WWYD - Butlins - no accommodation for disabled parents so they had to come home

[JellyStarb]

I've just discovered that my parents have arrived home after setting off at 12pm to go to Butlins for the week.

On arrival, they were given keys to a third floor apartment. My Mum uses a mobility scooter and absolutely cannot do stairs. She was told if she wanted ground floor she needed to have paid for it. No ground floor apartments were available and so my parents returned home, a very long 9 hour round trip in the car in total.

They have said they would refund but were very blasè.

I dont agree that they should have paid more for ground floor accommodation as thats discrimination as its a need so yhe person who said that is likely ill-informed.

I've looked online to go through the booking process as my Mum and Dad have gone for years without issue and never had this. The website has a small link for accessibility accommodation but at 73 my Mum wouldn't have seen that when booking amongst such a busy page and trying to navigate the tech. My Dad is in his eighties.

AIBU to think they could have done more? But what? I don't want to be unrealistic but how can they just allow people who have travelled so far to have to leave?!

Is this tiny link on such a visually busy page really sufficient?! Its not at all inclusive or user friendly for older generations trying to live in a modern world, surely a page as part of the booking process to register any needs would make more sense and be a catch-all?!

Yes, exactly this. When you choose your own accommodation, you pay more. We do this because we like a particular room in one of the hotels and, also, because I have a tendency to lose my way (!) and this way, I know exactly where we are staying, so we get no nasty surprises! I would imagine that if you have disabilities and phone Butlin's as requested on their website, you possibly don't have to pay to choose the correct accommodation as they can help you with that.

This post reads like the people on airplanes that don't pay extra for seats but then will glare at whoever is in the seat because they now want the seat!

I think if being on the ground floor, or any other aspect of the accommodation, is important to you, you need to do your own due diligence.

Shame for them but it’s due to user error. 73 isn’t too old to use the internet. My Nan is 88 and can book holidays just fine. What’s it with all the AI at the moment also?

I’m sure you need to call for fully accessible/adapted units as I’ve just tried to recently book one for my mum, I couldn’t get through to the right department as they were all on the phone and had to wait for someone to call back. I had a look on line and could request a ground floor apartment as a selection which was £15 more. When I called and spoke to the right team they did not have any adapted units left but could offer me the ground floor unit and on arrival could get the £15 back on production of the blue badge.
the website has changed but it is clear when selecting the type of accommodation the two different options we choose is the cheapest and can be allocated anywhere or you choose which is more expensive. I’m sorry your parents had such a long wasted journey so
disappointing for them. Hope they feel better this morning.

You seem to have ignored questions about what has happened in the past?

How did they arrange it historically?

It’s not something they’re are advertising, it’s something you should be looking for. It’s always been like that.

My friends child uses a wheelchair and did find them difficult. They just tell you to pay for a downstairs apartment. After pushing back she was told she could claim it back in arrival, but the info wasn’t clear. Plus she’s on a tight budget and tying up extra money wasn’t what she needed. It wasn’t accessible particularly either, just ground floor.

This is a very odd response.

You've ignored multiple questions and comments that are very valid and sensible and only really responded with an AI response to the link that actually many people have already said is very visible and have no problem with.

And then that's it. The thread hasn't gone the way you were hoping but I think you could at least acknowledge the many genuine responses you've had

@JellyStarb It doesn't matter how visible (or not) the information about accessibility needs is. If someone has accessibility needs, they should pro-actively inform Butlins when they book, whether or not they can find the relevant information on the website.

It's understandable that they might have thought Butlins already knew they needed ground floor accommodation, but they really should have made it clear when booking. However, I can understand that at their ages, they might not have realised this.

It's such a shame that they lost their holiday, and although they weren't required to do it, Butlins could definitely have done more to find them alternative accommodation. They were elderly and had travelled a long way - anyone with any human feeling would have thought to try and phone some local hotels for them - they would have known which hotels might be suitable.

They didn’t have to drive back that day. They could have stopped at a premier inn or travel lodge or even an independent guest house.
How on earth were Butlins to know they needed the ground floor?????

WWYD?

What would i do? I'd tell my mum and dad that going forward they need to make sure when they book a holiday they check the accommodation and ring the venue to double check.

I don't quite know what you were wanting from this thread OP.

We're down now to just the attitude of the staff member.

I guess you could ring them and say the attitude of the staff member was uncaring when your parents arrived and found out they'd fucked their online holiday booking up? But the up and down of it is that Butlins can't magic up a ground floor room.

It sounds like a poor response when they were there but if they are well enough to drive 4r hours at 73 they aren't old and frail (and good for them for enjoying their holidays!) - It's about 27 years we have had the internet - I was using it in my first jobs and I'm 47 - since your parents were in their early 30s - they would have worked with it all their lives.

I think the onus is on a guest with access needs to book/arrange that. My child has access needs - it's up to me to be certain it's been arranged.

I'm not sure I agree with your suggestion that it should be 'easy' to see on the website - how on earth would Butlins know if you didn't specifically seek it out/request it?

It's not an advertised service or 'warning' they need to legally provide is it? As obviously if you need ground floor access you would know that and seek it out.

As someone said - they can't assume people need ground floor access or just have one waiting around.

I'm sorry though Op it sounds like they had some luck before - I think it was unwise of them to do the journey back, maybe better if they had stayed nearby and tried to get a replacement flat with your help etc

They could have sorted it before they arrived too. Butlins sends the accommodation number the day before.
It's pretty obvious which floor you're on if you've been before because the ground floor will be just a single number, first floor has a 1 at the beginning, 2nd floor has a 2 at the beginning.

So you will be told you are:

Area, block, number.

So
Atlantic Bay, Marine Point, 203 is 2nd floor room number 3,
Oyster Bay, Gull Avenue, 5 is ground floor room number 5.

There's also the bungalows on at least some sites that are all ground floor, and have a big door which you can request a ramp to get a mobility scooter in. They also have a parking space near.

So if they know the site and go regularly, then I'd expect them to know this. They could have sorted it out before they left.

It is unfortunate that things have gone awry for your parents holiday on this occasion OP but I do suspect that they had become a little complacent in their approach to the booking process - perhaps in the future, you could offer a little guidance to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

As for the Butlins receptionist, maybe they were new and a bit unfamiliar with certain problems that potentially arises during checking - in. If a refund was offered then it should be accepted and the opportunity to rebook correctly followed up.

You seem very determined to insist your parents are more at fault than Butlins here, but the fact is that they needed a ground floor room and didn’t ask for one. It is common sense to ask for something you need that’s as important as no stairs and you can’t try and blame it on the website or a gold pass. There are plenty of disabilities that don’t require ground floor access so again, it would have been common sense not to assume that a ground floor room
would be given.

It was your parent’s mistake and butlins can’t offer accommodation that had been booked by other people.

Why would the receptionist be aware of what other accommodation was in the area and if it was likely to be accessible or not? She is on a low wage and turnover in the industry is high. She probably had a queue of other guests waiting to check in. The DPs got a full refund. The sensible thing for them to do at that point would have been to try to locate some alternative suitable accommodation themselves even for one night to recover from their trip.
Maybe they need to accept that they should go on escorted bus tours in the future if they can’t book the accommodation they need and are unable to make sensible choices about how much driving is appropriate in a day. Sorry that is a bit harsh, but I am getting a bit annoyed on behalf of the poor receptionist. It’s such a hard job these days, it’s not like Fawlty Towers where they spend the day chatting at the desk.

But if you’re parents hadn’t asked either online booking or telephone booking or ringing them up after them booking then Butlins didn’t know they needed a downstairs room. Where you expecting them to turf out people who had settled in, clean that room and give it to your parents?

I was under the impression that you can’t book at Butlins unless you have children or are going on the adult weekenders (18 to 30 style).

Obviously it’s not ideal but what were Butlins meant to do at the time? They can’t magic a room up. Your parents made a mistake at booking, they are refunding ( I assume a non refundable room due to last minute cancellation).

I’m just not sure what you expect to happen?

Exactly right!

OP I get that you are frustrated and annoyed for your parents but unfortunately you really don’t have a case here.

There is a button and it is visible and easy to see. You may not feel that it is but that’s the truth.

Not all disabilities include needing ground floor accomodation. That’s pretty basic.

Butlins will honour the booking not anticipate what the person may need - Thats on your parents.

Being annoyed that they don’t have the right accomodation isn’t fair either - what if they were all booked by people who needed accessible accommodation too? Should they have turfed them out in favour of your parents?

Again crappy and frustrating but they have done nothing wrong. Your parents could have called them if they needed help or you for that matter. Let it go and help them book next time.

If they didn’t let Butlins aware they needed ground floor accomadation, here they supposed to know.

Was it just the clerk at check in they spoke to? Did they ask to speak to a manager or advocate for themselves or were they just told there was no GF room and they've just driven away?

I do think his is on your parents for not checking but I would have spoken to someone more senior and been on the phone to CS, not in an entitled way but I wouldn't have just shrugged and gone back home.

It's a lesson learned for your parents - no actual harm done apart from the disappointment, which they brought upon themselves. Next time they'll know better.

I’ve booked similar outside of term time and it’s £200 for mon-Fri for the apartments which includes pool, fairground and shows for 5 people. It’s a right bargain. And I paid the extra £20 for a ground floor one as one of the party struggles with stairs.

I think this prep for a daily mail sad face article for a cheap and cheerful holiday break is very distasteful. Your parents got a full refund and if they love Butlins they could rebook for June or September and specify ground floor or accesible accommodation now they know they need to do that. A lesson learned maybe.

As others have said I think they have been incredibly lucky to have been given ground floor/accessible accommodation on previous visits without having informed them of this need.
Surely having a discount code just gives money off the booking rather than being processed as someone with a medical requirement.
As gold members they clearly visit a lot, so this should not be surprising to them. Maybe they have forgotten that they normally pay to book ground floor. It is very obvious on the booking form that you can pay to choose a specific unit and if you don't want to pay then you tick the box that says let them decide, so they must have chosen this option. Ground floor is very popular for many reasons (mobility like you parents, plus people with multiple children, pushchairs or those travelling as single parents who do not want to have to drag children and suitcases up to the top floor). Butlins are being good in offering a full refund as this is down to your parents. If all ground floor accommodation has been allocated (people are notified of their room the night before) they can't simply swap people around. It is the week before half term, the weather has been good, the bank holiday is approaching so it is likely they are completely booked out so can't just magic up a room regardless of how far they travelled.
I don't understand how knowing they needed a specific room they didn't check this beforehand.