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.

I think you are a very honourable person OP, I would be seeking more than the £21.50 to cover the cost of the letter from the council in compensation for the distress you have been caused. I would add that I am not one of the people who immediately seeks redress at the slightest little scratch but you have been treated appallingly and deserve some form of tangible apology.

Plexie there is another lady on social media who posted a couple of days ago on Facebook and Twitter in exactly the same situation and they haven't reinstated hers so I think so.

Regardless of whether it's right it is presumably legal or someone would have challenged it imo

Not necessarily. It's increasingly expensive to take cases to court, and it may be that travellers are reluctant to access the courts. Also, of course, it could be that Butlins have conceded with everyone who makes a fuss precisely so as to avoid the danger of an unfavourable precedent being set.

Just found out that Butlins has always previously hosted the Irish Dancing GB championships, and this year they decided not to host it. It's not looking good for them really, is it?

And apart from the member of the "resort safety" team who told me actually I could have my holiday after all, Butlins haven't been in touch with me at all to apologise etc. Their customer service has been appalling throughout the whole thing, and I have been treated so badly.

I want to raise my kids in a world where people are judged solely by their actions, and this Butlins policy and the attitudes I have faced from them since goes completely against that. I'm speaking to the Independent for sure, if they want to go ahead with it. Someone needs to shine a spotlight on Butlins so that they actually try and learn from this, rather than ignoring the issue.

"A commercial decision" to not host the Irish dancing championship apparently - see pic attached.

If this is true (and it's not looking good), it is despicable and illegal.

NC for obvious reasons. My last name is O’loughlin, so that’s me fucked... didn’t wanna go anyway
But as someone mentioned up thread, I’ve had issues with banks etc and now I’m wondering if that’s a reason. And I’ve had trouble with booking function rooms for party’s too.

There are no small number of foreign-born individuals legally resident in Britain. Working, paying tax and national insurance, living at a fixed address.

Even if they are in the process of applying for citizenship and eventually being on the electoral roll, that’s a process that takes years.

Nice to know that Butlins doesn’t want our custom.

There are two new posts on Butlins Facebook page, another family called mcdonagh who are on the electoral roll but had their booking cancelled and another lady who wrote a review who said they had members who live in a caravan who had their booking cancelled. It makes me feel sick they have been getting away with this.

It's like the 'commercial decisions' many holiday firms make not to take groups of 40 25 year olds on stag weeks.
I'm not agreeing (or disagreeing tbf) with this kind of stance but when holiday firms/holiday parks/hotel chains end up paying out compensation to other clients because of the actions of others then they will impose certain rules.

No it's like a holiday company who have had trouble with large stag and hen parties banning all 20-30 year olds in all contexts.

If I made a booking which I never would in my work name it would not show up on the Electoral Roll
because I only became British recently.

I'd love to know how they justify banning people who live legally in the UK but do not have British Passports

it stinks

uk.news.yahoo.com/couple-gutted-butlins-break-cancelled-group-arent-electoral-roll-114423332.html

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1774056139306048&id=922716137773390

This has popped up on my Facebook under a "angry people in local news" context!! I think it's a disgusting policy.

Their surname is O'Hara - surprise, surprise.

Butlins are just racist, let's face it. I don't blame the OP for going after they reinstated her trip as her kids were all excited, but the rest of us should think carefully about where we spend our money.

A couple local to me have just had their 40th anniversary break cancelled by butlins. They were told because they weren't on the electoral role. They're gutted

It's fine to have a policy to refuse admission to those not on the electoral roll

Why is it fine?

Sorry @MrsLupo - I didn’t mean it was “fine” to have a policy to not admit those not on the electoral roll, I meant it as in “it’s in their T&C’s, so it’s probably legally fine to do it”.

And yes, I had already been contacted by someone in that large group that had their booking cancelled. Booking under O’Hara, from a Caravan park. It fits the theme with the other cancellations that have come forward anyway.

We’re on our Butlins break at the moment and the kids are in their element, but the way we were dealt with in all of this means we won’t be returning again.

It's one thing to be wary of travellers.

It's a whole different ball game to ban them from all premises and anyone who sounds like one.

That's akin to banning all muslims on the fear they may be terrorists, just in case!

Racism against the Irish alive and well, what the fuck?

100% they are just looking at surnames, nothing else fits.

Total bastards, best avoided in future, I don't want to give my money to a pack of racists.

Glad to see you got away! Can't believe there's 400 odd posts and only one person has mentioned a Data Access request. OP if you're still riled about this this is the direction you should go. You're entitled to be told what information is being used, why it’s being used (especially in relation to a decision-making process like in this case), where it came from and who can see the information. It's disgraceful that they won't disclose how they obtain this inaccurate information, but that they consider it's ok to use it to cancel customers' holidays. I don't know how someone hasn't challenged this before.

Through work we deal with a lot of irish businesses (hotels, nightclubs, pubs, shopping centres) who have negative interactions with the travelling community. It's very sad to hear of a town full of pubs literally shutting up for the day because there's a horse fair nearby, or turning away communion or wedding parties due to a last name. But it's often unfortunately due to bad past experiences on the part of those places or communities. Conversely there are businesses that cater to the travelling community and they "behave" at those places for the most part because they know it's one of the few facilities open to them. It's very difficult to imagine attitudes on both sides changing any time soon.

I don't see how it is different from banning stags/hens/under 25s.

They have form for causing trouble at a business and upsetting other customers. What are Butlins supposed to do? Let them in and grin whilst they trash the place? Because to do otherwise would be racist ?

It is unfortunate that they are discriminating by surname as well as electoral role presence, but they have obviously been driven to this. Relative works at a large hotel chain and they do everything they can to ban traveller celebrations. At this hotel the female staff were intimated and afraid, the male staff attacked and the hotel suffered a huge amount of damage, plus they had to compensate other guests who left. Is it surprising that this hotel now researches quite carefully who group bookings are for? Btw, apparently the travellers no longer use typical "Irish" names when booking - they're not that daft!

BUTLINS SHOIULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES.
Last Tuesday I booked for my sister her 2 daughter in laws and her 9 grandchildren to go to Butlins Skegness for a 3 night stay over Easter. My sisters grandchildren are her entire world and she was so happy that she was getting to have a holiday with all of them together. Butlins took the payment and the booking was confirmed so my sister told the children and it’s all they have talked about since. This lunch time Butlins called her to cancel the booking as the 3 adults are not on the electoral register. I have had several phone calls with Butlins and begged them not to cancel, I offered them a large security deposit they said no, I said I’d go and asked to change the booking into my name as I’m on the electoral register still no. My sister works for my business so I offered 5 years wages slips along with her banking details and council tax bill and still no. We are English travellers and my sister still lives on the local site and that’s the address she gave to Butlins. It never once entered my head until Iv looked on the internet and read all the articles that this is the real reason for the cancellation. Therw level of discrimination towards travellers is disgraceful. I read the comment saying overseas visitors can use bank or credit card details instead and the was adamant with me that there was no alternative to the electoral register. Butlins the so called family holiday venue are happy for my sister to go home tonight with the bad new that traveling children are not welcome.

Sorry to hear they are still using their appalling practices @JimmyDoneGood

We went away on our break, and TBH I thought Butlins had really gone downhill. The food was awful, it wasn't as clean, lots of activities were closed/not taking bookings etc, and from speaking to other friends and seeing on social media, this seems to be a common theme. I never persued the Subject Access Request with them, but seeing they are still doing it has riled me again. I know they had a meeting with the European Commission of Human Rights in January, and I thought they had "learned their lesson" so to speak. I'm sorry to hear they haven't.

All I can say OP, is although the kids will be sad initially, I promise, it's nothing special they are missing out on. We certainly won't be going back.