as well. My interest is history so a day visiting a building and than not being able to research further on line would be so annoying.
Would botanists or other eco students not find it similarly frustrating?
The Internet has altered the way so many of us pursue our hobbies and interests now. It is not merely a way for me to avoid carrying a bag of textbooks.

I dont get some of these responses at all.

Firstly, for those saying it sounds like heaven and how wonderful - noone is forcing you to have the internet at home you know?! you can just disconnect at any time you like - you dont have to travel to the Scottish highlands to not be online 🙄

Secondly, not all access to the internet involves scrolling on social media and if you think thats the only point of it then surely that says more about your own internet use than someone else's!

As for the posts going even further claiming that it's "blissful" to have no running water, no electricity and no heating - yeah riiiiight.

If you like to relax and read your kindle could you not read an actual book. Watch normal tv rather than streaming service.

Yes, it's a short lived bliss!

I think that's a fair offer, at least they let you know in advance and gave you 2 options (discount or move dates). Sometimes places don't tell you till you get there. When we arrived in Portugal last year, in a very swanky resort, they simply said "Internet is broken today, sorry" and it was off for 2 days, but we had esims and just used our data, it was no bother really but not any hint of compensation - i didnt expect any, we all have phones nowadays or tablets with sim cards. If you can go other dates, just go other dates. Or get an unlimited data esim/dongle and use it, it'll cost less than £75. I get needing to use it, I work for myself, I can't not email any clients back for a whole week - even if I'm technically off work, urgent issues are still going to require a response even if it's a "let me pick that up next week".

@TidyMaid but could that research not wait until you got home, not like the history is going anywhere. Especially if you are only going away for a week it’s not that long to wait. Or get a local history book.

Of course you shouldn't get a refund.

They offered you £75. That's plenty enough to get an data only eSIM for the duration of your trip. Stick it in an old phone, use it as a hotspot then you have WiFi everywhere not just at the holiday let.

What about looking up places to visit, restaurants, making bookings, using googles maps etc etc. The place may not even have a landline. It’s not just about scrolling.

You go away to take a break from life. I love going on nights out to places that don't have signal.

Sorry dude, I don't think that warrants a full refund.

Fine if you don’t want to spend a week without internet. People are being very silly by assuming that wanting an internet connection must somehow mean you want it for ‘doom scrolling’ or whatever. It’s extremely useful to have internet access for a billion reasons on holiday.

But no, I don’t see why they should offer you a full refund. It’s an inconvenience, certainly. But even in the Highlands you’d likely have some phone signal. I don’t see why they’d refund you for your holiday because the internet wasn’t working any more than they’d refund you for your holiday because, eg, the TV was broken. A discount was the appropriate offer.

People just like to disagree for the sake of it … if they same situation happened to them it would be a different story.

Where is this place?
I would live to visit. A week without internet sounds blissful

Most holiday cottages have leaflets, details of local restaurants etc. I normally do some research beforehand and as you know in advance that no WIFI you know to do research beforehand

Hand washing clothes isn’t a relevant analogy.

It’s about being organised. You’re more likely to get the holiday you want if you have done some planning in advance. You can be more present and less glued to your phone. You can spend more of your holiday relaxing.

If you arrange everything on the fly, missing out (because popular experiences / eateries book out), or paying over the odds becomes more likely.

Being less reliant on the internet means you might also need to talk to locals. Shock horror! You are reminded that unlike netizens, most people are helpful in real life.

I’d be amazed if any contract said this.

I don’t agree a full refund is warranted but the company are fully correct that a discount / change of dates offer is needed. Internet and mobile access is a pretty key service.

Crazy answer. Why should you assume that someone who would like WiFi access so they can do relaxing things, like listen to a podcast or audio book, or watch a streaming series easily, is not also going to chat to locals or plan trips ahead?

The last place we stayed in used to have a landline. This time they had disconnected it without telling us so we had no mobile signal, no internet and no landline in a remote area . It's made me a bit wary that's all. I can survive perfectly well without internet generally. This time I don't want to.

Here is an example of a contract for an agency

3.8 Wi-Fi and Phone Reception: The Owner cannot (and does not) guarantee the speed of any broadband at the Property (or what you will be able to download or stream whilst there). If the description of the Property does not state that Wi-Fi is included it is not. Please be aware that internet and phone reception in rural areas can sometimes be poor. The Owner shall not be responsible for such matters except, if the description of the Property states that Wi-Fi is included, the Owner will be responsible for ensuring that Wi-Fi has been set up at the Property.

It is though

We used to wash clothes by hand because we didnt have time saving convenient device to do it for us.

We used to read maps before waze and Tom tom and google maps

We used to have printed literature for local attractions, but now we go to a website (sometimes directed by the out dated paper media)

Life has moved on and we use the Internet for lots of things apart from social media

To the original question, I think £75 is a very fair offer (if there is a good phone signal) because that will pay for extra data or esim etc

No not a full refund.

For a handful of people where one service is a big deal they allowed a move of dates.

Thats fine

Most of the things people are talking about like watching Netflix and listening to music l, books in kindle can all be downloaded before you go. It is not difficult to take enough entertainment for a week or so without having to download it there.

Mobile data access on your phone might still be available even without WiFi and you can also go out and get WiFi access and mobile data access while out and about if necessary

I definitely would not cancel a holiday or even postpone one just because there was no WiFi at the accommodation

I've tried to explain over and over again that I can cope perfectly well without it. I just don't want to this time because of a bad experience recently.

TBH we run our own business and a holiday can often mean having to check in and do stuff whilst we are away, it’s not often a complete “get away from it all” break….so we would absolutely need internet access to enable us to have a bit of a holiday

Where is this? As someone who lives and works in the Highlands (and by this I travel the entirety of the highlands for work) there's really a handful of little pockets with no mobile Internet. Fair enough broadband does go down but you'd still have access to the Internet I'm sure?

Turn your router off then. No need to drive all the way to the Highlands.