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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 3 hours a day isn't long enough?

152 replies

Holiday21woes · 29/06/2021 17:45

To heat a pool, that is.

I'm currently on holiday in the UK.
Place cost the best part of £1500 for the week (expensive considering its outside school hols - hence I was expecting a premium experience).

The main reason for booking this particular place was that we have a pool to ourselves, no shared use etc. On the website pool is clearly stated as being heated from May onwards.

It is freezing. Weather has been pleasant here today, low 20s, pool still super cold. We have braved it twice but it's painful. Even my DC (over 16) who are pretty hardy and love swimming and being in water could only manage an hour tops.

Contacted the owner on the first day we used it (not our first day here as weather was poor and we didn't go in) and her response was to say it's on for 3 hours a day and she would move the timer to the time we're using it. However that's made no difference, if anything it's colder!

Our previous experience of renting a house and pool was that we had access to the controls ourselves and when it was too cold we turned it up - just like central heating! Not this controlling it remotely and allocating 3 hours a day which seems ridiculous given what I'm paying for the week.

I could have rented somewhere nice anywhere else for virtually half the cost, I've paid well over £500 extra simply in order to have a pool which we can't use.

AIBU to expect it actually to be heated for more than 3 hours?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Holiday21woes · 30/06/2021 21:47

So I've had a response. Saying the standard temperature it will reach is 25, and no one has complained before.

There is clearly no point in engaging with her further. I'll take it up with the company I booked with.

From what has been posted on this thread, 25 is not an acceptable temperature. I'm not convinced it even is 25 mind.

OP posts:
Mrstwiddle · 30/06/2021 22:00

The classic “no one else has had a problem” line!

AquaticLicence · 30/06/2021 22:05

Fina rules say swimming pools should be between 25 and 28 for competition swimming so I think if it was actually 25 you'd struggle to argue it doens't meet the description of heated.

If she's saying it should be 25 and it's only 22 surely that's your argument?

MadeForThis · 30/06/2021 22:18

Let her know that the temp has never been close to 25° so if that's what she is aiming for then she has miscalculated the heating required.

RandomMess · 30/06/2021 22:22

Well by her own thermometer it's never reached that so they can give you a partial refund.

Bythemillpond · 30/06/2021 22:30

Surely if you are only heating a pool for 3 hours per day and it only reaches 25 degrees when heated then for 21 hours per day it isn’t reaching an acceptable temperature.

You paid for a heated pool that maintains an acceptable temperature 24 hours per day. You are not even by the owners own admission getting what is described. A heated pool is one you can use at any time, not one that is only “useable” at the property owners discretion and even then is freezing cold
When we go away, even in very hot countries we get a heated pool as we use it at night as well as during the day.
I want to see steam coming off a pool before I venture in.

TatianaBis · 30/06/2021 22:30

The standard temp it may reach is not relevant. Only what it actually is now. I would be surprised if it’s anything like 25 on 3 hours heating a day in June.

Insist that she or the house manager come with a pool thermometer and test it.

I don’t know how much longer you’re there but if you have Amazon Prime buy a swimming pool thermometer yourself. They’re not expensive.

TatianaBis · 30/06/2021 22:32

You need to take it up with her first and you need to have some proof if you want to take it the agent.

Original poster
Holiday21woes · 30/06/2021 22:36

I don't think it is 25, it wasn't the other day. It actually doesn't matter because even if it might just scrape to 25 for a few mins when the heater is on, it won't sustain that temperature, it's not warm enough and we should have access to the controls to turn it up if needed - or to be able to swim other than at the 3 hours a day when it's heated!. Of course there's nothing in any of the various documents that states it will only be heated to 25 nor for just 3 hours.

OP posts:
Original poster
Holiday21woes · 30/06/2021 22:44

I'm not going to argue with her further over it. I will say that it isn't 25 nor has it been, but that's it. That's not to say I won't be arguing it with the company but I'm not getting into a debate with her, we have less than 2 days left, and it's clear she isn't going to do anything - like she's asked me to check tomorrow when the heating has been on for 90 mins if the temperature is 25; even if I say then that it's not, what's she going to do? Increase the heat for the remaining 90 mins - which probably won't make a jot of difference!

OP posts:
TatianaBis · 30/06/2021 22:47

Unless you have proof that it’s nowhere near 25 I’m not sure you will get anywhere with the company.

You can give the owner a bad review though. It would be fair to warn other people anyway.

Original poster
Holiday21woes · 30/06/2021 22:55

I guess it depends what's reasonable. I'd argue that in booking a property with a heated pool I'd expect it to be heated not only to 25 degrees and not only for 3 hours per day. A restriction like that should be specified at the time of booking. To be honest if I'd known it was only being heated 3 hours per day (and that we couldn't control the heating ourselves, increase or vary the times) I wouldn't have booked.

Ultimately I've spent the money. Hopefully I can get something back whether from the booking company or via my credit card. I will certainly be leaving an unfavourable review.

OP posts:
TatianaBis · 30/06/2021 23:01

I agree with you. But if the owner has agreed 25 degrees with them and she claims it was that temperature all the time with only 3 hours heating they may balk at a refund.

It’s not that common to be able to increase the pool temp yourself tbh.

Good luck, I do hope you get something out of them.

CasperGutman · 30/06/2021 23:14

Whenever I have rented places with pools, the pool has been a pretty constant temperature 24 hours a day. Raising the temperature of a pool takes so much energy that you can't just switch the heater on while you're in the water. The water temperature won't cha he depending on whether the heater is on at the time, it will depend on whether more heat is put in over 24 hours than is lost.

In any case, when I'm on holiday I like to use the pool at all times of day, for different reasons. A dip first thing to wake up and for exercise, a cooling afternoon family splash session and maybe a late-night dip too.

I wouldn't be at all happy with the situation you describe.

PerciphonePuma · 01/07/2021 02:27

@Holiday21woes
Have you not informed her of what PP (who used to work for a pool maintenance company) said above about it actually costing them more to keep turning it on & off?

Kidson · 01/07/2021 03:20

Video you taking the temp of the pool so it can’t be disputed.

CasperGutman · 01/07/2021 05:49

[quote PerciphonePuma]@Holiday21woes
Have you not informed her of what PP (who used to work for a pool maintenance company) said above about it actually costing them more to keep turning it on & off? [/quote]
I don't see how that can be true. The energy you pay for will be equal, in the end, to the heat that passes from the pool to its surroundings. The colder the water, the less heat it will lose. If it was at the same temperature as its surroundings no energy/heat would be lost (or would need to be paid for) at all.

yepitsmey · 01/07/2021 06:46

Definitely take videos of yourself checking the temperature, it cannot be disputed.

I stayed in an air b&b on my honeymoon and had specifically booked a placed that had an advertised hot tub. Well when I got there, it was unavailable. Long story short, I asked for a fraction of the cost refunded because the advertised hot tub could not be used. The owner then said that I was extremely rude, a horrible person, I hadn't cleaned the property before checkout (I paid for a cleaning fee too!!) and my HAIR of all things was in the bath and I'd "trashed" the place. Well. I took videos of all the rooms moments before I left, and of course they are time stamped, which illustrated that she was talking nonsense. Moral of the story: take videos while you are still there.

covidandborisandworld · 01/07/2021 07:07

We had a pool once in France that was 18 it had a thermometer. The kids got in using a wetsuit but I didn't get in.

This was May tho so the summer hadn't really started.

Indoor swimming pools are usually 27-29 for proper swimming. Warmer for leisure and that's indoor pools.

whynotwhatknot · 03/07/2021 10:57

Did the owner ever get back to you @Holiday21woes

whynotwhatknot · 03/07/2021 10:58

I mean after you have left-hope you get some joy with the booking company

Wheresmybiscuit3 · 03/07/2021 14:05

I would assume that in the U.K. the heating would need to be on in the pool most of the time to keep the temperature

minipie · 03/07/2021 14:26

I don’t think you can expect access to the controls. But you absolutely can expect it to be heated constantly during daytime hours, it was advertised as a heated pool ffs.

Original poster
Holiday21woes · 03/07/2021 17:42

We checked the pool and it was at best low 20s during the heating 'window'. Nowhere near 25!

Nothing more really from the owner, now I'm home will make a complaint to the company I booked with.

OP posts:
whynotwhatknot · 03/07/2021 19:13

hope you get a good response-if theyre only willing to heat for 3 hours it should be advertised

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