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 are two issues here
A) Butlins wish to engage in illegal discrimination without being punished for it. They have invented a transparent fiction to this end and have been operating it for some time.
B) As a result of A), the OP who is talking to us right now has had her Christmas plans bolloxed up.

Trying to solve the immediate prob, B doesn’t mean that you think A is OK, it’s just that legal action won’t save the OP’s Xmas. Looking for a competitor who can save the day in return for good publicity would normally be sound advice but I sadly suspect that any hint of being less discriminatory against travellers is not publicity that Haven wants (even if it’s misleading because the OP is not a traveller herself).

Is it a Christmas break? We go to butlins Minehead about 5 times a year so know lots of staff quite well. One person from our hometown who is a red coat told us about this on our last break. I couldn't believe it, I know quite a few people who aren't on the electoral role. Also couldn't believe how easy it is to get into the old sunsplash pool, it's full of water still and is an accident waiting to happen! Changed my
View of the place.

This is disgusting. We went to butlins last year and I know there was no way I was on the electoral role when I booked as we’d moved house 2 days before! They didn’t check any ID when we arrived either as my friend arrived before us (booked in my name) and checked us in.
Genuinely shocking.

Sadly, in my experience, outside the echo chamber of a few places you will find that people really agree with discrimination against travellers.

When mil heard about this her reaction was ‘Ooo actually sounds like we could start going back to Butlins then’ and I don’t think she’d be remotely alone in that view.

I hope she doesn’t expect me or the dc to come along, we may have trouble with our surname...

That’s Butlins off our list then ☘️

Butlins are being completely racist but they wont back down on this. Finding the right media outlet for the story is probably the only way to highlight it. Unless you have the time and energy to go through the whole discrimination thing which hardly anyone ever does.

I can totally understand why they're doing it but am gobsmacked they havent been hauled over the coals legally. It's blatant discrimination wrapped up in a few tenuous T&Cs.

Really shocked at this! I wouldn't want to go there after their practices

Ironically, it seems Billy Butlin came from a family of travelling showmen.

There are news articles about this discrimination from last year. How is it still going on?

Just to add this is pretty common place was businesses and travellers. When My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding used to be on they regularlyvhad their Reception venues cancel on them once they realised it was a traveller wedding. Always with some flimsy excuse. Pubs regularly just close up shop when they're in town. I suspect that's why they don't sue, because it happened everywhere they go!

Actually, this is probably the best ‘media outlet’ for it. This post hits them right in the heart of their target demographic I should think.

I'm astonished that discrimination like this is alive and well in 2017.

On the plus side you get out of having to got to Butlins.

Sorry this has happened to you OP. I hope even if you can't get your break back, you can publicise that this has happened to you and get some social media shaming on Butlins.

In the real world - would you and you relations want to be on a Butlins or what ever site with drunken violent travellers? I am sure you would be frightened and horrified - and complaining to the management.

There is a reason for this policy

1. Put in a subject access request for all personal data they have on you. It’s an excellent way to tie up their admin time and money, and if all people did this who were refused it would hit their bottom line.

1. Contact the equalities commission. They might help/bring a case.

1. Contact the press and cause a ruckus. Again, the only way to change it is to hit their profits.

1. Contact your MP and demand answers as to what the governments policy is and what they are going to do about this behaviour.

In other words - cause a stink and then keep causing one.

Honestly I don't think it's going to be a big deal to most people. If anything, people will think positively about it.
Every thread on here bar this one, every newspaper article comments section - people are anti traveller generally.
If it's been going on for years and thats because there's no weight behind a campaign for change.

This is going to boil down to the rights of the staff and guests vs the rights of the travellers. The staff and guests have the right to work/holiday in peace and quiet and safety (in which case ban the stag and hen dos aswell) and the travellers have the right to enjoy family time. Not sure what human right the right to a holiday will fall under so this may be where they fall down

All Butlins need to do if they were concerned is have a no large groups policy/ no large single sex groups. Bit they won't , as they would loses a large part of their business - which is letting out fairly substandard accommodation to large groups of men or women on a piss up.

In the real world - would you and you relations want to be on a Butlins or what ever site with drunken violent travellers

But drunken violent settled folk are absolutely fine You are a racist.

I don't think anyone has a problem with Butlins finding ways to cancel bookings for problem holidaymakers, be that travellers or whatever. If someone has caused trouble on site, I fully agree they and all their linked parties/people at the same address etc should all have their bookings cancelled.

It's in their T&Cs that you must be on the electoral roll, so I even agree with that, if it's a clever way of weeding out customers who they perceive to be trouble.

What I don't agree with, at all, is them cancelling the bookings of a good, law abiding customer just for sharing a common surname. For them saying the reason is "you aren't on the electoral roll", and refusing to change their decision even when confronted with proof they have made an error and the customer is on the electoral roll.

I'll speak to them as soon as they open. Barely slept last night because I was so angry at the injustice. I think it's probably likely that as I am well educated and well spoken they may well change their decision and let us have our holiday if I kick up enough of a fuss, but plenty of other non traveller families would just accept their refund and walk away.

I agree with you Butterlins.

Fine if they want to weed out trouble makers and they think this is one way to do it. Fine as long as they screen everyone. Not OK to then cancel when you are on the electoral register.

I'm stunned at the assumption of traveller status by surname. I know families with some of the surnames mentioned previously - including McDonagh- and they are definitely not traveller families. I also know/know of a number of traveller families who live in my area. Their surnames are Wilson, Roberts, Hughes - very common surnames in my opinion. What a bonkers policy. Who decides which names are on the blacklist. I'm guessing that Butlins is working on the assumption that none of their potential customers will have the money to launch a legal challenge on this.