AIBU to stop pizza oven hire during the wildfire alert?

[Askandyforcompo]

I have a very small glamping business. It borders a field and a small wood. As part of our offering we have an optional Ooni wood fired pizza oven hire which costs an extra £20. It's not there unless the guest pays for it as it's shared between units.

After the government alert on our phones last Friday we decided we couldn't rent the pizza oven out. The field is tinder dry at the moment and the oven can throw sparks out of the back. We've been a bit worried about renting it out recently anyway- we set up a hosepipe last time someone had it- but the alert made us decide to stop offering it

We messaged the guests who were arriving on Monday explaining it wouldn't be available for their stay. They instantly asked us for financial compensation as they had been 'looking forward to using it'. We explained that it was beyond our control and that with the guidance in place if we continued to rent it out insurance wouldn't pay out in the event of a fire. Yes, they understood that but still wanted 'reimbursement'. They hadn't paid anything, we take a credit card when they arrive.

I just think that in light of the alert not to do anything that could cause a fire I didn't owe them any compensation. It's kind of common sense not to start a fire next to a wood at the moment. A random spark from the fire could have set the field alight. But they clearly don't see it that way.

In fact I gave them £30 'as a gesture of goodwill' to buy pizza from the local pizzeria but I'm thinking they wanted a bit more than that! I'm dreading their review.

I loathe people like this, just out for what they can get and screw everyone else. You've done the right thing - if they write a bad review then a calm response explaining should be enough to show how reasonable you are to anyone reading it. I just wish you hadn't given them any sort of compensation, it just encourages people like this.

I wouldn’t give them anything
They pay you when they arrive
So what would they have done if it was unavailable for another reason?

No, you don’t need to do that, but you’ve set up yourself now because they might talk to other people

Glad you’re not doing them

Asking to be reimbursed for something you haven’t had yet is crazy

It’s an extra though, not part of any contracted agreement? I’d give them nothing. They are CFs.

You’ve been incredibly generous offering pizza money! What a lovely act of goodwill, shame they sound like the kind of customers who will not appreciate your gesture. I’m also going somewhere next week where we’ve been told the BBQ attached to the property must not be used (it’s a gas one!). I did not ask, I just assumed that would be the case, I can’t imagine approaching the owner like a spoilt brat to ask about something which could be answered by using your common sense.

I think offering them a pizza from the local pizza place was the ideal response.

That was a lovely gesture offering a local pizza and above and beyond. Asking to be reimbursed for something they haven’t paid for yet is crazy!!!

I think your offer was fine. They couldn’t cook their own pizzas so you’ve given good will to buy in pizza.

YANBU - they are just chancers out to get a profit from any situation. Your £30 goodwill gesture was way over and above what was needed. They have not suffered a detriment due to your choice, but due to the government advice and the weather which is beyond your control - if there had been a torrential downpour throughout the time of their booking preventing them from enjoying the outdoor pizza experience that they had planned, they wouldn't have held you responsible, would they?

What absolute chancers.

If they complain on a review site and you respond calmly and politely describing what actually happened, everyone reading it will recognise the behaviour and you will look reasonable, so even if you end up with a lower average, anyone looking closely will not be put off by it.

When she asked for a reimbursement, I'd of told her her reimbursement was not being charged for it when she paid the bill.
You are now £10 down and she is £30 up!

No op is 30 down?

They are definitely cf. They would still have had to pay for a pizza whether they were cooking it or not.

I’d have said her reimbursement is the £20
they won’t have to pay for the hire of the pizza oven. Cheeky sods.

YABU! It’s rained, ffs

Honestly you’ve been more than reasonable. If they leave a shit review it’s the kind of situation where you see an owner respond and give their side of the story and anyone reading the exchange could see how reasonable you are!

We had three drops gonna take a lot more to stop higher risk of fires

That’s not the end of it you know. In the Var where there were huge wildfires they also had heavy thunderstorms. It did not stop new fires starting in the following days. Op is just being responsible!

It hadn't rained when they arrived. As I said they arrived on Monday. It hadn't rained here for 10 weeks, everything was tinder dry.

Arguably OP is now £50 down: £30 given away to the CFs and £20 out of pocket due to not being able to rent out the pizza oven!

Personally I think offering pizza money was excessively generous. Maybe you could have offered them £20 towards pizza - but only if they paid for the pizza oven hire! 🤭

Even if this unreasonable person doesn't now leave a bad review, what if they leave a positive review saying that you gave them £30 because the pizza oven wasn't available? Won't everyone else now reasonably expect similar treatment until such time as the fire prevention advice changes?

But they didn’t have to hire the oven. It was an optional extra. They wouldn’t have been able to use if another guest had already hired it anyway. I think op has been very generous to give the cheeky sods anything at all!

It's bearly rained. A few spots. You and the attitude of people like you are reason why we have so many wildfires at the moment. Not an ounce of common sense.

No - because OP can now put the information about pizza oven being available depending on the weather conditions in the pre-booking info so future renter make an informed decision based on that.

OP you have been more than generous. If they leave a bad review you can just refute with the information you have shared here - you will look more than reasonable.

Yanbu. But I think you also need to ensure it's set up sensibly and safely going forward so it can't cause a risk by throwing sparks even in the best of conditions

You don’t owe them anything. It’s an optional extra that is there if available.

we hired a massive house for a hen party with hot tub at extra £50, it wasn’t working, we got back the £50 but no compensation; yes we’d chose this place for that facility but there is never any guarantees that facilities are available. More than likely the last guests broke it so how as a business owner can you guarantee an oven than may break?

the are very unreasonable and you shouldn’t have offered them compensation - but kind of you to do so, what horrid chancers.