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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be cross about this holiday booking?

151 replies

Divette · 07/08/2018 12:31

Aaargh I’m at the end of my tether here! We decided last minute (Friday last week) to book a holiday to our favourite resort for this Friday. It’s privately owned self catering apartments and we book the flights separately. We looked at flights and prices and knew we could (just about) justify it having bought a house this year too.

I got in touch with several owners and management companies to enquire about apartments. Nothing was quite what we were looking for (we specifically need to be in a certain place on resort so we can always be near the children when they’re in the pool etc. We know the resort well and so know which apartments work for us and which don’t).

One man (management company) got back to me eventually yesterday and said he had availability for our dates but we’d have to move apartments halfway through due to availability. We understood and were about to go ahead and book when he replied to say someone had agreed a booking on the apartment for the first part of our stay and this first one now wasn’t available after all but the second still was.

He then phoned me to say he had somewhere else for the second part of the stay but couldn’t tell me any details or price. This was 5ish yesterday and having checked the flights again we realised they had gone up in price by £250 (aaargh!) but that if we stayed longer, we could pay the original flight price so decided to extend our stay in the second apartment which he said was free and would be no problem.

We told him we would have to book our flights for fear of them going up again (they had already increased in price by £150 the day before). He said he definitely had somewhere in the correct location and with the 2 bathrooms so go ahead and book our flights. So we did.

Today he emailed to say he should have somewhere for me by 9am. He gave me a price which was high but we had to go with it by this point. I thanked him and explained again we were quite specific about location on resort and that if whatever he had found didn’t suit, we’d be happy to use it for the first week, then move into his second apartment as agreed yesterday. He then said he had an apartment for the whole of our stay that his friend could offer us, but that he couldn’t remember any details about it (not the location on resort or if it had 2 bathrooms like we wanted). He told me at this point to email his friend instead (not a company just an owner who lives on the resort). I reiterated that we’d need to know the details of location etc before we booked. He said he didn’t have any details and it was very short notice for me to be asking for them.

I said again we’d need to know info so we knew our boys would be close by in the pool etc and that we’d need to go with the original plan of moving apartments if the first wasn’t suitable. He said we could no longer do that as he’d just taken a booking on the second apartment and the only one now available was this one through a third party in the resort which he had no details about!

I called him at this point and he told me to speak to this other man for details. I said I was booking through him (it’s him he had asked me to pay), so although he was really not happy he said he’d try to find out some details. He said he had been told details this morning but it was very early so he couldn’t remember and he had 3 children to look after Confused

He called me back and said this man wanted to speak to me and tried to give me his number to call him in the resort. He said he had tried 3 times to give the man my number but couldn’t (something to do with a landline). I was cross by now and asked him to email the man my number as I didn’t want to pay to call internationally when I was trying to book through him. He put the phone down on me!

Now we’re left with nowhere to stay potentially or having to stay somewhere unsuitable and some really expensive flights booked! Shock

Am I wrong to expect more?!

OP posts:
clarrylove · 07/08/2018 12:33

Wouldn't it be easier if you just supervised your kids at the poolside?

HelpmeobiMN · 07/08/2018 12:37

Is it really unsuitable just because it's a bit further from the pool? Can't you just make sure you're always at the pool together?

Bluelady · 07/08/2018 12:38

Why would you try to book at a week's notice in peak holiday season? Especially if you have very specific requirements? The whole thing sounds dodgy to me.

amy85 · 07/08/2018 12:38

I think you're needs are too specific for a last minute holiday...last minute holidays usually require flexibility

ManyCrisps · 07/08/2018 12:38

Why are you surprised this is what happens when you book last minute.

amy85 · 07/08/2018 12:39

Your not you're

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 07/08/2018 12:39

I'd have just booked for next year to be honest. It's really odd to book a summer holiday now

starfishmummy · 07/08/2018 12:39

Yes yabu. You are making a last minute booking yet expect to be "quite specific about location". It's the height of the season and people will have booked months ago.
Sounds like the guy you have been speaking to has tried to be helpful and meet your demands but if you want to book with his friends then you need to ring him!!

MsOliphant · 07/08/2018 12:40

You've been way too picky and specific at this late stage. I don't know why you couldn't just book and be prepared to supervise your kids at the pool.

starfishmummy · 07/08/2018 12:40
  • with his friend
Doyoumind · 07/08/2018 12:41

Trying to do this so close to going was always going to be a nightmare. I'm surprised there's anything left at this stage.

YABU to blame anyone but yourself for this. Sorry.

JessieMcJessie · 07/08/2018 12:42

That was monumentally long! Yes, YABU.

MsOliphant · 07/08/2018 12:42

Presumably this poor bloke has enough to deal with at the height of the season too, you're being pretty demanding considering you're not yet a paying customer!

sonjadog · 07/08/2018 12:45

I think you need to take a step back from all this and start again. You have flights to a place on certain dates. What is available between these dates locally? Then book whatever you find that takes your fancy. It won't be this place you really like, but it might be somewhere as good or at least good enough for a last minute holiday.

BaronessBomburst · 07/08/2018 12:46

For goodness sake, you can solve this yourself with one telephone call, albeit an international one. What is a couple of pounds in the greater scheme of things? You said yourself that the flights went up by £150

seven201 · 07/08/2018 12:49

You're paying hundreds of pounds but didn't want to make an international phone call? You're booking last minute in peak and being fussy on accommodation too. You're expectations are far too high!

user139328237 · 07/08/2018 12:51

The whole resort doesn't revolve around your whims. You don't need to be in a particular part of the resort as if any of it was actually unsafe (rather than not as enabling for your rather neglectful parenting style) they wouldn't be allowed to rent it out. You shouldn't be supervising your children from anywhere other than the side of the pool anyway as if one of them gets into trouble even the slightest difference in response time could have a massive effect on the outcome.

TheMobileSiteMadeMeSignup · 07/08/2018 12:53

Another one here wondering why at least one of you can't be poolside with your kids if you are that bothered about being close by.

The guy sounds like a pain in the arse though saying he has somewhere then doesn't then somewhere else then doesn't. Ditch it, go to another resort or see if there are any air bnb/homeaway places available.

ApolloandDaphne · 07/08/2018 12:53

Well you need to call the other guy or look at a different resort. The first guy has been as helpful as he could be in the circumstances but you sound like you are being super picky and a bit of a nightmare tbh.

3catsandadog · 07/08/2018 12:53

I am a travel agent you can get good deals at this time of year but you would need to be flexible and stay at a different resort if that one is full.

StrongerThanIThought76 · 07/08/2018 12:53

Erm, why WOULDN'T you be at the poolside AT ALL TIMES to supervise your kids?

Surely it shouldn't matter where on ANY resort your room/appartment is - it only takes a moment to drown!!!

EightdaysaweekIloveu · 07/08/2018 12:56

Sorry but YUAB. For the sake of it why didn't you just make the international call?

frenchfancy · 07/08/2018 12:58

YABU. It isn't a holiday booking, you haven't booked anywhere. Last minute means you have to be flexible. Either you like the resort or you don't. At this point distance from to pool is irrelevant.

Divette · 07/08/2018 12:58

I know the resort doesn’t resolve around my whims. I also know i’m fussy but that’s ok surely when it’s a holiday for 2 weeks with the family. We’d be paying thousands so want it to be right. I told the man our requirements and this man said he had something to meet those requirements which he now doesn’t have. I’m not sure what i’ve done wrong here. We would never have booked the flights had he not phoned me with a guarantee he could meet my requirements. With regards supervising the children, of course we do. We’re looking for a poolside apartment so we can sit on the terrace and still be right by the pool. It’s what we know works for us on this resort and what I said I was looking for when I booked. This man said he had something suitable, told us to go ahead and book flights, then today said he had something but didn’t know what or where and that I just had to trust him which I wasn’t happy to do. It’s him moving the goal posts not me-just seems a strange way to conduct a business to me. Surely you’re supposed to listen to customer requirements and try to meet them rather than just going with any old thing even though the customer’s been clear about what they want?

OP posts:
Aprilshowersinaugust · 07/08/2018 13:00

No way would my dc be out of sight on holiday poolside.
2 dc died last week on holiday not properly supervised.

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