To ask for partial refund

[weltenbummler]

Please stop reading if not interested in first world problem. We booked 1 week activity holiday for family of 4 on Costa Brava including use of 3 bedroom house with plunge pool, patio, additional outdoors kitchen and a herb garden, and aircon throughout house. Arrived to find 4 bedroom house with only 1 lonely aircon in central living area, no pool, no patio, no herb garden no outdoors kitchen. When challenged the organiser said the house represented an upgrade as "much nicer than the original one". We were all looking forward to pool in particular. I know I am not unreasonable to ask for partial refund - but how much is reasonable? How much in proportion of total holiday price excluding flights is a pool and outdoors living area worth during 1 week holiday?

Not unreasonable, it wasn’t as described & not having a pool you’d expected is not on at all.

Easily 50% for the pool - if you don’t have a pool at home then that would have been one of the major reasons for booking that property.

Yeah, at least 50% for the pool. The lack of pool is a downgrade, however they try to dress it up.

No am upgrade just because it has an extra room especially as a family of 4 you probably don't need to use it.

I'd want a full refund on the accommodation for that. How did you book it?

Thank you for your advice. Looks like I let them off too lightly as asked for much less off. Just so disappointed for our kids.
Organisers say they can't understand how I got hold of wrong quote as they have not had the house with pool on their books for last two years. I showed them their email from March of this year. Have looked on their website and it also still features house with pool ! Something very fishy going on

I'd be fuming. And probably the only time I'd try to check out, get a full refund and see if a hotel with a pool has any rooms.

@florianfortescue responsible travel advertise the holiday. They then passed our details to small local agency. Contract is with small local agency

I'd absolutely expect 100% refund of accommodation! I wouldn't book a holiday in the costa brava without outdoor space, that would ruin the entire trip for me!

This is fraud. The property is not the one advertised, nor is it a reasonable substitute. Take photographs, put your complaints in writing to the local,agency, keeping a copy.
when you return, you can threaten the booking agency with legal action to redeem a substantial part of the holiday cost. ( whether you will get anything of course is a moot point. Maybe threaten them with the press.)

I would request a 50% refund minimum and if they did not comply I would look for the appropriate body to report them for fraud/trading standards/equivalent. Especially as they're still advertising properties which don't exist.

I’d report them to the booking agent for false advertising. Do they have a few properties that look the same? No property owner in a warm climate letting their property out is going to fill in a pool. I’d guess it exists but you didn’t get it.

Howich did you ask for and what did you get?

We had something similar happen to us, we complained straight away, checked out In the morning and got a refund. Its actually happened twice. I left reviews stating the lies made. It can really ruin your trip.

Take a screen shot of the website that is still advertising the property you thought you were getting. Let the company which advertised the holiday and passed your details onto the local business know what has happened. Make a fuss and demand a refund (start at full and negotiate down from there), the local business has not fulfilled the contract you have with them. If you're annoying enough they may miraculously find a better property for you.

The pool would be 100% a deal breaker for me. And the local agency know how difficult it is to rent any property without a pool in summer - they just don't shift! I bet you won't be the only family they try to defraud of their holiday this season. And don't overlook the AC either.

I agree with others. Never mind if you have asked for a smaller discount already. Say you have taken legal advice, you are looking for a complete refund plus compensation for ruined holiday. You want moving to a better villa or a swish hotel. Have you been in touch with the UK end to demand redress? Do you by any chance have travel insurance? Is there any legal cover there for it all being cocked up?

I'd want more than a partial refund, I'd want a whole refund and find somewhere else to stay! An extra bedroom you didn't want is in no way an upgrade on a pool and full air con.

I would have gone in much higher.
Obviously the pool was the main draw and quite frankly I doubt that anyone in your circumstances would book a place without a pool.
Also not fully air conditioned, mis sold.
Once you receive a refund I would write a full review and explain that the property was not as described so as to warn others about this.

If you booked on a credit card, you should ask for a full refund or minimum of 50%- how much did you ask for back?

When was/is the holiday? And why didn’t you ask to be reaccomodated on arrival?

If you are still on holiday could you ask to be transferred to a hotel with a communal pool - this would be preferable, if a pool was a selling point.

I genuinely don’t think I’d have taken the house. I’d have been demanding full refund there and then, while DP called local agents / hotels etc to find an alternative.

Full refund and find an alternative for remainder of holiday.