how do i stand ? i booked a caravan club CL in october from 27th dec to 2nd jan and they asked for 25 pounds deposit which i sent. then a couple of weeks later (mid november) i had to cancel because my sister was coming from alaska for new year. i asked for my deposit back which i thought should be honoured as i gave them plenty on notice (6 weeks) and was told no ! if they "sell" my pitch to someone else am i entitled to it back ? or if i ring again and say i'll still come and they are now full, how do i stand ? is it worth reporting this to the caravan club or am i just wasting my time ? regards mark.
returning a deposit from a cancellation
- Thread starter mark_374461743
- Start date
If you did not sign a contract as per their terms and conditions you should be entitled to your full deposit back even if you cancelled the same day. Was everything verbally agreed or did they send you a form to complete stating their terms and conditions that you had to sign and send back.
you could argue that at the time of booking you were not informed that the deposit was non refundable. The amount of deposit that is refunded often reduces the closer you get to the booking.
I think that their failure to refund with 6 weeks notice is unfair. Have you checked the caravan club website and the listing for this CL to see if anything is mentioned there about deposits.
I think that their failure to refund with 6 weeks notice is unfair. Have you checked the caravan club website and the listing for this CL to see if anything is mentioned there about deposits.
FYI. Straight from the CC web siteDeposits
CL owners may choose to request a deposit or booking fees. We recommend that you check at the time of booking whether the deposit is refundable and, if so, how much prior notice they will require should the need arise to cancel the booking.
So it all depends on exactly what you were told on the phone or indeed on the CLs entry in the CC handbook.
Xmas is a busy time for a lot of CLs who take bookings months in advance. Income to a CL is crucial for their survival so I can understand their point. Remember a contract can be verbal as well as written.
Personally when I have paid a small deposit and change my mind then I do expect to lose it.
CL owners may choose to request a deposit or booking fees. We recommend that you check at the time of booking whether the deposit is refundable and, if so, how much prior notice they will require should the need arise to cancel the booking.
So it all depends on exactly what you were told on the phone or indeed on the CLs entry in the CC handbook.
Xmas is a busy time for a lot of CLs who take bookings months in advance. Income to a CL is crucial for their survival so I can understand their point. Remember a contract can be verbal as well as written.
Personally when I have paid a small deposit and change my mind then I do expect to lose it.
a couple of days before and i'd expect nothing back but 6 weeks ! ok heres another one then, because they refuse to refund my deposit what would happen if i turned up on the 27th and the cl site was full ?
I expect you have to take it on the chin. It may well be too late now for them to find someone to take your place, in that case the deposit is a little compensation for losing a complete booking. Its possible that once you had booked they were turning people away. You are not dealing with a big business here so they won't have 'procedures'. If a deposit is going to be refundable under any circumstances they would not be worth taking in the first place. I suspect its as much up to you to ask what the terms of the booking are as it is for them to tell you. I am not sure the Caravan Club can do much about it as all CL's are independent.
David
David
Personally when I have paid a small deposit and change my mind then I do expect to lose it.
Same here.
I cancelled a cl eight weeks before the expected trip, got a stroppy woman who was very rude to me and I never heard anything back. Actually glad we didn't go there if she was like that.
I've propbably paid deposits on maybe three other cl's and cancelled weeks and weeks before the arrival date, never got refunds.
Lisa
Same here.
I cancelled a cl eight weeks before the expected trip, got a stroppy woman who was very rude to me and I never heard anything back. Actually glad we didn't go there if she was like that.
I've propbably paid deposits on maybe three other cl's and cancelled weeks and weeks before the arrival date, never got refunds.
Lisa
Campsites may have their rules but so do I.
If I've had to cancel for a legitimate reason and given them immediate notice I would appreciate my part, or sometimes full deposit, to be 'held over'
At least they would still get my future business for years to come- if they can't then I don't book with them again.
If I've had to cancel for a legitimate reason and given them immediate notice I would appreciate my part, or sometimes full deposit, to be 'held over'
At least they would still get my future business for years to come- if they can't then I don't book with them again.
I think that given 6 weeks notice they are pretty likely to take another booking hence should not suffer a loss,they should really return deposit.
when i have had to cancell ive gone for a re booked date and would not expect money back it is a deposit.
I’ve had a couple of occasions where I’ve had to cancel short breaks on CL’s at relatively short notice. I’d not paid a deposit but both times I sent a cheque for the full amount I had intended to stay. One was returned uncashed, the other was cashed but I then received a cheque from the site owner for the nights he had been able to relet. I wouldn’t expect a deposit back for the reason the OP cancelled. It’s more a change of mind rather than an unavoidable emergency.
my work collegue is also a keen caravanner and i asked him to ring the CL site this morning to ask for available pitches the same time as i was to go and guess what? they are full, he asked how long they have been full and they laughed and said "for weeks, sorry" think i'll go with LADAs reply, and not go there again. i can understand it being a small business and all, but now i know this, all i can put it down to now is pure GREED and DISHONESTY. regards mark
Must admit I would not walk away as legally he cannot keep your deposit if the pitch has been re-let. That is fraud!
Does anyone know the specific legislation that says keeping a deposit is fraud? I've seen some places call it a non refundable booking fee so this my be why, but would be interested to have it confirmed.
Graham it is fraud if you enrich yourself unjustifiably at the expense of another which is what the site owner is doing. Fair enough if he is only given a few days or even a week's notice. He has re-let the pitch. What happens if the OP decides that he is going to sue the pith after all? It will be very hard to prove that T & Cs were agreed, however the OP has decided to walk away and never to use that site again.
An oral contract is enforceable. Put it down to experience. The same happens with hotels when you pay in full upfront to get a deal. It is normally not refundable. An interesting point is that the CL owner could claim his losses from you if he had not relet.
Facebook
Twitter