AIBU to think we were miss sold this short break by Haven?

[givemebooks]

I could really do with some advice with how to take this complaint we made to haven holidays forward

Just before the may bank holiday we looked for last minute getaways in the UK and we found a good deal for 4 nights min to fri to Haven Church Farm.

Even more great as we wanted to check the site and look in to buying our own caravan at haven

So i contacted Haven by chat as last year we discovered that both my son and husband were Coeliac so i want to check if the site did any gluten free food

As this was a break to relax!! Quick breakfast at the van but main meals would be at the restaurant while the kids enjoyed the pool and other facilities.

I was assured that they provide gluten free options and could ask for the menu or the allergy list in the restaurant, so we booked

Drove from yorkshire to sussex and arrived van was nice and we were happy we headed to to main complex and had a drink decided to ask about the gluten free menu or allergy list to look over while we settled in with a drink and order later.

The young lad on the bar just said we dont do gluten free stuff sorry!?

I was a bit shocked as so far we had never been anywhere that could not do something?

So i asked a waitress thinking as working more with the food she might know more what i meant! But again was told as they don't have 2 kitchens they don't do allergy food?? They could tell me the ingredients if i wanted but they were not 100% and she said they were very busy and really did not have time for stuff like this!!

I was quite shocked, we had our drinks and drive out to chichester to eat and go to tesco so long story short we spent the whole trip driving around to eat or trying to cook for 5 in the cara an with 1 shelf in the tiny oven!

I was so angry as i would never have booked this break if i had known the issue with the food so i tweeted haven to be given an email to contact customer relations

Not only did the chat service say they provided allergy food, they had a sign in the resturant and it was printed on the menus!! It is also in havens own terms and conditions!! On the website!

I was then told that haven would not respond until 14 days after the end of the trip???

I did mention it to the reception onsite they put notes on my booking but the only option they had for dealing with complaints was resutrant vouchers!! Which was they very thing we could not use!

So it took after much chasing 23 days for haven to FINALLY respond to the complaint

And the stated that they do not provide gluten free food it is a company policy all parks for bourne leisure follow this and they were sorry but that was it!

So AIBU to think i was miss sold my break? And request a full refund!? I replied to haven with all my evidence and its been a week and they have not answered yet!

I expect it will be weeks again!

So i am right? Should i keep going with this??

Also a heads up to ANY food allergy or Coeliacs Haven is a place to avoid!!!!!

I will try and attach pictures of the signs and email!

Haven has 40 holiday parks and must cater for hundreds of thousands of guests each year. Not only that, it has nearly 3000 employees. One percent of the population has coeliac's disease, so 30 of their employees will be affected, let alone their guests.

The fact that they told you they did provide gluten-free options aside, not doing so when it's such a relatively common problem and you're an enormous company catering for so many people, is insane.

I'd be pursuing a full refund. Primarily because of false advertising/breach of contract but also because it's just wank to not cater for coeliacs. This holiday was not suitable for you. You were told it was. Full refund.

One of my DDs is gluten free and I have a dairy intolerance so I do sympathise but the information you have so far shown does not suggest that they said they could provide allergen free alternatives. I would certainly not read it that way and I am used to being on alert.

They did not provide you with specific information about what food contained which allergens, which they should have tried a lot harder to do. But , as you know, it’s not just the foods, it’s the preparation of it that matters and they would have to specifically say that it was prepared in a safe environment for you to be able to trust it. There’s a world of difference between a coeliac/other food reactive person and someone who thinks they would rather avoid gluten or dairy for non specific, undiagnosed dietary theories or preference .

My dairy intolerance means I want to know if dairy has been used - I use that information to avoid a product but would not expect there to be a dairy free version.

I don’t blame you for feeling irritated but you did get the accommodation that you paid for, you were all able to eat, if not on site - you would stand some chance of compensation if you were on a food inclusive holiday which had specifically but falsely promised appropriate food and you were then out of pocket in having to buy some.

You’re still not entitled to any money! You chose not to use an optional restaurant. They inconvenienced you and that’s annoying, but you haven’t lost out on anything you paid for

I don't think this would stand up in court. It's completely reasonable to expect to be able to use the holiday park's restaurant. Yes, you can go off site to eat but you shouldn't have to. Use of the onsite restaurant would be a material part of the package.

I'd be pursuing a full refund

Despite the fact OP got everything she paid for?

Surely they provide gluten free options - steak and salad for example.

What they cannot do is legally claim that it is gluten free dish as the kitchen also handles gluten containing ingredients.

It's up to the individual whether they take that risk, just like it was when you went to the other restaurants.

It sounds like a bit of an over reaction (said as a parent of a child with a severe food allergy). How do you manage at home? Or when you go to visit a relative?

I don't think this would stand up in court

It would, says the lawyer sitting on the sofa next to me!

It's completely reasonable to expect to be able to use the holiday park's restaurant. Yes, you can go off site to eat but you shouldn't have to.

You can make that choice - or not. Either way, OP isn’t out of pocket. She has incurred no financial damage.

IsabellaLinton you seem very judgemental. You also seem happy to disregard the fact that the OP has an online chat AND menus AND signage that all state that there are GF meals on offer. You have lept on to the T&Cs which are not clear to accuse the OP of being grabby. Nice, aren't you. If you booked a hotel on the basis that it advertised that it was by the beach, had a kids club and onsite facilities and then when you turned up and found none of that existed, I wonder how you would feel if some nasty commenter suggested that as you got your hotel room, you got what you paid for and you should stop being grabby....

Oh ok, you have the chat! In that case yanbu.

However, we stay at Haven frequently and have never once eaten in the restaurant. It’s not really an intrinsic part of the holiday. We get a supermarket delivery when we arrive.

@poopypants

I’m looking at the facts. I do think it’s rather grabby to want a full refund when everything OP paid for, she received, made use of and enjoyed.

I wanna know why you camer all the way from yorkshire and didnt want to look round locally-sussex is lovely and if that was the case why not just book one closer to you

@skydivingkittycat i would not consider just asking what would be the gluten free an over reaction

I deal with my son and husband been coeliac i think very well. i manage fine at home and when eating out i check for gluten free options or ask to see the allergens book and make choices

This is the first time i have been somewhere that have said they could not help and even when i spoke and said i understand nothing is 100% and there is risk they could not provide an allergens book and the lady who dealt with us said she could tell us but they were busy and did not have time to bother!

I can look at the menu and see that certain things are probably gluten free, salad, steak, gammon, jackets possibly chips ect but i need to check about fryers and sauces

All of this I have not had a problem with elsewhere they have a book or app site.

In that case that you have proof then i would take it further-start with twitter maybe email watchdog you never know they might have had other complaints

@GabsAlot we were havibg a shit time, health wise so cannot fly and buying a house i was just fed up and wanted to be as far away home as we could stand!

It qas just a random last minute thing!

The park and surrounding village looked great, long drive for DH but then 4 days on site doing the long walks they have a lagoon and the beach plus the pool and activities

To us the restaurant was part of it as we did not want to go off site!

Did you ask to speak to the restaurant manager?
I'm a strict veggie and if I knew I couldn't trust the food to be veggie as per their t&c then I'd have taken food or done a Tesco shop to use the caravan as self catering. Sounds like you're not suited to caravan holidays really. Was there absolutely nothing on the menu that was suitable?!

I can look at the menu and see that certain things are probably gluten free, salad, steak, gammon, jackets possibly chips ect but i need to check about fryers and sauces

Did you ask anyone other than the young lady - who, I agree, sounds very rude? They may well have been able to cater for you - did you ask to speak to anyone else?

I do agree though that they have false info in the chat if their wasn't any GF options at all on the menu.

Trip Advisor digging shows that Church Farm does not offer GF

This is where I would have checked prior to booking, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I am not sure what kind of refund you are going to get as the restaurant / fish and chips / show bar are all optional.

Thank you all

I will have to leave it here for now, will pop back later.

I have taken it all on board and i will stop my grabby self 😂😂 joke!

Honselty i will leave my complaint with Haven i will be sending the copy of the chat in all in the hope they will at least review it to better help coeliacs and allergy suffers in the future.

@IsabellaLinton - the OP has already said that initially they spoke to the bartender, who didn't know but thought there was no GF.
They then asked the waitress, who said no GF, can't really cater for allergies, there is no allergy book, could tell them about the ingredients in the food but didn't have time and clearly didn't want to. OP asked to speak to the manager, only to be told by said waitress that she was the on site manager for the day and the only thing they could do was speak to reception, whcih the OP also did.
Short of demanding to talk to the cooks/chef I can't see she could have done much more?

skydivingkittycat i would not consider just asking what would be the gluten free an over reaction

No, but talk of a full refund or taking to court is a little OTT considering the facilities you used

When we eat out with allergies, I scout out the menu, see what's appropriate and order accordingly - "please could he have the grilled salmon, boiled potatoes and XYZ veg. He's allergic to dairy so could we have it cooked clean, with no butter or dressings added to anything". I've never actually asked for or looked at an allergy book I don't think. Desserts are usually the tricky one for us but the big vegan movement going on at the moment helps that one

You can never guarantee no cross contamination, even at home

Haven does not have a company policy to not provide allergy food, the one my partner works at does!

I don't want to sound rude or stupid, but could he not have ordered say plain chicken, beef or fish with vegetables, salad etc in the restaurant?

You have my sympathy, OP.
Surely, the crux of the matter is that you booked something, in good faith, based on their misinformation ?

I had a similar (though not relating to food), situation, involving Ryanair a little while ago.

The situation I found myself in, though all booked and arranged by me, was as a result of their wrong communication.

I pursued it to the bitter end, though I wasn't looking for a full refund, (I just didn't want to be out of pocket due to their incompetance) and I won - eventually.

It is a long, time consuming process and exhausting.

I feel, your case is similar.
You booked, in good faith, based on their responses to your queries - responses, which were incorrect.

If you have the energy for it, don't drop it, but they won't give in easily!

Full refund is possibly too much but surely, any good negotiator starts off by asking for more than they are willing to accept so you have some wriggle room.
Good luck.

I am pretty sure I've read the full thread now, and I'm totally on OP's side. You wouldn't have purchased from their business if they hadn't provided false information.

If it helps, they have this information on their website right now (screenshot too!):
Visit our Mash and Barrel restaurant for family-friendly dining in comfortable and contemporary surroundings. Our menu has something for everyone, with delicious choices across the day from breakfast to lunch and dinner.

via: www.haven.com/parks/sussex/church-farm/facilities

@skydivingkittycat the way my head is right now a full refund did not seem OTT! But then I am stressed about other things too!

But that's why i posted in AIBU to give my head a wobble!😂

So thank you Mumsnet for that!

But I am pissed that it took 23 days for them even to acknowledge my complaint so i was proberly hot headed!

Please everyone know that my initial complaint asked for no refund or any compensation or anything more than an explanation on why we were told one thing and on site it was a different story.

I was on no way demanding!

As for asking or just ordering the food, it would be a long read to post the whole conversation but in short

I asked at the bar i asked that waitress, she was the team leader, i asked about the food , i asked for the allergen list or book they did not have one, i suggested 2 dishes a steak and a gammon and asked about ingredients she was unsure, i asked about the chips ie the fryer, i asked about alternatives she was unhelpful and too busy, so we did try again and again.

Thank you all again I will be back later.