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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Email from property owner - room cancelled for refugees

380 replies

DuvetHugger · 04/04/2022 16:03

I booked holiday accommodation last year for this coming June in Scotland. They allow pets so this was the main pull for us. We have booked tickets for a big gig taking place there and are travelling from south of the UK.

I just received this email from them:

"We have applied to use the barn for Ukranian refugees. if it's not a problem for you can you please cancel free of charge"

I replied saying we have booked some activities etc and is she sure the place wont be available at that time, we booked 8 months ago and her response was:

"No you need to book something else sorry".

AIBU in thinking this is rude?? Obviously, I have nothing against them housing refugees but I am a bit taken aback.

AIBU to be pissed off or AIBU for my first world problems when there are families to house?

Surely she would see a diary of full bookings and think "I am not yet in a position to use the barn to house others, but will stop taking bookings now to enable myself to do so at a later date"?

OP posts:
KeepScrapingBy · 05/04/2022 14:01

Looking at the original message, the owner has “applied” to house refugees. It isn’t definite. It’s deliberately vague with a bit of emotional blackmail so you will cancel of your own volition.

2Gen · 05/04/2022 14:14

@DrManhattan

How's she gonna brag to her mates about what a good person she is if she doesn't cancel your booking? Bit rubbish but not much you can do.
I'd say she may well be trying for a virtue-signal here but whatever her reasons, the OP can refuse to cancel and find out what her rights are. At the very least she should be offered a full refund. I think it's CFery to do this to someone, regardless of reason. You can't do real good if you are choosing to deliberately shaft someone else, who's done nothing wrong, in the process!I reckon it sort of cancels it out, but as you say, there's no boasting points in just letting the PAYING customers stay there! OP if she was a really decent person, she'd honour her commitment to those whose money she'd taken first, THEN take the refugees. The fact is, she does NOT have any accomodation free for them because she has let it to other people. Don't let her get away with this. Find out your rights. I hope you either get your holiday or all your money back!
TheArtfulBlogger · 05/04/2022 16:35

Surely if the owner can prove to her company that she is housing refugees there is NO WAY they would allow her to be penalised.

All she needs is to give them copies of the paperwork and they would accept it. That would prove if she was being truthful...

DameHelena · 05/04/2022 17:01

@TheArtfulBlogger

Surely if the owner can prove to her company that she is housing refugees there is NO WAY they would allow her to be penalised.

All she needs is to give them copies of the paperwork and they would accept it. That would prove if she was being truthful...

Very good and devious point Grin
Puzzledandpissedoff · 05/04/2022 17:29

We used to know somebody who had a couple of (very old) static caravans on her land - bit of a building site with junk strewn around everywhere. She lived in one herself when there was major work being done to the house - all fine - but she then had the idea of renting them out to paying holiday makers

I had a cousin like that, SausageRoll, only in this case her feckless son had commandeered it to store mountains of rubbish
Somehow she still thought it was okay to rent it out, and used to giggle "Ooooo can't you just move a few things?" when enraged guests called

I'm no longer in touch with her so don't know if she's offered it for refugees, but nothing would surprise me

Undisclosedlocation · 05/04/2022 18:27

Surely the whole point of booking through a third party is not having to deal direct with an owner(or guest for that matter) if there is a tricky situation. Your contract is with DFC, therefore they are your only port of call…,.. I would simply state that and get in touch with them direct.

Agree with the majority though that the property owner is most likely trying to pull a fast one

Theunamedcat · 05/04/2022 18:40

Contact the company you paid and send them what she has sent you hopefully they will helpfully stop her taking bookings and refund your money

SFHJ · 05/04/2022 18:47

Bet they are cancelling your booking to hike the prices up! Have a look to see if that accommodation has any other availability showing through the booking sight, or get a friend to enquire if they have any availability before cancelling.

balalake · 05/04/2022 19:11

If it is genuine, unfortunate but a non-issue.

If it is a ruse to then re-let for a longer period or higher price, then to me it is obtaining services (or money) by deception. Which should be a police matter.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/04/2022 20:36

Surely if the owner can prove to her company that she is housing refugees there is NO WAY they would allow her to be penalised.

I'm not convinced about that, really. If she's made a deal and taken a booking, she can't just change her mind if she believes other people more worthy of the accommodation.

Take the refugees out of the equation - what if accepted a booking from one British family, but then, months later, heard from a different British family - a single-parent family where one of the children had finally recovered from a long illness and their grandma had just died - and decided that they were 'more deserving' of the holiday. Would that be OK? What about other things apart from holidays - what about if Tesco diverted your food delivery at the last minute, because they heard there were some hungry refugees in the area?

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/04/2022 20:40

It's also thoroughly dishonest to use (and blame) the agency when it suits her but then suddenly circumvent them in the same transaction when it doesn't.

She reminds me of the eBay sellers who routinely 'cancel' the sale for collection only purchases, before going ahead with the sale anyway - either find your own buyer or use eBay properly, but don't take advantage of their global platform and then effectively steal from them.

whynotwhatknot · 05/04/2022 20:56

for anyone doing the same hav the decency to at least let your customers know they might not have a booking soon

is there any word from the agent @duvethugger

girlmom21 · 06/04/2022 08:12

@balalake

If it is genuine, unfortunate but a non-issue.

If it is a ruse to then re-let for a longer period or higher price, then to me it is obtaining services (or money) by deception. Which should be a police matter.

It's not a non-issue as OP has spent money on other activities etc in the area on the basis that she has a contractual agreement for this holiday let.

Yeah the Ukrainian people may need it more than OP but that doesn't mean she should be out of pocket.

It's not the same as if someone was unwell and needed to stay in the holiday let either, as that is unavoidable. This is the owner making a conscious decision and not caring who gets screwed in the process.

LoveSpringDaffs · 06/04/2022 08:12

[quote DogInATent]@LoveSpringDaffs
If your employer declared they were going to give a substantial donation to support refugees, and then told you they were docking your wages 10% to pay for it - would you suck it up as the right thing to do? After all, they need they need it more than you do.

Before you say, "That's not the same thing" - think about it, the OP is being expected to share the costs of someone else's charity.[/quote]
No, she's not being asked to share any cost, just book other accommodation for her holiday.

However, it seems like possibly the owner has a request for a full week instead of just 3 days?!

Soontobe60 · 06/04/2022 08:20

@Sapphirejane

The good side of me is saying that your holiday is definitely trumped by the needs of people fleeing a war zone who need accommodation now not after the summer.

The cynical side of me is wondering how the £350 a month government scheme is worked out and whether they would make more money this way. I hope someone is able to put that thought to rest however.

I’m pretty sure receiving £350 a month for refugees rather than the possible £500+ per WEEK the owner may well get in holiday rental isn’t the reason why they’re doing this.
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 06/04/2022 08:27

for anyone doing the same hav the decency to at least let your customers know they might not have a booking soon

Even if we give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she is going to have refugees there (if approved), she's not so virtuous if she's exploiting people by leading them to believe they've made an agreed booking for their holiday, when really, she's just wanting them in place as a Plan B in case she doesn't end up housing refugees.

It's truly nasty to mess around with people's lives in that way and string them along. People work hard to save the money, greatly look forward to it and only have so much annual leave/kids' school holidays that they can take. Being told at the last minute that you need to find somewhere else - when everywhere is now booked up - completely negates the idea of booking early in the first place.

Even if the refugees story is genuine, she is not a kind person at all.

Brideandprejudice · 06/04/2022 08:33

Sounds fishy to me

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 06/04/2022 08:33

No, she's not being asked to share any cost, just book other accommodation for her holiday.

Yes, she is. If she can find somewhere else at this late date, she will most probably end up paying over the odds, for something that isn't what she really wanted. It may be miles away from the event location, so all the travelling costs. Plus, if there's nowhere dog-friendly left, there will be kennel fees.

And it isn't just the financial costs, either - having to make do with whatever is left instead of what you carefully chose and booked, and maybe having to leave your pets behind; or not finding anywhere available at all, so having to lose your opportunity for a holiday, waste your precious annual leave - not to mention the cost of the tickets for the event if you end up unable to use them.

There most certainly are costs of her benevolence to refugees (or more likely wish to make more money from other paying guests) that OP is being forced to share.

LoveSpringDaffs · 06/04/2022 09:01

@balalake

If it is genuine, unfortunate but a non-issue.

If it is a ruse to then re-let for a longer period or higher price, then to me it is obtaining services (or money) by deception. Which should be a police matter.

You really need to look up what that actually means.
HELLITHURT · 06/04/2022 13:04

@balalake

If it is genuine, unfortunate but a non-issue.

If it is a ruse to then re-let for a longer period or higher price, then to me it is obtaining services (or money) by deception. Which should be a police matter.

A police matter? Yeah good luck with that!
KarmaStar · 06/04/2022 13:36

Understand your frustration and annoyance.
But,reading about the predators who are taking advantage of the thousands of bewildered and vulnerable young women escaping Ukraine being sex trafficked at the borders I think you should book elsewhere.
Good luck

Hoppinggreen · 06/04/2022 13:53

@KarmaStar

Understand your frustration and annoyance. But,reading about the predators who are taking advantage of the thousands of bewildered and vulnerable young women escaping Ukraine being sex trafficked at the borders I think you should book elsewhere. Good luck
Clearly you understand nothing
user1471447863 · 06/04/2022 18:37

@Keepitonthedownlow

If the airbnb owner cancels she could be penalised. If the booker cancels she won't. As a humanitarian act you should cut the owner some slack OP.
To be even more humanitarian OP should not officially cancel and thus let the owner get the payment for the 3 nights as looking after refugees is going to be costly for her 🙄 That would be cutting her some real slack....

Op can then go spend more money booking somewhere else obviously.

In other news I have a slightly used bridge for sale. I'm also a lonely soldier based far far away looking for love. I'll need you to send me money regularly for hospital bills and for flights to come see you that I'll actually be able to get on.
I'm also looking after 5 million Dollars for a recently deceased client of my bank and think you might be a distant relative of theirs - please send me lots of money to cover the admin costs and I'll make sure I keep stinging you along for as long as you keep paying

Wouldlovetobeinthesun · 11/04/2022 06:08

Any update OP?

FuckeryOmbudsman · 11/04/2022 07:03

Interesting to see the contrast in views between this thread, and the one that proclaimed that all holiday homes should be made available for Ukrainian refugees, and that itnwas Selfish of owners to want to,p keep their businesses running normally