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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect a partial refund on holiday house

102 replies

Monkey533 · 01/08/2018 06:35

Just spent 5 days on holiday with extended family in a rental house on a small island. There were 16 of us from 4 to 75. Holiday was great except day 2 the fridge freezer broke down. We notified the manager immediately and he came around with a handyman first thing the next day. He said it couldn't be fixed and that we'd just have to use ice and he would't be able to get a replacement until after we had left.

The problem is this is a small beach island with no real stores and only (expensive) ferry access to the mainland. There was a small store near us where we could get ice and some supplies but at greatly inflated prices (2ce what you'd pay on the mainland.) We had some in the fridge but ended up buying 5 more bags of ice that day, and still had to throw out a lot of food that didn't make it. We also spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up melted ice, and running back and forth to the store.

When I complained, he sent over 3 more bags of ice. We're home now and survived of course, and had a good time despite all of this so some in the party think I should just let it go, and that it wasn't his fault. I think he needs to offer us some sort of refund though I'm not sure how much (rental was around £3k).

WWYD / AIBU to think that a fridge is pretty vital for a rental when there are no supermarkets available and if fridge is not working a partial refund should be made?

OP posts:
TatianaLarina · 01/08/2018 12:24

3k a week even for 16 people isn’t cheap. I’d say it’s mid market, although it depends on the country.

36degrees · 01/08/2018 12:38

Did the organiser take out any insurance via the booking agency? If you booked direct, or didn't tick the box, or for any other readers, definitely consider it for next time. I didn't realise until recently you can get quite good but cheap UK holiday insurance with a low excess, I only found out when I wanted to get a meerkat movies code.

TammySwansonTwo · 01/08/2018 13:07

A full set? No. But those required for food storage in an isolated location that’s self catering? Yes.

impostersyndrome · 01/08/2018 14:15

I don't think you were treated at all fairly. As others have said, the owner should have taken so much more care to make sure your interim solution was doable. At the very least, to deliver ice, as well as checking if you needed any help with replenishing groceries. I think you're entitled to your costs for wasted food and ice and a bit on top for the trouble you were put to. A 10% refund sounds reasonable and not grasping.

MaintainTheMolehill · 01/08/2018 15:51

It was £37.50 pppn not £27.
I would request a refund of costs incurred with a bit extra for inconvenience.

SuburbanRhonda · 01/08/2018 16:16

This happened to us in Mallorca with two small children. We had ice but in the Spanish summer heat it didn’t even last all day. I was very worried the food we had in there wouldn’t be safe for the children to eat.

The holiday company refunded us a significant amount - I can’t remember exactly how much but I think they were just relieved we weren’t arsy about it and just asked them for a partial refund to compensate for the worry and inconvenience.

MrsMuddlePluck · 01/08/2018 16:23

We're waiting for a response after we spent our entire week's holiday without a fridge. They did offer us vouchers for the site restaurant but we didn't want to have to plan our days out in order to get back every night. We did try one night but restaurant was full. On the last night there was nothing on the menu we would have eaten.

To their credit, we used receptions mini fridge so we could keep cans and some cheese but not much else.

ZenNudist · 01/08/2018 17:35

Im quite surprised at the people so keen to sympathise with a useless landlord letting a pricey property ill equipped.

I guess it depends on number of bedrooms and sleeping arrangements as to whether that £3k could be considered cheap. If its a 16 ensuite bedroom palatial mansion then its cheap. Still doesnt justify no fridge.

Racecardriver · 01/08/2018 17:44

YANBU. You should ask for the amount you paid for ice, lost food, extra you paid for fiid/ferry.

PopGoesTheWeaz · 01/08/2018 22:15

Thanks everyone. I was planning on asking for something between the cost of ice and replacement food (he didnt supply these - we did. He topped us up at one point when I asked but that only lasted a few hours) and £1k.

And whoever said the people saying to let it go are the people who didn't have to replan everything or spend the holiday cleaning up puddles of water and running to the shops are spot on!

MrsCrabbyTree · 02/08/2018 01:47

Surely the owner should have been the one running around buying the ice not the holiday makers. I'd leave a poor review and expect a decent refund, more than the cost of the ice and food.

icelollycraving · 02/08/2018 08:32

I’d expect a bit of a goodwill refund but 1k seems ott. I would think if you ask for a refund, you’ll blow their mind by asking for that much.

TatianaLarina · 02/08/2018 09:33

It’s not just a question of compensation for The price of food, it’s also compensation for the stress, hassle and negative impact on your holiday.

DarlingNikita · 03/08/2018 17:23

It may well have been impossible to get a new fridge to you before the end of the holiday but he should have inconvenienced himself not you when he couldn’t fix the problem. Either lending his fridge, suppling icebox and fresh ice or packs a couple of times a day and clearing up the melted ice or giving money off to compensate for not having a kitchen you could use

I agree with this. Hot season, holiday island with few resources, a property that (supposedly) caters for large parties... He should either have contingency plans (and at least two fridge-freezers) or shift his own arse to accommodate his paying guests.

snoozy2straws · 03/08/2018 17:42

We have a holiday house, sleeps 10 we do have 2 fridges but if one packed up in mid season or the cooker or any big appliance it would be really hard to get a quick replacement. Companies will not deliver to us as we are classed a Highlands & Islands so we would have to do a 6 hr round trip drive and rent a vehicle to transport it back in. If you rent a property in a remote location, especially an island please expect it to be difficult to get replacements. Food IS alot more expensive here as it costs more to get it here so you would pay more for ice ( I sell a bag of ice for £2) leaving a bad review on TA is just mean and has such a mssive effect on holiday home owners, you qwrite your piece and then go back to your comfy lives whilst we struggle on trying to make a living 12 months of the year whilst you just arrive for a week in the summer. Please think of the long term consequences before you become a keyboard warrior. If he was unhelpful and unobliging then speak to Visit Scotland or the equivalent, they may be able to help. You said it was a great holiday and clearly the others in the party weren't too bothered, these things happen!

manicmij · 03/08/2018 17:54

If you had agreed rental with a fridge listed as being in the house and for your use then you do have a claim. The owner did try to resolve issue but couldn't be fixed so you should be compensated for any expense incurred ie the ice, wasted food, plus amount for inconvenience and loss of enjoyment of holiday. Actual costs incurred plus say £200/300 for loss of enjoyment.

HeyDelRey · 03/08/2018 18:13

Point is, snoozy2straws, in the op's case you'd be pocketing 3k for that week, so that 6 hr round trip (plus van hire) would be something you'd have to make do with in order to provide the renter with what you'd promised and so not ruin their trip.

Holiday renting is a business, and when people have 28 days off per year, it really annoys me that they don't get what they've paid for, and the cottage owner just thinks renters should make do with what they can cobble together.

You always need a contingency plan. Sorry.

DarlingNikita · 03/08/2018 18:14

leaving a bad review on TA is just mean and has such a mssive effect on holiday home owners, you qwrite your piece and then go back to your comfy lives whilst we struggle on trying to make a living 12 months of the year whilst you just arrive for a week in the summer. Please think of the long term consequences before you become a keyboard warrior.

Sorry but people who want to make a living from renting holiday houses (especially in more out-of-the-way places) need to take some responsibility for the possibility of things going wrong. Not to mention of course putting measures in place to try to ensure that things DON'T go wrong in the first place.

This person's carelessness has had a 'massive effect' on his customer's holiday.

Characterising customers as 'mean' and sneering at their 'comfy lives' and the fact that they 'just arrive for a week in the summer' doesn't give the best impression of you as as a holiday-home business, TBH.

diddl · 03/08/2018 18:14

"so we would have to do a 6 hr round trip drive and rent a vehicle to transport it back in. "

So that's what you'd do then, isn't it?

" If you rent a property in a remote location, especially an island please expect it to be difficult to get replacements"

That's hardly the Op's problem, is it?

RideOn · 03/08/2018 18:26

If it did take him a 6 hr round trip and rental vehicle then it would take that to replace it anyway, so he should have done that, rather than give them a few bags of ice!

loveka · 03/08/2018 18:31

You have to accept in holiday homes that things go wrong, just as they do in your own house.

Our boiler blew up. Should I have had a spare?

As for 'pocketing' 3k, no, not a chance. There is probably a mortgage (which needs to be paid all year), water rates, cleaning on a house that size would be around £300 (with all the sheets to wash). There is replacing stuff people damage or steal. Rates are high in August, but not in low season when all the bills still have to be paid.

It is just mean to try and take away someones livelihood. Which is what you do when you leave a bad review just out of spite, which some of you are suggesting.

I do think the OP should have some compensation ( and they should have bent over backwards to get ice, apologised profusely and brought some cake and win round) but it isn't worth £1000 and a bad review.

loveka · 03/08/2018 18:32

Wine, they should have brought wine...

MNOverinvestor · 03/08/2018 18:37

I think £1K plus the spoiled food/ice purchases looks a bit greedy/unrealistic. Some compensation is called for (and manager could have been a lot more helpful/apologetic) unless there were other problems with the rental. As you pointed out, there was inconvenience but you enjoyed the holiday...

DarlingNikita · 03/08/2018 18:37

Our boiler blew up. Should I have had a spare?

No, but you're not renting your house and boiler out to people and charging them money for it.

It is just mean to try and take away someones livelihood. Which is what you do when you leave a bad review just out of spite
It really isn't just mean; it's a customer's method of expressing discontent. And a warning to other potential customers. Like word of mouth.

And it would really not be just out of spite – a bad review, assuming the owner still won't offer compensation, is more than justified here.

Confusedbeetle · 03/08/2018 18:37

zen nudist £1000 ! are you mad?

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