Holiday From Hell - Live

[Bartlebum]

Please help!

It's my nan's 80th birthday and we have arranged for 29 of us to come to North Devon for a weekend to celebrate. Arrived at 3pm to boiler faults in our cottage, no heating and no hot water. Immediately reported and the owner did not reply.

We have seven cottages in total and as everyone arrived we realised all of them are out, so we checked the gas tanks for the whole property and they are empty.

I have been calling the booking agent we went through who said they won't deal with this guy anymore as he has had nothing but complaints, so have terminated the contract.

As we paid them I have asked them to sort it so they said they will do what they can to get in touch with him.

It's been 2.5 hours and no progress. 29 people, two elderly, 7 children and one with a disability. I have asked them to find alternative accomodation but they said its not on them, it's on the owner of the property who is not contactable.

I don't know what to do. There is no one on site as it was all done via key codes. The owner lives several hours away in London, we are freezing and can't begin celebrating my nan turning 80 on what should have been an amazing occasion. We literally stayed here two years ago and had the most amazing time but it's changed hands and not been maintained to any standard.

Anyone been in a similar situation? I've been nice to the agents and I don't want to kick off but I can't believe they won't help me.

Oh what a nightmare but I'm glad they've managed to sort something. Hopefully the mansion is lovely and you can now start celebrating!

"Using furniture for firewood" LOL

There really does need to be some degree of reform in this area; we have had problems with holiday cottages over the years and whilst the agents we use are generally pretty good at managing the more operational points, when we have on occasion asked for partial refund for significant things not working (and on one memorable occasion an actual infestation of ants that had me scrubbing walls and floors several times a day), the answer has always been that the contract is with the owner and a refund is not within their gift. Often the holiday agent gets a very small slice of the pie, and when the issue is that the owner is neglectful they have no power other than to stop marketing the property. They usually can’t help in the interim.

whichever agent you are using this time has really come up trumps for you, and maybe the mansion owner is being mega kind too.

I can't believe that the relatives with the shower kicked off at getting moved. Some people are unbelievable!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend 🎉

Hopefully you'll have a lovely time together now

Omg sounds horrendous just go home !¡

What would you ring the Police for?

Whilst it's ghastly what's happened, no crime has been committed, just breach of contract.

What did the reviews say? You did read them?

I think this is sound advice to get as many of you as possible into a couple of the cottages to try to keep warm and to buy some electric radiators as temporary heat (assuming the electricity's OK), so that you can take them home with you when you leave. Keep all receipts, of course, for a potential claim, photograph as much as you can in and around the cottages (including the empty log baskets that should have been full of logs - and to show that there aren't any supplementary heating/radiators around which have been provided by the owner).

Are there any neighbours/locals/shop in the vicinity who might know any information about the absconded owner? Might the local council/environmental health have an address for the owner if you explain your predicament to them by phone? Regardless of what the booking agent's said to you, I'd still keep ringing them to try to put pressure on to offer you some form of help. I'd be rather dubious that they were being totally honest that they've terminated the owner's contract - it may be the truth, it may be just to try to get them off the hook. Document what action you take, as you may need to refer to it for a claim.

She has stayed there before a couple of years ago. It seems it has changed ownership

Probably all the cops would say is that it's a civil matter, and your agreement was with the owner/booking agent so take it up with them. Extremely doubtful they'd get involved.

How is the new place?

Just seen the update! Hope you are all OK, what a horrible experience for you all, but hope things have improved since!

I'm also in North Devon, it seems you're sorted now but do message if you need any help tomorrow 💐

I came on to say this. I'm generally pretty cautious about these things but if the place is in a state of disrepair I'd avoid firing up the woodburner. I'm sorry you're in this situation and hope you get something sorted.

@SconeJam bless you for your kind offer earlier.

We are in the new house. It's been a whirlwind evening as we had a lot to cram in including an unplanned move, trying to assign everyone a room they were happy with, finding we were one room short and having the owners of this property offer us an extra cottage free of charge to accommodate everyone comfortably.

It's possibly the most amazing place I have ever stayed in. We have gone from grotty, cold cottages to what feels like the Saltburn mansion. I can't believe how amazing it is. We have superking beds and ensuites with roll top baths, in our room there are five of us (three kids) but the size is so immense there is plenty of space and much better than having separate rooms and cottages.

I know the booking agents legal situation was and is complicated but I am so glad they pulled through for us without us having to compromise..I would have been happy with the heating sorted but this is true compensation for an evening lost. Now everyone is settled and happy and we will have a wonderful remaining few days.

My Grandparents were stressed and upset earlier, I think they were feeling guilty. I hope they feel better tomorrow and know how much we all love them and are glad they brought us all together.

Thanks for your support and advice throughout a hairy few hours.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=

You may find this pdf useful

I'm so glad it's been sorted out!

Oh that's fabulous news 😊❤️
Have a lovely family break.

Brilliant update.

So was it Sykes? 👀👀

So pleased you can still enjoy your nans birthday
You certainly did well with your accommodation upgrade!

Good outcome! I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

That sounds like a happy ending. Happy Birthday Nanny Bartlebum.

Would love to see some pictures of the place @Bartlebum !!

Glad to hear you're sorted and new place sounds great - would you mind sharing the link as I'm looking for a similar sized rental in that area for a family gathering in the autumn