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.

There has never before been an occasion when I would suggest that someone goes to the national press, but this is surely it.

You are a law-abiding regular customer and the way they have treated you is an utter disgrace.

It's a potential hate crime so criminal

It really isn't

I don't think the OP is going to get a resolution no matter how far and to whom she escalates this as there appear to have been several instances where this has been done and publicised and Butlins are still doing it.

From what I can gather Bognor is the site where the incident occurred that resulted in this policy, it was clearly far more serious than drunken twats being drunken twats.

It is discriminatory and I can't see how they have got away with it and continue to get away with it but they have and they do so there must be something that allows them to do so.

Unfortunately the behaviour of a small minority impacts on the vast majority. The furore over predominately English people trying to scam AI resorts for payouts over food poisoning has caused some hotels to seriously consider their position on English people staying there, the Greek Chapel which has cancelled weddings and barred English people from booking weddings there due to the behaviour of that couple from Birmingham.

I'm sorry for you and your family, OP, it's totally unfair.

Try rebooking with a different name.

This is appalling!

I hope the Daily Mail pick this up.
I will never ever go to Butlins again after reading this.
Look at Bunn Leisure in Selsey. It's not too far away and very similar to Butlins - though not as discriminating!

I have marshalled my troops so there’s at least a passing chance it will end up on the message boards at Celtic Quick News.

OP post your picture of your adorable wee girl on the Butlins FB page and send it to them on Twitter. See if you can shame them about this.

Look Mumsnet gave them an award!!!

As you booked this holiday with vouchers from The Sun, OP, do you think there may be any traction in speaking to their Marketing/PR department about what's happened?

The resort director is on Twitter @jeremybutlins......

I’m not on Twitter, but can someone link this thread....

Yeah maybe Twitter might get their attention, especially if the rest of us retweet aswell.

I can't find anything on google about an incident involving Travellers at Butlins Bognor.

Definitely escalate this, and quote their own T&C's:

"We will make checks to ensure that our guests are registered on the electoral roll and where not located we reserve the right to cancel your booking until you are able to confirm this."

So you should have been given the chance to confirm that you are in fact on the electoral roll. They've broken their own rule.

Can you book something else? I said earlier in the thread, you need to get it in writing that they are in breach of contract, and you intend to sue them for damages, including any difference in cost of a comparable holiday.

All this 'contact the press', 'boycott Butlins', 'phone Jeremy Vain!!', won't make the slightest difference. By Saturday it will be yesterdays news.
I feel for the OP, of course but it's her argument to have.
I always chuckle when people say things like 'I'll never use Butlins again after reading this'....yeah right, like the thousands who swore they'd never use Thomas Cook after the awful deaths of the two children in Corfu. You can bet your bottom dollar they still did if the price was right.

Astrid it took me a long time and I finally came up with a story about an incident at Butlins at Bognor, the language was carefully couched they didn't out and out say the people involved were Travellers, or Irish, but there was a definite inference. It seemed to be a very serious incident involving a large number of people which caused extreme distress to the staff and other members of the public at Butlins. I couldn't find any follow up story, or anything that went into greater detail. It seems that all the "not on the electoral roll, not welcome" stories are from people who booked to go to Bognor which is why I took that incident as the starting point for this policy.

It took me about 2 seconds to find this article, is this the one people are talking about?

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4124673.stm

Or is it this one

www.capitalfm.com/southcoast/radio/news/local/fight-butlins-bognor-12-arrests/

I thought it was this one

www.heart.co.uk/southcoast/news/local/fight-butlins-bognor-12-arrests/

I do actually think it's worth contacting Butlins Bognor as they may be able to override the central booking system, especially if it is pointed out that they are in breach of their own terms and conditions.....

Contact The Guardian OP, I think out of all of them they'd be the most likely to look into it.

But yes, I found them both after googling ‘incident at Butlins Bognor Regis’. Top two hits.

I tend to agree with you Maddie. If the press pick this up the general public won't give two hoots because like it or not the hatred of the traveller community is somehow seen as justified. It's not of course, and this is not or never should be acceptable.
The grey area here is that the op may have been identified wrongly as an ethnic group she doesn't belong too and Butlins are refusing to communicate with her. If it was my family in that position I would certainly feel aggrieved.

What about this one,

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/13/nose-biting-butlins-bognor_n_3749250.html

google earth shows lots of caravans on the road the alleged attacker lives

I googled "butlins bognor injuries" , not hard at all