Butlins break cancelled because "we aren't on the electoral roll"

[Butterlins]

Firstly - we are on the electoral roll, always have been, have voted in every general and local election, and can provide proof of being on the electoral roll.

We got a letter from Butlins today - I only picked it up at 6pm because I was working today, so I haven't been able to ring customer services. The letter says (happy to post it on here) that because we aren't on the electoral roll, our break has been cancelled, our money will be refunded, and this decision is final and cannot be reversed. *
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A small amount of googling has shown me that Butlins do this for anyone with an Irish/traveller sounding surname. Surprise surprise, we have a surname common in the travelling community.
There is a number to call to "arrange your refund", and my googling has shown that when others who have received this letter ring to explain actually they are on the E.R and can provide proof of this, Butlins say "tough" and refuse to reverse their decision.

And I can find many many instances of people with "English" sounding names (Bishop, Cooke, Pitt, Patel) who AREN'T on the electoral roll who have never had any problems with booking at all. It seems to be directed only at those with "blacklisted" surnames, even if they are on the ER.

I imagine I'll have a battle on my hands when I ring Butlins tomorrow - anyone help on how to approach this? I'm fuming tbh. Me and DH have both booked time off work, the kids have been so excited.

What on earth are you countering my points for if you aren’t trying to prove that it’s fine for this discrimination to happen because X people commit Y crime? are you just being contrary?

This is fun

@ButchyRestingFace

It's a potential hate crime so criminal

No it is not.

At a guess, one of the best ways to get Butlins to take notice is to share the post about this that's on their Facebook page. Search butlins, click Community, it's currently the top post. (If you don't actually want to show the post to your friends, I believe sharing it with privacy "Just me" looks the same to them as sharing it to all your friends! But I decided to leave the all friends one in existence.)

Battered I was making the point that one high profile case of slavery perpetrated by white British people (or any crime for that matter) is simply not going to cause anyone with a brain to stereotype a whole HUGE section of society, so it was a bit daft for you to use it as an example.

Whereas a well publicised run of similar incidences or crimes repeatedly involving a very SMALL and specific section of society might well cause people to notice a degree of disproportion and a recurrent theme. Whether some people then choose to stereotype all people from that subsection of society, I have no idea. That's up to arrive at their own conclusions.

It is simply a fact that some types of crime are vastly more prevalent within particular subsections of society than others, and if those subsections of society are small enough and the crimes somewhat niche or unusual enough, (for example FGM or honour killings) then you will notice the link to that small community all the more. That's not my opinion, that is cold hard fact. If you think that makes me a racist then I really don't know what I can say to convince you otherwise.

At no point did I say or even imply that 'its fine to illegally discriminate against people from those ethnicities because some of them commit these crimes.'

With respect, I won't respond to you on this again because it's off topic and hijacking the thread.

up to them to arrive at their own conclusions

I'd expect the very qualified legal team at Butlins have done their homework though (not that I'm saying it's right).
The Merlin group (so Alton Towers hotels) have had awful problems with some traveller families. Easter in particular is a time I recall from a few years ago. Hundreds of traveller families.
I once worked for a firm selling short breaks to the Merlin parks (AT, Legoland, Chessington, Thorpe Park). The post travel complaints were dreadful, people would also phone us at about 10pm at night (after they had only checked in earlier that day) begging us to move them elsewhere because of certain behaviour.

I'd expect the very qualified legal team at Butlins have done their homework though (not that I'm saying it's right).

Yes, I agree, surely they wouldn't just start doing this willy nilly?

I bet their booking will sky rocket after this gets out.

Twitter as well. They tend to respond more to twitter complaints

I'd expect the very qualified legal team at Butlins have done their homework though (not that I'm saying it's right).

I expect that the high-ups have said "we want to ban travellers" and the lawyers said "you can't: that would be illegal discrimination" and then "... but I guess we could insist on proof of a permanent address?"

You've had a lucky escape because by all accounts Butlins sounds like a right shithole. Go to center parcs, it's got a slightly high calibre of binners, and they have been successfully banning groups of people for years.

You've had a lucky escape because by all accounts Butlins sounds like a right shithole

I went to both Butlins and Center Parcs within 3 weeks of each other in September/October this year. There’s not much in it. The only real difference is that the majority of the people at CP think they’re classier.

(I should point out here that I enjoyed them both, but the whole ‘CP is classier’ thing is crap!)

Which Butlin’s is it?

But the Op has proved she has a permanent address MrsHathaway but I suppose Butlins are well aware some travellers live in 'normal' houses so they are profiling people with certain surnames. It's really shit for those affected.

Has the link to the thread been deleted from their facebook page, I can't see it.

I don't do twitter but might mass tweeting by posters work to shame them.

It's Butlins Bognor - another Irish non travelling family I found on fb got the same letter, despite also being on the electoral roll.

I'm not blaming Butlins' policy and I'm sure it's legal, but when they are given proof that I have been on the electoral roll continuously for three years (provided by my local council), and when they have seen I have had two previous breaks with them and no issues AND I'm not a member of the travelling community anyway, they should have apologised and reinstated my break. They didn't. They said nothing can be done and a cheque will be sent to me with my refund within 5-7 days.

And, just for general sympathy - here are pics of my DD with her beloved Billy and Bonnie bear. Look at that tiny excited face - She'll be gutted when I tell her we can't go anymore - it's for DS's Birthday, so pretty shit all round. Fuckers.

Yes, MIssEliza - sorry, I was addressing the specific point that the lawyers will have checked the small print and I think they will have done.

Whether something in Ts&Cs is strictly legal and whether the implementation of it is legal (let alone moral) is about 50% of civil court work, surely?

Yes I have User. On repeated occasions.
It isn't just travellers though, this affects domestic violence survivors (12000 reviewing help at a refuge at any one time) who are registered anonymously or not at all.
As well as people on the edited register where the Op has come unstuck.

Don't give up hope yet, the power of outraged MNers is a force to be reckoned with.

Have you need speaking to the resort or the head office or both already?

Wow this is outrageous and I won’t be using Butlind again.

OP your DD is adorable