Staycation refund couple can sleep easy
WHEN a couple look back on their fortnight in a holiday cottage in Cornwall, a good night’s sleep will not be one of their fond memories.
A comfortable bed is one of life’s essentials and size matters. But that is not what Peter and Jane Jenkins got after paying £1,364 and despite ensuring their rental home offered a king-size berth when booking.
Instead there was a double bed. “I’m over 6ft 4in, so a double just doesn’t work for us.We specifically check descriptions selecting accommodation, it is an important part of our criteria,” Peter explained.
But with no other option available, it was a case of making do. “It was so cramped that to create some bearable space, my heroic lovely wife ended up sleeping on cushions on the kitchen floor. We’d never have booked if we had known – it spoilt our holiday,” he told us.
Holiday industry recognition of how integral a comfortable mattress and pillows are to an enjoyable stay has grown and many hotels now make a feature of services offering customised choices.
The Jenkinses booked their onebedroom property through holiday homes rentals site Cornish Horizons, one of The Original Cottage Company group’s trading names.
Peter raised the matter straight away with Cornish Horizons. It acknowledged a king-size bed had been offered and said the informa
■
● cifas.org.uk tion on its website “is correct at the time of booking and the property is fully managed by the homeowner should you require any further assistance”.
With the chaos created by lockdown, staycations are booming.
But the sometimes less-thanperfect service delivered by the lettings sector and concerns about fair treatment of customers have now come under the spotlight.
Practices in this holiday area, where third-party agents do the advertising and take payments but can leave individual owners to take responsibility for clients’ problems, are of public concern and are now seeing regulator the Competition and Markets Authority threaten sanctions.
After complaining, the couple were first offered £100 and then £200 for the considerable discomfort they experienced.
They thought that unacceptable given how important a comfortable night’s sleep is and also because their agreement was breached.
With a fairer refund of around £700 in mind, Crusader asked the company to reconsider.
To its credit, it responded immediately, contacted Peter, settled on that amount and quickly refunded him.
“A big thank you for your help, advice and input in getting a resolution,” the couple told Crusader.