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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Premier Travel Inn profteering from Alton Towers closure

194 replies

TheGrocer · 08/06/2015 13:50

Hi there
I have a new story you may be interested re Premier Travel Inn at Rugely profiting from many customers who had planned to visit Alton Towers last weekend 6/6 and 7/6.

I had pre booked a room at the Rugely Travel Inn using the Whitbread web site and booked 2 rooms under their lowest cost offer Non Flexaible Premier Saver Rate to £232. The sole purpose of driving myself and my 3 kids 300 miles each way to the Hotel was to treat the kids to a weekend break at Alton Towers. Im not currently working and so couldn’t afford to book the Alton Towers hotel or though now I wish I had.

After making the booking the terrible accident at Alton Towers occurred and the park announced it would be closed for several days while the investigation continued. On Friday 5/6 the Alton Towers web site announced it would not be open over the weekend and I therefore called the Hotel and the Customer Service line to try and re-arrange the booking due to the tragic accident and the fact the park would be closed. I met with a brick wall and blank refusal of any type of re-booking. I have attached my letter to them and their response and Im sure many families for the Premier Travel Inn hotels would have met with the same fate. While they hide behind the T&Cs of the booking they aren’t doing the RIGHT thing and its disgusting behaviour.

I have contacted BBC and Watchdog - Has anyone else been affected by this??? Thanks for reading

Whitbread Customer Services letter below and my original letter below that.:

Hi [name removed by MNHQ],

Thanks for your email.
Your reservation [removed by MNHQ] was booked under the Non Flexible Premier Saver rate.

Although we appreciate no one books a hotel room with the expectation to cancel or amend, the only reason we're able to offer these discounted rooms is by adhering to strict booking terms. This is why customers are informed at the time of booking that they will not be able to cancel or amend the reservation, once confirmed.

For these reasons, we regret that we would not be able to assist with your request on this occasion.

Please note that any pre-paid supplement charges for breakfast, meal deals etc will be refunded back to the card held on the booking.

Kind Regards
[name removed by MNHQ].
Email Support Team
Premier Inn - Central Reservations
Telephone: 0333 003 0025 (option 2)
Email: [email protected]
Write to us at: Oakley House, Oakley Road, Luton, LU4 9QH.

-----------------

Hello
I have contacted you today in relation to my reservation [removed by MNHQ] held in the name of [removed by MNHQ] for two room on the night of Friday 5/6/15 and Sat 6/6/15. The rooms were booked under the Premier Saver Rate at a total cost of £232 at your Rugely Hotel. The purpose of travelling 300 miles from my home in Kent with my children was to enjoy a weekend at Alton Towers. As you will know after the tragic events earlier this week the park has now announced that it will remain closed over the weekend thus making my trip a waste of time.
I contacted your reservations team and your guest relations team speaking to [name removed by MNHQ] to be told that nor change of reservation can be made! While I understand the T&Cs of the booking surely you have been inundated by customers who through no fault of their own have literally nowhere to go.

The team at Alton Towers have been great in breaking their T&Cs and re-issuing tickets etc. and to be honest it seems as if Whitbread is taking advantage of a situation which has been a personal tragedy for those involved in the accident. The two hotels closest to Alton towers appear fully booked when I made the booking and I’m sure over 50% of those staying over the weekend had planned to visit Alton Towers. Yes I know the T&Cs which have been quoted to me but come on Whitbread let’s look at this from the angle of what may be the right thing to do and prove that you have some feelings for the situation that I and many other families find themselves in. From a PR point of view you could take this two ways - one show your loyal customers some flexibility due to the problems that have beset the theme park or two you could provide some great local TV and radio negative press when they are contacted as the perception is your taking advantage of an unusual set of circumstances!

I’m not asking for a refund just the opportunity to rebook to an alternative date when they re-open?

Yours hoping you will do the RIGHT thing please??

OP posts:
Finola1step · 08/06/2015 14:04

You booked a room on the cheapest non flexible rate. It is not the fault of Premier Inn why Alton Towers is closed causing you chose not to use your hotel booking.

If anything, you would have had better luck writing to Alton Towers and telling them that you can not change your hotel reservation. AT may well have then offered you reduced accommodation at their hotel for a future date as AT are mostly at fault.

Cantbelievethisishappening · 08/06/2015 14:04

Actually.... having re-read your post accusing PI of profiteering from the accident I would say YOU are using the accident as a means of getting a refund. Hmm

Magicalmrmistofeles · 08/06/2015 14:04

Its business - they don't have to change their terms and conditions.

pootlebug · 08/06/2015 14:04

YABU. They aren't 'hiding behind their T&C's' - they are just sticking by the T&Cs that you signed up to when booking a non-flexible non-refundable booking.

I appreciate that it must be annoying, but it really isn't the hotel's fault. They are in no way linked to Alton Towers.

DoJo · 08/06/2015 14:04

and to be honest it seems as if Whitbread is taking advantage of a situation which has been a personal tragedy for those involved in the accident
This is uncalled for IMO

I agree - if anything I would say that the OP is taking advantage of the tragic nature of the situation to benefit from the terms of a more expensive booking for the price of a cheaper one.

amicissimma · 08/06/2015 14:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

catswag · 08/06/2015 14:05

yabu

PrincessTheresaofLiechtenstein · 08/06/2015 14:05

They would only be profiteering if AT recompensed them for lost business - as that is clearly not going to happen, I am afraid YABU

Wiggywam · 08/06/2015 14:05

This is aibu so you get some extreme replies here.

I understand your frustration. You also booked knowing this was an inflexible arrangement on the part of the hotel.

It would be nice of them to allow you to change the booking. They have no obligation to.

Do you perhaps have travel insurance?

BeatieBo · 08/06/2015 14:06

Like everyone else says YABU. You made the choice to book the non-flexible ticket. Had you already bought your AT tickets? In which case you could try taking it up with AT to see if they will refund the cost of the hotel. It has absolutely nothing to do with Premiere Inn and they are not profiteering.

cjt110 · 08/06/2015 14:06

We have had a none saver rate with Travel Lodge before and have been able to rebook on another date.

Although it's crappy you lost your money, what if you had something else come up - one of your children were sick - would you have complained to them about that? - It's a non saver rate and you knew it was non refundable at purchase.

YABU.

WeAllHaveWings · 08/06/2015 14:07

Unfortunate for you, but that the deal and risk you took, a non refundable cheap room with a place not linked to Alton Towers in anyway.

You could have still used the room, just not visited Alton Towers so not the hotels issue and no reason at all for them to refund.

Should they refund when someone books a Premier Inn then doesn't need it because of extreme weather, or because their car broke down, or any number of unavoidable issues. They are a business, if you wanted flexibility you should have paid for it or insured against the risk. YABVU.

TedAndLola · 08/06/2015 14:07

I understand your frustration. You also booked knowing this was an inflexible arrangement on the part of the hotel.

Yes, I would be frustrated at myself for risking the cheaper rate knowing this could happen. It wouldn't cross my mind to be angry at the hotel!

Dumpylump · 08/06/2015 14:08

YABU. As many others have said.

LaurieFairyCake · 08/06/2015 14:08

Use your travel insurance

Don't book non refundable rooms (obviously)

You should still have gone and viewed the other delights of Staffordshire

HuckfromScandal · 08/06/2015 14:10

Totally unreasonable of you
You booked a non flexible room
You had the option (at a greater cost) of that option. You chose not to take it. Why should the hotel be held to account over this!?

UnspecialSnowflake · 08/06/2015 14:12

They're not profiteering, you have the definition wrong. They are not making money off the back of the incident, which is what profiteering is, they are enforcing their T and Cs. The situation for you would be the same if you had needed to cancel the booking because, say, you were unwell.

TwinkieTwinkle · 08/06/2015 14:14

cant Yup that's pretty much what I said at all. Laughable hypocrisy really, isn't it?

TwinkieTwinkle · 08/06/2015 14:17

Also, literally nowhere to go? Ummmm, you had the hotel room that you booked. I'm sure there are other things to do.

JohnCusacksWife · 08/06/2015 14:17

YABU. PREMIER inn are doing nothing wrong and are sticking to the terms and conditions which are made very clear when you book a non-refundable rate.

To be honest the only person trying to take advantage of the accident at Alton Towers is you by using emotional blackmail to try to manipulate Premier Inn into doing what you want.

Hidsup · 08/06/2015 14:18

YABU. They are not profiteering. They are running a business and actually probably suffering losses because of lost business.

Perissa · 08/06/2015 14:19

It comes acoss that you are trying to force Premier Inn to give you a refund on the back of a very tragic accident that could completely change the lives of the people involved and injured. I find that distasteful.

UmmErrWhateves · 08/06/2015 14:21

Sorry, but it's another YABU from me. I'm one of the people who dont opt for the cheapest non-refundable/ non-changeable rates.

It's a single choice.

The hotel are not profiteering from the accident at all. They still have to pay their staff etc. it's not like they have hiked up their profit margins or something.

I ca see why it's really, really irritating and dissapointing but it's nobodys fault.

Straycatblue · 08/06/2015 14:22

TheGrocer
Hi there
I have a new (?s) story you may be interested re Premier Travel Inn at Rugely profiting from many customers who had planned to visit Alton Towers last weekend 6/6 and 7/6.
I have contacted BBC and Watchdog - Has anyone else been affected by this??? Thanks for reading
From a PR point of view you could take this two ways - one show your loyal customers some flexibility due to the problems that have beset the theme park or two you could provide some great local TV and radio negative press when they are contacted as the perception is your taking advantage of an unusual set of circumstances!

Are you hoping someone from The Daily Mail is reading this? and that they will rush to your rescue and you can do sadface photos whilst holding your worthless booking printouts?

Summerisle1 · 08/06/2015 14:24

WTF do you imagine Watchdog are likely to do about this situation? Other than advice you that there is no issue and that you have no right to be compensated by Premier Inn for adhering to their published terms and conditions.

This is a classic case of "You pays your money and you takes your choice". By opting for a much cheaper rate, you've lost the ability to cancel the booking. This is standard practice with Premier Inn and Travelodge and they make it very clear when you book accommodation at the reduced non-cancellable rate. You won't be the first to have to suck up the cost - a friend and I look likely to waste a room booking next month - but that's the risk of opting for the cheaper rate.

YAB doubly U to start bringing emotional blackmail into things too.