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. *
*
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.

When I was quite young I saw travellers - Irish is a nationality not a race in action. Large drunken men fighting - not like the drunken teenagers you see. They knew what they were doing and ment to do damage.

My husband’s father was a proper gypsy and they have nothing but contempt for those they refer to as ‘pikeys’.

I do wonder what kind of life experience some MN people have, the type of snow flakes alway protesting.

This year large numbers of travellers have been imprisoned for enslaving people - slavery generally considered bad I assume?

OP, make sure you follow up any phone call in writing.

I second submitting a Subject Access request.

And make sure you advise them, in writing, that they are in breach of contract and your intention to sue them for damages, as well as contacting the Equality Commission or whatever it is called these days.

ABSoluteky get everything in writing. Record the phone call if you can

This year large numbers of travellers have been imprisoned for enslaving people

And presumably even larger numbers have not done anything wrong at all.

And huge numbers of settled white people have been imprisoned for all sorts of things.

Hi just seen this thread, sadly butlins is not the only campsite like this, we had a few occasions where my irish dh phoned to book them but was told full, i would phone back and get us a space. I still couldnt believe it until a guy at the storage place told us he automatically says no to an irish accent

I do wonder what kind of life experience some MN people have, the type of snow flakes alway protesting.

I've had the experience of having to evict a group of travellers and then clean up the mess they left. It was unpleasant, expensive and a massive pain in the arse. I've also had my hair done by a traveller women, she was and is an utter delight. I have met two lesbian travellers, that was a strange and humbling experience.

They are not an amorphous mass, they are individuals, some nice some awful, just like settled people.

So the OP has other Butlin's holidays booked with no problem, it's just the one booked through the Sun that has been cancelled.

Presumably it's only if you read the Sun and have an Irish name you are considered risky........interesting.

I have the same surname as one of the ladies in the story which Xtra linked to. Better not try to get in to Butlins then!

Horrendous.

Like fuck I'd be giving Butlins a penny after this. Great story though for a journalist to pick up and run with which might be your best line of action op.

Which butlins resort?
If you have no joy with them today I’d send an email to your MP or phone their office.
Totally unacceptable

Billy Butlin himself came from a family of travelling showmen, I wonder if they too would have been barred.

Well this is absolutely disgusting. How has it gone on for a while without becoming massive news?! We live in a world where everyone is perpetually offended and discrimination is the new buzzword, and yet this goes on in the background!! Absolutely bizarre.

Are they regulated by anyone?

Awful! :( I would boook an alternative last minute holiday and say fuck them! That would really put a bad taste in my mouth.

My advice would be to book into centre parks, I’ve always thought they were exactly the same as Butlins/Pontin style thing.

I'd also complain to watchdog, get it on telly and ultimately in the news!

It’s interesting that someone mentioned the name Loveridge up thread as being a local name to ‘watch out for.’ In other words they were feared and avoided as people you tried not to mess with.

When I looked up the two women from that Kent news article it was obvious that they had connections to a travelling community of some sort and I think I mistakenly referred to the as Travellers, which is usually taken to mean Irish Travellers, distinct from Romani people. From their friends I could see that they had connections to the name Loveridge and google tells me that Loveridge is a very well known and large Romani clan, not Irish Travellers.

From what I could tell from FB they seemed like perfectly nice decent women with civilized looking partners, nothing to suggest that their party would be any more likely to cause trouble than the next person. I know this is going to sound daft but sometimes you can get a feel for these things from what people and their friends put on FB.

As the poster above put it, she’s from ‘proper’ gypsy stock and it seems they are always at great pains to separate themselves from Irish Travellers. The use of the word Pikey from one protected ethnic travelling minority group towards another, deemed to be beneath them is an irony not lost on many who read it, I’m sure.

Possibly the person tasked with rooting out potential undesirables at the Butlins booking office needs some training in how to spot an Irish Traveller from Romani from a some tandom non travelling woman with an Irish name.

Relative works for a large hotel and has had to ban travellers' weddings due to fighting, thieving etc. She said the staff are too afraid to work those weddings and they have had to bring in emergency security if one gets through (they don't use "traveller" names, apparently!).

My cousin managed a boat yard. Last year a travelling group set up camp there, threatening cousin with their dogs. Even after the police had been they were able to stay a week during which time they trashed the place, stripped boats and left a terrible mess including human faeces. Cousin was too afraid to live there any more as he is a gentle, simple type and was terrified they'd be back.

*UPDATE
*
So, I spoke to Butlins customer services. I explained I AM on the electoral roll, I always have been, I have confirmation that I am on the electoral roll and Butlins have said tough.

Nothing they can do, they can't change their decision. I didn't appear at the date/time they checked me, so the booking is cancelled.

I calmly explained they had made an error - I am on the ER which my council have confirmed in writing, and have been for over 3 years, so can they please look again. No, they can't. They can't escalate it, I can't speak to a manager. I can email in, and they can respond to my email within 21 days.

We are supposed to go away in 11 days.

I'm shaking, I'm near tears. How can they do this?!

Can't believe no one has taken action against Butlins over this. We have quite a large traveller community close by. A few years ago they took a restaurant to court for discrimination and won. The restaurant closed shortly after. Of course many of the locals sided with the venue. Travellers aren't popular here, but I can see both sides if I'm honest. Discrimination is never OK though and it's illegal for a reason.

I think you should go to the press with this butterlins

I would ring them back, warn them it is discrimination, tell them you will be getting a solicitor involved and going to the press.

Daily Mail - if you fancy picking a thread to publish, pick this one!!

Daily mail for this one I think, they would love this story.

Disgusting treatment of you.

Obviously the OP has been wronged.

But the policy is obviously based on past experience.

What would posters say if they had gone away for a Butlins break and found a big traveller shin dig there, complete with fights and anti-social behaviour? I'm sure they'd be mad at Butlins in that situation too for allowing it.

Daily Mail - if you fancy picking a thread to publish, pick this one!!

seriously you think the Daily Fail would be interested in this story? Do you know anything about them?

I have messaged Butlins on their fb page to see if they are any more helpful than the "computer said no" 'resort safety' admin staff I spoke to, who were curt and unhelpful and who refused to let me speak to a manager and cut off my phone conversation when I asked questions like what date the register was checked, what prompted the check to be carried out on this booking, was it the full register that was checked, why would they not accept written confirmation from my council that I'm on it etc.

I'll give Butlins until lunch time to resolve this, and then yes, I'll escalate if need be. It's disgusting and my kids will be devastated. My three year old has been playing "let's go Butterlins!!!" for weeks. How do I tell her we can't go because of her surname?!