French treehouse refused entry.

[lunaraine]

Hi,

we travelled to France via Brittany ferries last week, but due to the weather, the ferry could not dock for 7 hours past our eta. We had booked a night in a treehouse. Fully paid for and also paid for 3 food baskets and a bottle of bubbles.

The ferry ppl rang the treehouse ppl to explain we were stuck aboard and would be late, and the treehouse ppl said they would not allow us in and would not refund any of the money. We spent most of our holiday fund on this one night for a surprise for our 3 children. We ended up with no where to stay when we finally docked and no money to pay for another hotel.

What can we do? Can we force them to give us at least some of it back, even just the food and drink? Afterall, it did not state in any of the booking details that you could be refused entry. The ferry customer service who rang for us, said they were very unpleasant and did not believe she was calling from Brittany ferries. Said we were just a 'no show'.

Thank you for any advice.

[ojread2]

Who did you book your holiday with?

[ABerrant]

How much notice was given that you would miss the 18:30 deadline for arrivals?

Vallée de Pratmeur do offer later arrivals up to 21:00 for a €10 supplement provided they receive prior notice (of what period I do not know).

Upon arrival guests are issued with headlamps and candles and for security reasons (e.g. traversing to the treehouse) must be in any case ahead of nightfall, which is an implicit statement that refusal of entry is a possibility.

http://www.valleedepr...m/infos-pratiques.php

The T&C states (in my shoddy translation) "For a stay canceled within 7 days prior to arrival, interrupted or not consummated for any reason whatsoever, the entire amount of the booking will owe or will remain vested in the Vallée de Pratmeur."

http://www.valleedepr...ditions-generales.php

[lunaraine]

Hi, thanks for that post :-) They were called as soon as the ferry ppl announced our inability to dock, so about 2pm. We simply could not have called earlier as we did not know we were not going to be able to make land fall.

It would still have been light at 9pm, so that could not have been their reasoning in terms of safety. (had it been September's then I would understand that). It just feels very wrong to refuse us entry and not even refund us for the food and wine. She did not believe it was Brittany ferries calling her, she thought it was us trying to blag them!

I just find the whole thing really upsetting. We were stuck on a ferry.

[ojread2]

So, again, who did you book with?

The holiday company cannot resell that part of your holiday, so why should you get a refund?

[sandyRoe]

There's a site, Trip Adviser I think it's called, where you could give these people some free publicity.

[lunaraine]

Ojread, I booked directly with the campsite, not through a third party. I don't think they should refund all of it, I think it is immoral to not refund any of it. Especially the food and drink. We did not do anything unreasonable and what happened was totally out of our control.

[ojread2]

and what happened to you was totally out of their control, so why should they refund? Personally, I feel it IS unreasonable of you to expect the holiday company to partially refund you, for anything never mind food and wine that they had already paid for
That's what insurance is there for - oh, you didn't get insurance did you? And there is the reason you are pi**ed of the site wont refund you, your mistake and you expect someone else to pay for it

It doesn't work that way, you know it and I know it and why you expect it to just for you I don't know

[lunaraine]

Ooooh Ojread, clearly I must have deeply offended you in another life or something. That was a little personal and very aggressive for what is an upsetting experience for me and my family. I did not take out holiday insurance as it is part of my house insurance. Furthermore, I work in the holiday industry and perfectly well understand that sometimes you have to behave like a human being and not like a money grabbing machine. The ppl were very rude to the lady that phoned on our behalf. If for you, losing hundreds of pounds and being left with nowhere to sleep due to lack of funds, is not a problem then congratulations. But possibly you should be slightly more sympathetic to others who are in not so great a position as the high horse you seem to be riding upon.

So anyhoo, thanks for your response, hope it was somehow cathartic for you.

[ojread2]

a few hundred pounds? I doubt that very much for one night and a bit of food and wine
What annoys me is the 'it's some else's responsibility' culture that people appear it live in nowadays and you appear to live there as well. You were late, what ever rudeness was given was not given directly to you
I am not sympathetic to people who think the world and others owe them a favour, they don't
If you work in the industry (that's like kids in the playground saying my dad's bigger than yours) then you should really know better, shouldn't you? You must, working in the industry, know you are not entitled to any refund at all

[lunaraine]

Oh wait, you know what I have done? I typed in www.spitefullandmalicious.com by mistake! How embarrassing. Good work though, keep it up oj. Off to answerbank I go.

[NOX]

Blimey OJ- that was somewhat overkill to say the least, who got sand in your bits today?
She may well be kicking herself that she didn't take out insurance, not the point, the treefrogs could at least offer to reimburse her for the food she didn't eat and the champagne she didn't consume since they can sell that to someone else- it's called a gesture of goodwill and is common business practice- I've lost count of the times I've done something nice for a client when I didn't have to. Apart from being a nice thing to do ( we all have sh1t happen at some point don't we?) it's good for business as now because of their behaviour their name is plastered all over here in a negative light, which for a few pounds needn't have happened.
Lunaraine- someone suggested your credit card company- that's an avenue I'd explore as well if I were you- sorry about your spoiled trip.

[lunaraine]

Hi Nox, thanks for that :-). This was a rare occasion that we paid with a debit card as granny had given us some cash so we could meet them down south. Couldn't have gone otherwise. The travel insurance we have with our home insurance is the same as we would have purchased separately, hubby reminded me of that being the reason for not doing a separate one. But I can't find anything that covers this situation, it seems to centre around bring 12 hours late and having to pay for alternative accommodation, or medical costs etc etc. I am going to phone and speak to them about it.

[murraymints]

Could you get a letter of validation from the ferry op saying it was their fault..? that may help along with a grovelling letter...however...they ARE FRENCH....not a terribly accommodating nation...inclined to go c'est la vie way !!!