Our property was double-booked yet we had to pay a 50% increase for another property
In February, I made a booking with Cottages.com for July. A month later, the company said that the reservation was cancelled because of remedial work on the property. I offered to defer the booking, but was told the works would last the entire season because of insurance issues. I could find an alternative property, or accept a refund. When I called back to discuss it, I was told my booking had been cancelled because the owner had double-booked and I ended up paying £900 more – a 50% increase – for an alternative property. If I had made a mistake with my booking and needed to cancel, I would have had to forfeit my deposit, yet there is no penalty if others renege on the contract.
KB, Newmarket, Suffolk
I hope your experience doesn’t herald a repeat of last July when Cottages.com, and sister company Hoseasons, cancelled and resold the bookings of scores of customers, including one by author Michael Rosen. Cottages.com blamed “technical” problems caused by a 455% increase in demand. Then, as now, a record number of Britons were having to holiday in the UK and accommodation was at a premium. Other customers are reporting sudden cancellations of their booking on review website Trustpilot.
