cancellation of Mothers Day lunch

[wink1970]

DH is due to take his 90-yr-old DM to lunch on Sunday, naturally they now both want to cancel. The restaurant (pre-paid) is refusing, and won't even switch the booking to a voucher he can use later for something else.

I think he should get busy on social media and shame them. I know the hospitality trade will suffer in the coming months, but she's 90! WIBU to get cracking on Google Trustpilot etc?

I wouldn’t bother.

Can the rest of you not use the booking and give her a rain check?

Given that govt guidelines are advising against all meals out, I'd say its a bad idea to go ahead regardless. Name and shame them

Or use the booking and have her portion plated up to eat later? Seems a shame to try and harm a business that will likely fold sooner rather than later anyway. They too have their bills to pay and staff have families to feed. Presumably you've paid money you can afford to lose (I know no one wants to lose money) but it's not for something 'essential.'

I think you have to let this one go. The restaurant wouldn’t normally refund this close (it’s why they ask for pre-payment) and obviously they are more worried than normal about their business.

Shaming on social media seems unkind in the circumstances.

Ask for the meal to go or ask let them know you are bringing a service pony which they need to accommodate space wise.

These businesses are all going to the wall anyway, why make things worse? I don't work in hospitality myself but there are going to be hundreds of thousands affected by this, many of whom are the least we'll paid in society. By all means, give them a nice big kick while they're down though eh?

Defo name and shame them.

How nasty for them to not let you cancel.

Is it far from the house - could you get them to plate up and you collect?

I am afraid that if the population does not help and support vulnerable businesses we will be left with little but multi-national chain stores at the end of this.

Or business rates could be suspended

Yeah just leave them alone, they're all probably worried about how they'll pay their staff/rent/bills etc

Who's going to be on trip advisor now anyway researching restaurants?!

The business will be desperately wanting to pay their staff. These are unprecedented times.

Businesses are not being nasty. They are in an awful position and worried for their staff and massive consequences of losing their businesses and homes; but you crack on and slate them over a few quid.
Ask them if you can have the food to take away.
Remember, when all this is over and you have nowhere to go to socialise what your contribution was. There won't be miraculous new start ups as there won't be any capital.

If everyone cancelled bookings for the next month a lot of places would go out of business.

What is their cancellation policy?

I do work in hospitality and while there is no forced closures it’s business as usual. Businesses cannot afford to refund in such short notice. When we’re all forced to close then it’ll be a different matter. People have families to feed and all you want to do is to ‘name and shame’ them???

As it's prepaid, they're not going to lose that money. I'd name and shame them for refusing to change the booking to another time.

I think things are tough enough for businesses to be honest. What were the terms of the offer when your DH booked?

Can you ask if they can do it as a takeaway? I know of quite a few family run restaurants asking people to do this so they can stay afloat.

Ask if he can come and pick it up as take away. These aren't normal circumstances.

I was already to say name and shame but I live the idea of getting it to take away and taking it to her.

"Get busy on social media". YABVVVU.

Is this an independent place? Friends of ours are about to lose their business (restaurant) due to CV19. They have a family too.

Even if it's not, what about the fact that taking a 90-yo out and about now is utterly ill-advised.

Chalk it up, and let it go.

I'd let them keep it, it's just a meal . Disappointing you can't go but better to keep the mother safe, and let them keep the money. Peoples livelihoods are on the line.

Name and shame?! For real?!

Hundreds if not thousands of businesses are set to go under, with the hospitality industry one of the first to suffer.

You want to name & shame them for sticking to their cancellation policy?

Until there is a government directive to close non essential businesses these decisions lie with the individual restaurants and most can not afford to refund everyone who changes their mind about their booking, whatever the reason.

So bloody unreasonable.

I do understand it's a tough time ahead, that's why I'm not acting straight away and asking for a sanity check. My own DH's business has gone to a 3-day week, so I 'get it'.

However, she's 90, and the government have been very clear about this age group. They know she's 90 as we paid £1200 to hold her 90th birthday party there only 7 weeks ago.

Good idea about the plate-up, it's quite local. I'll ask. I'm doing something different with my own DM, so won't be going anyway.

Vulpine, many small businesses are rare examoy anyway. I know mine is. The government have said we could be entitled to a 3 grand grant in April but I'd imagine most businesses will be too far gone by then.

I don't think people have fully considered that once this is over, whenever that may be, that the majority of the small businesses everywhere could be gone. No little coffee shops, beauticians, boutique clothes shops, bars, little restaurants, cafes.... Life is going to look very different.