Crystal cancelled my ski holiday with 2 weeks notice

[Longchip]

I’d booked a lovely ski holiday for new year. Last week Crystal rang to say they’d overbooked and the hotel wasn’t available. They did offer an alternative, but it didn’t have half the features of the original. The most important is the supervised kids club and play room because I’m travelling alone with my child. It was half board with an early kids meal option. Ski in location with a pool and spa. I called to complain and have spent hours on the phone to them and ages looking at their website for different options. It is peak week so there’s nothing. It is so stressful. They offered a few options. The only one of those that was suitable is now gone. What I’ve ended up with is a B&B hotel, swimming available free in the municipal 10 minutes away. No kids club. No childcare. I’m gutted. I’ve had a terrible year (bereavement, divorce and cancer) and was really looking forward to this break. I could cancel and get my money back but then we won’t get to ski at all and we were both excited about it. I will never, never book with Crystal ever again. How can they do this?

That’s so rubbish, I’m sorry :-(

It's the new normal I am afraid.

Why is that @MumChp - genuine question?

Does it have to be the same resort, have they offered any compensation for difference in price and facilities?

Customer service is 0% today.
Won't be better in future.
Nobody cares. As a customer you fend for yourself.

And have you checked if that hotel has a room available still . It may not be the normal Crystal spec but they would have to sort that out.

I'd cancel on principal. Get a refund and book for half term instead.

In your shoes I would honestly cancel. Sorry OP that's really crap of them. I would also contact some consumer / money journalists and see if any of them will help or at least shame them into decent compensation.

That sounds utterly shite and not at all what you had planned.

I hope. whatever you end up doing, you enjoy.

That is hugely disappointing and utterly crap.
Where are you going instead? Maybe post on Snowheads, where there are tonnes of knowledgeable people who may know of good childcare options in your resort.

I hope you're getting a very decent refund if you now have no dinner, no childcare and no kids' club. How are you going to ski without childcare of some kind?

That is shit. I now stick to companies I trust because the service has flatlined so badly everywhere.

Take the refund. Book a few days away somewhere over Christmas- London is beautiful at this time of year and they still have availability. And then rebook in Feb!

Also check the show forecast!! We went last year and most slopes were closed. It looks even worse this year.

I’d cancel. The holiday you’re looking forward to isn’t the one you’re going to be on and it’s going to significantly different and you’ll most likely end up hugely resenting that you’ve paid for it.

get your money bank and rebook something else either somewhere else or at another time.

dont go on this crap alternative just because you think you should still go away

I’m so sorry, that’s totally shit. Have you searched through other operators to see what you could get if you get the refund?

Do you want the kids club so you can leave your child and go skiing? Do they ski? Would it be totally awful if they had a week of morning lessons and you can then ski in the mornings?

Not skiing, but you could also look for last minute offers for sun holidays so you can at least get away. Most people travelling as families that week so you might get lucky with one room somewhere. How old is your child? You could try Canaries or Caribbean, a resort with good activities for them.

The snow is fab in many places this year. Where are you looking that it isn't?! I've been keenly watching webcams for weeks and the snow has built up nicely- certainly in many parts of Austria, the Dolomites and some of the big French resorts.

Megève. It was raining for the whole of December last year. Beyond a few snow days the forecast is for rain tomorrow etc

I’m so sorry this has happened to you.
Have you checked if the room is available directly with the hotel? Your flight must still be available.
if not I would take the full refund. Check if Nielson or Clubmed have anything available.
Hope you find something x

We tend to book directly and there is far less chance of overbooking in my experience!

There is lots of snow in Megeve now (on the webcams). It may have rained earlier in December, but there are people skiing right now, and there's snow on the ground in the town. It's definitely not 'much worse' than last year. I'd say quite the opposite!

Rain forecast for tomorrow and lots of it. The snow gets really slushy and it’s not fun at all. We lost an entire week last year so thanks but we were there! The snow is becoming less reliable fact.

I’ve looked and the hotel is fully booked. I’d also emailed them last week but they didn’t reply. Also checked with Neilson, Mark Warner (sold out) & Club Med (insanely expensive)

You could well do without this op. How disappointing.

Honestly I’d still go. The skiing will still be enjoyable. Have you got dc in ski school or are they good enough to ski with. Shocking customer service though.

There’s three days of lessons but my child is good enough to ski with me on blues, maybe some easy reds. The company has given a refund of £475.

Have you tried Snowbizz, Puy St Vincent? They have childcare and sometimes have late cancellations.