Holiday Booking - now I need to cancel

[ScarletRed]

Does any one know what I can do. I booked a holiday 2 weeks ago for the first week in July. Then yesterday I get a phone call from my brother-in-law - he has set his wedding date for 9th July - bang in the middle of the holiday.

So I asked the holiday stay place if they can return my 35% deposit and cancel the booking. They said that if they don't let the place for the period we were looking at staying there we are liable for the full cost of the booking.

What can I do?

Nothing.

Could they transfer the date?

Of your holiday btw, not the wedding!

Ask them to send you their T&Cs for bookings and find out what their cancellation policy is from that. At a quick glance, the holiday is about 10 weeks away, which sounds like quite a long way away to take 100% payment. Of course, if their cancellation policy didn't already reflect their damand for full payment there is nothing to stop them changing it now, I suppose. I take it holiday is abroad and there is no chance of attending the wedding in the middle o of the holiday? OTOH, I think 10 weeks notice of a wedding is not very much and your BIL and his fiancee will find many people who can't attend at that notice and in peak holiday season. Maybe they will change the date?

Annh - the holiday place is in Bude, Cornwall, the wedding is in Australia.

The Holiday place has this on their website about cancellations: Cancellations - In the event of a cancellation, we will endeavour to re-let the cottage. If we re-let we will refund monies paid less a small administrative charge. If we are unable to re-let the hirer is legally responsible for the balance in full.

I also do think that 9 weeks notice for a wedding is a bit unfair when we have 3 kids under 4 to deal with as well.

Is the wedding even a serious consideration? I mean, can you afford to just take off to Oz at that kind of notice with or without children? Do you even want to? Personally, I would just be carrying on with my holiday.

However, if you are intent on going it does seem pretty clear from the website that you will be liable to pay the full amount. Can you ask the owners what efforts they will make to re-let e.g. will they put the cottage back on the website showing as available for that period? Otherwise, could you ask around among your friends, playgroup etc if anyone is willing to take up the booking, perhaps at a small(ish) discount?

"Advertise" the cottage booking here on MN and see if anyone else is interested. (Put in the Travel/UK section)

I think your brother is a twit TBH. With the volcano delays he is essentially asking you to book a trip to the other side of the world at 7 weeks notice (it'll be a fortnight or so till things simmer down on the airlines) and the prices are going up about 25%.

Could you SKYPE the wedding ?

I agree with whomovedmychocolate - that is awfully short notice.
And that sounds like typical holiday cancellation terms, you always lose your deposit if you cancel, and how much you will have to pay will depend on how close you are to the departure date!
If he can't/won't change the date I would regretfully decline. I personally think it is totally reasonable to get married abroad, but totally unreasonable to get huffy if family/friends don't want to go!
I changed the date of my wedding, as it clashed with my uncle & aunt going on holiday, and I really wanted them there as my mum and her brother are very close and he is also my Godfather, so is an important part of my life, it never even occurred to me to ask them to change/cancel their holiday! However we did let them know the date when we started planning it 9 months before the big day!

I agree - everyone I know has given much more notice when it comes to wedding planning. Luckily he's my brother-in-law and not my brother.

In that case send your DH and a camera and go on holiday without him!

Agree with Lilymaid, I'm sure you'd get some interest if you tried to sell it on (if T & C allow). I love Bude, one of the best holidays we ever had was there.