To expect a refund 1 day before mini break?

[Nikkidolphin]

Backstory is a large group of families go away every year. We usually hire 2 cabins, 1 large 1 small but use large for cooking, eating, socialising etc as small cabin only has tiny kitchen, common room. Due to Covid 4 original families pulled out so organiser said they would lose their deposits. Think they were fine with that. She then rang place and cancelled the small hut and the rest of group paid in full. This morning we get a message off said organiser saying she’d tested positive and now couldn’t go and did the rest of us want to defer till April or September. We said no we’d still go. She then announced we were now in the small hut. She has basically rang the venue and changed cabins as the smaller one is £200 cheaper so she can recoup some of her costs! Would you be annoyed that she didn’t consult the other 5 remaining families and shouldn’t expect a refund 1 day before we are due to go? Note also more backstory on the positive result

What's the capacity for the smaller hut? Does it fit 5 families?

£200 doesn't seem such a huge price difference between huge & mini.

Well yes it’s rude to do so without asking you. Even the small hut must be fairly sizeable if it fits 5 families in. Could you each chip in £40 to get the cabin you want? I realise that doesn’t seem fair but you can at least stay where you want to. Would one of the original families who pulled out like to come now?

Id be annoyed at this

So she has put you all into smaller accomodation to recoup her own costs upon cancelling at 24 hours notice, after telling four other families that they could not be refunded when they pulled out way in advance? She's a cheeky cow. I'd call the accomodation provider and find out if she has actually received the refund yet and if not, see if they will keep you booked into the bigger cabin.

Or actually, is the price difference more than £200 & you're actually still paying for the nicer accommodation but getting the small one?

If so you have to say something.

We’ve paid a lot of money for the big one already and were expecting to stay in this one. The smaller one will fit us in but one family will have to spilt up as it rooms of 4 (bunk beds). If my family had pulled out today I know for a fact and would expect to lose the whole amount but the organiser would not be staying in the small hut

I did think when we arrive tomorrow of going to the reception and saying we’ve booked the larger cabin and not budging till we get it! They obviously won’t fill the larger cabin overnight.

No it’s £200 cheaper for the smaller one as we usually have both but she has been sly in actually ringing the site and asking for the rest of the group to be moved so she can then take back her money. Best of it she started with Covid symptoms Monday 5th oct but didn’t do a test till yesterday! She’s been carrying on as normal for over a week and only did a test as the rest of us test twice weekly for our jobs and insisted everyone going does a test.

Ugh. I'd be questioning the friendship, that's for sure.
Insist that she calls to rebook the larger unit. The smaller one doesn't sound sufficient for the group that are travelling, and the family that will need to split accommodation would need to be further compensated.
Selfish woman.

Call them now and rebook the larger one. What an unreasonable boot she is

Dont go and let her pay for the lot.

I think it should be the organiser out of pocket, not the holiday place.

I would call first thing tomorrow & rebook the larger accommodation. "Friend" doesn't get the refund.

Do the rest of you get a share of the £200 difference returned?

I'd not be letting her organise this again. Her behaviour feels fraudulent, as you've paid based on the larger cabin. You could plead ignorance on arrival - have you anything in writing showing the smaller cabin was cancelled originally?

Cheeky bitch!

I would call them and try to resolve it. I would never go on any trip organised by her again.