Resort Booking Price Change

R

Ruth Chambers

Registered User
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Hi folks,

I'd love if someone could shed some light on this for me.

So in July 2015 I booked a week's accommodation in Cambrils Park Resort in Spain for my family. The rate I was given was €790 for seven nights and I was requested to pay a 20 percent deposit of €158, which I did. I was of the opinion I owed the resort €632 on my arrival.

This week my friend, who also booked online last July, arrived with her family in Cambrils Park. At check in she was handed her bill for the week's accommodation, which was €300 more than it was at the time of booking. The resort said that as she booked before November 2015 she booked at the summer 2015 rates. The rates have increased since last summer apparently. She was also informed that this was in the terms and conditions.

I called the resort and it turns out I'm in the exact same position. Just to check the T&Cs I went to make a dummy booking for next summer and indeed, when you click in to them, it says:

  • For 2017 reservations made before November 2, 2016, a percentage from the total amount will be charged as a downpayment (based on 2016 prices)
  • The final amount of your stay may vary due to price increases for 2017
  • The dates which define the limits of each price period may be modified


So there you have it, hands up, silly me clicked without reading the T&Cs.

However, I have a few questions .....

1. Are the resort not obliged to tell you your rate before your arrival. I would not have known of this only for my friends' experience.
2. I've done some research and the European Commission Consumer Rights directive, states that I, as a consumer, must be informed of the total cost of a service and that any extras will not have to be paid if not properly informed before I place an order. The directive also states that price information must be unambiguous, clearly legible and easily identifiable, which I believe was not the case at the time of booking.
3. And finally the EU Commercial Practices Directive also states that a commercial practice is misleading if a trader in any way, including overall presentation, deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer, even if the information is correct. It also states that a commercial practice is misleading if such a practice causes or is likely to cause the consumer to take a transactional decision that he or she would have otherwise not taken.

So, do I have a leg to stand on? They have already gave me the generic response of it's in the T&Cs and you're more than welcome to a full refund. I don't want a refund, I want to take my kids to this resort for their first ever holiday abroad but €300 extra has left a sour taste in my mouth and it's almost more about the principle at this point.

I'm afraid if I push it too much with them they will cancel my booking and we'll be left high and dry.

Sorry for the big rambling post; I hope I'm making sense.

TIA
 
Spanish law and Irish law are different entities; ask anybody from Ireland who owns a holiday home in Spain. You appear to be an upstanding person who uses some sense that you think is common elsewhere. Unfortunately, in Spain they seem to do as they please. So, for argument's sake let's say you go down the legal route. Believe me with Spanish bureaucracy your case will not see the inside of a courthouse for about four years and even then you will probably lose.

Forget about principle, PRINCIPLE means nothing in Spain. I could write a book on their non-principles.
 
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I understand your frustration. They should have made it clear about the repricing when you booked.

However if the terms and conditions were the same last year then in Nov 2015 the full price of your stay would have been known.

If you didn't want to continue then they offer a full refund.

I'm not sure what else they can do?

I think they are within their rights to say you should have checked again before booking flights etc sometime after November.

Some of the places don't take bookings until November or later until their pricing is clear.
 
I've just reread your post. You paid €790.00 + an additional €300.00 for seven nights accommodation. The privately booked high season going rate for two weeks in a good resort in the south of Spain (2 bedroom apartment, centrally located) is about €900.00 (less than half price on your price).

By now you're probably kicking yourself, but you will never be "caught" again having learnt a valuable lesson.
 
Leper I am indeed kicking myself. This particular resort is supposed to be great but it's total and utter rip off. I was okay with 790 for a week but 1,100 for a week in self catering is mad money. Maybe my opinion will change when I get there.
The resort have offered to refund my deposit and cancel the booking but we are going to with other families so I don't want to cancel.
I sent another firm but polite email today to the resort CEO, airing my dissatisfaction. I suspect it shall fall on deaf ears but no harm in expressing an opinion. I hope!
And from here on in I will read the T&Cs!
Thanks for your responses and I'm guessing EU directives, despite being adopted by all member states, count for nothing!!
 
Right Ruth, when you have finished kicking yourself, take a step back and concentrate on turning your set-back into a come-back. This forum is called Ask About Money, so think about saving yourself some money on next year's holiday. DoneDeal has hundreds of ads from Irish holidayhome owners in varius parts of Europe. You don't have to jump at the first holiday available or a Cheapy in Costa PondLife, but for the discerning there are bargains there. Earlier this week I booked my 2017 two week sun holiday (1st two weeks of July) for four adults for €950.00 plus whatever we pay for flights and transfers and no hidden extras.
 
To Raging Bull's point, you could try the European Small Claims procedure.

Assuming you paid by credit card you could try a charge back via your provider as well, but I can't say how successful that might be.
 
I hate this kind of thing. How on earth did it go up by nearlyy 35% ! Can you enquire now, with a different email, as to how much it would cost if you booked now. Or check their website.
 
I have checked and actually red the T&Cs and it says if you book before November 2016 you will be charged 2016 prices and 'prices may vary for 2017.' I've spoken to a lot of people who go to this resort and they've been doing it for years. Seems standard practice unfortunately.
 
I was somewhat unhappy when I first read the complaint here. The complaint is good, but assuming price would be the same as previous years prices was a little naive. Perhaps we all have become naive because we kept the hotels, guest houses, airlines, travel agents in clover over the years of the recession. There is more cash flow in the EU this year and those who were kept buoyant by us refused to give a toss about us this year and charge what they like. How soon they forget, but the customer always has the last word, eventually. You have just got to look at Dublin higher hotel prices in 2016 compared even to last year.

Having some knowledge of the Spanish culture of gazumping any price, I thought that the average Spaniard would not pay what we Irish would pay for the same product. Therefore, I checked the Cambrills website in Spanish and was surprised that the Spaniards are quoted the same prices as us. Hunger is the best sauce and perhaps it would not do us any harm not to book holidays for 2017 in 2016? Create less of a demand and prices will drop. Believe me there is nobody like a Spaniard to quickly reduce prices when demand is low.

I would advise Ruth Chambers that going to the Small Claims Court would be futile. Reporting the matter to Tripadvisor would probably be useless too. But, when she decides to book next year's holidays Ruth Chambers will not be caught out.
 
Leper said:
...but assuming price would be the same as previous years prices was a little naive.
Click to expand...

I think that misses the point somewhat. The issue here is that the OP was quoted a rate at time of booking, paid 20% of that rate as a deposit to secure the booking, only to find out closer to the time through word of mouth that she would have to pay a significantly higher rate.
 
Leo said:
I think that misses the point somewhat. The issue here is that the OP was quoted a rate at time of booking, paid 20% of that rate as a deposit to secure the booking, only to find out closer to the time through word of mouth that she would have to pay a significantly higher rate.
Click to expand...
But that was because she (as she admits herself) didn't read the T&Cs where it clearly stated that prices might rise and the deposit was based on a % of previous years price.
I'd probably do the same myself to be fair but I have noticed on booking some hotels that only when booked do you notice the City Tax or other taxes not included. It's sharp practise but not illegal.
 
dereko1969 said:
But that was because she (as she admits herself) didn't read the T&Cs where it clearly stated that prices might rise and the deposit was based on a % of previous years price.
I'd probably do the same myself to be fair but I have noticed on booking some hotels that only when booked do you notice the City Tax or other taxes not included. It's sharp practise but not illegal.
Click to expand...

Yep, and I'm often the one banging on about T&Cs here :) But to call someone naive for assuming the price displayed when booking would be the price charged, not ~40% more is a tad harsh.
 
I did not mean any offence to Ruth (and I reckon no offence was taken) and my sentence contains the words "little naive" which I stand over. I hear what Ruth is saying and at the time she did what she thought best for the following year's family holiday - given the circumstances most of us probably would have done the same. Somewhere in these threads on AAM I pointed out where I was screwed by a Travel Company by around £800 (Punts). The company did nothing illegal and when contacted informed me that they would look at my case. Unfortunately, they kept looking only for several months and like Ruth in the interests of a family holiday I kept my powder dry. Having booked with them for several years, I learnt my lesson and never booked with them again. In fact, I explored cheaper and better options and never turned towards a Travel Agent again other than for "grab" bargains where we could travel at a day's notice and had accommodation allotted on arrival.

Nothing illegal was done to Ruth either, but the 40% subsequent price rise was penal and she took it on the chin. Whinging to Cambrils would have drawn Spanish guffaws, but fair play to her if she gets any refund. The Small Claims Court route would be tedious and likely she would lose. With the amount of serious complaining posts on Tripadvisor hers would probably be swallowed up. Ruth is sending out the right signals and I bet she will have a better and much cheaper summer holiday in 2017.
 
The resort have offered a full refund and this practice appears to be in their T&Cs (and seems to be standard practice).

Credit card charge backs and the small claims court aren't really relevant.
 
I've been checking prices for next year for this resort too. It does clearly state that I am getting quotes based on 2016 rates and 2017 rates may increase. If you cancel with more than 30 days to go you lose 10% of your deposit. The deposit rate I was quoted (20%) was around €230 so I'd be losing €23. I'm considering booking it and if the rates increase a lot or the flights are too expensive we'll cancel.

This resort is very popular and books out early every year for the following year. It's likely the week you have booked for is now sold out so you won't be able to get a price for this year. I'd love to hear how you get on though, it's supposed to be fantastic for kids.
 
I'm booked into this resort also, I booked online and they made it very clear it was at 2015 prices and I would be notified of 2016 prices by email. The price increase did go into my junk email maybe your did too. Its a fantastic resort for families, which is why it books out a year in advance and they only require deposits until you arrive. they would easily sell the week again which is why the can command such high prices. if its any consolation the resort itself is not expensive for food and drink, the onsite supermarkets are as cheap as in the town and you will have a brilliant holiday there and will probably book for 2017!
 
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