I recently had to cancel a caravan park booking at a big caravan park in Katherine.The booking was for a date that is over three weeks away. I was charged an "administration fee" of $25 out of a booking deposit of $40.
Because this was part of a major club trip that we have had to abandon, this cancellation was one of about 20 bookings I had made and had to cancel. Only one other park charged any fee, and it was a quite reasonable 10% of the booking deposit (which amounted to $4). Most of the park owners appreciated me contacting them and advising of the cancellation.
I am happy to pay such a fee if it is reasonable. But given that this booking was over three weeks away, and not just the day before, I thought the fee was quite extortionate.
Anyone else had experience of this? Are such high cancellation fees the norm?
You can be sure that when we next travel through Katherine, we won't ever be staying at that park again.
C00P
-- Edited by C00P on Tuesday 16th of May 2017 12:23:22 AM
Sorry to sound unsympathetic, but CP's are no different to hotels. Some charge a lot for cancellations, some little, some nothing. If you were not formally advised of their cancellation policy at time of booking you have the right to argue, otherwise they're entitled to invoke the policy that you *agreed* to. Always worth double checking at time of booking before coughing up a deposit!
-- Edited by SouthernComfort on Tuesday 16th of May 2017 08:18:29 AM
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Cheers,
Tony
"Opinion is the medium between ignorance and knowledge" - Plato
I cancelled a caravan park in Darwin about 3 weeks out from our stay, they charged 10% ($4.50) of my deposit and the remainder was returned to my bank which I thought was fair.
I was also a little intrigued by the park operator's statement that the notification of the cancellation policy was on the receipt. OK, so assuming I got a receipt, and noticed the policy, would the policy have applied if I had immediately objected and withdrawn my booking? In such a case, the amount of "administrative" work on her part would have been the same (reversal of a credit card payment), yet her comment suggests that the policy would not apply if I objected to it as soon as I became aware of it.
Had I cancelled the booking only a few days before the date we were due to arrive, I could understand such a hefty fee, but a fee that represents over 50% of the deposit when the booking was over 3 weeks away still seems exorbitant in my opinion.
It certainly provides encouragement for more free camping!
Ahhhh the number of times I have had to authourize a refund.......our motel usually oblige and use it as a goodwill gesture in the hope guest will re book in the future.....or pass on the word about how good we are........that is of course when we are not busy.
However if we are close to full it could be a different story, I guess with c/P s people book well in advance for peak seasons and at times it could be hard to sell one spot at that time. Many things happen on both sides it is generally the accommodation provider that looses out in the end.
What generally irks me is those tha make a booking through a third party.......dont take note of all the T & Cs and want us to sort it all out for them......very frustrating, time consuming and no reward......
So yep an admin fee or cancellation fee is a good thing IMO and thoroughly deserved by the accommodation provider and believe me 3 weeks out is not unrealistic..........wasnt it Christmas just yesterday.....
And after a tough day at work I chill out pondering what unscrupulous tatics did the cancelled guest did take in their life to earn a dollar or two ...... lol
BTW $25 is not too much or unreasonable........just ask a bank how much a bounced cheque is these days
-- Edited by Bushpie on Tuesday 16th of May 2017 11:42:05 AM
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I Remember It ...............All Too Well
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Isnt the reason you are required to pay a deposit to secure the site ?
If its a busy period and the operator has turned away bookings due to my reservation then at some point I cancel then I would say the operator is entitled to the deposit .
Thanks for all the comments folks. Looks like some parks charge like bulls and others don't, as Southern Comfort said.
KJB- yep, point taken. Will also check on cancellation fees in future.
Swoffer- Are you seriously saying that during a "busy period" a cancellation 3 weeks out won't be filled by another customer? Doesn't seem likely to me. AS I said, if it was only a week or less, I'd accept the fee without complaint.
Bushpie- Cheque? what's that? A bank I once dealt with bounced one of my cheques because their fee had reduced the balance to be about $2 below the amount of the cheque. This was in spite of the fact that they had my work phone number and I worked in the building next door to the branch. The matter could have been dealt with in 5 minutes.The only power customers have is removal of their business- which is what I did. That act on their part cost them the interest on two home loans and several personal loans over the years.
A few weeks back I had to cancel for Big 4 Wagga Wagga (I am not a Big 4 member) about two weeks before I was scheduled to be there and the management transferred the deposit to a later time. I was able to visit Wagga Wagga a few weeks weeks later and the credit applied. I think if circumstances cause a cancellation two or three weeks out in most cases (major events in the city/town/locality excepted) it is a bit rich having to forfeit a deposit.
Swoffer- Are you seriously saying that during a "busy period" a cancellation 3 weeks out won't be filled by another customer? Doesn't seem likely to me. AS I said, if it was only a week or less, I'd accept the fee without complaint.
C00P
It matters not really , they have "deposits" for a reason , to discourage people booking then cancelling .
Just my opinion of course but if I cancelled any booking for which I'd payed a deposit and I got any of my deposit back I would be very happy .
Agreed, Santa, but on this occasion we were traveling with a group and the leader wanted us all to book ahead so that the group would stay together and not be spread over different parks or campsites. We didn't want to cancel, but medical issues meant we had to abandon the trip. It wasn't a frivolous decision. We usually don't book more than 2 or 3 days ahead (if at all). I've not come across this issue before as I haven't had to cancel a booking before.
Yes Swoffer, no doubt you are correct. On this occasion it has cost them a future customer. We will be travelling that way again but we won't be staying there. In my opinion, all they got for their cancellation fee is $25 worth of advertising...
Cheers
Agreed, Santa, but on this occasion we were traveling with a group and the leader wanted us all to book ahead so that the group would stay together and not be spread over different parks or campsites.
I was also a little intrigued by the park operator's statement that the notification of the cancellation policy was on the receipt. OK, so assuming I got a receipt, and noticed the policy, would the policy have applied if I had immediately objected and withdrawn my booking? In such a case, the amount of "administrative" work on her part would have been the same (reversal of a credit card payment), yet her comment suggests that the policy would not apply if I objected to it as soon as I became aware of it.
Had I cancelled the booking only a few days before the date we were due to arrive, I could understand such a hefty fee, but a fee that represents over 50% of the deposit when the booking was over 3 weeks away still seems exorbitant in my opinion.
It certainly provides encouragement for more free camping!
Cheers
C00P
Sounds like they're pushing the envelope a bit with post-payment notification, however if the terms are not made clear at time of booking, at least ask before paying. Buyer beware!
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Cheers,
Tony
"Opinion is the medium between ignorance and knowledge" - Plato
Sounds like they're pushing the envelope a bit with post-payment notification, however if the terms are not made clear at time of booking, at least ask before paying. Buyer beware!
Agreed, Santa, but on this occasion we were travelling with a group and the leader wanted us all to book ahead so that the group would stay together and not be spread over different parks or campsites. ~~~SNIP Cheers
C00P
Gday...
In some way, that arrangement may have been the crux of the problem, and their insisting on their 'cancellation fee'.
If a group was booked all together in a group of sites then one cancellation would quite probably have meant that the now 'cancelled site' would be very hard to 'fill'.
Most other travellers may not have been keen to be in amongst a crowd with a common purpose they didn't share, and didn't know. That may have caused the van park to have to forego the chance to recoup the fee your booking for that site would have attracted.
Despite all that, I too am not keen to be 'slugged' for a cancellation fee. Doesn't apply in your actual circumstances in this instance, but I only ring a day or two ahead if I know 100% I am going to be at that town/park. Otherwise, I take pot luck.
Cheers - John
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Agreed, Santa, but on this occasion we were travelling with a group and the leader wanted us all to book ahead so that the group would stay together and not be spread over different parks or campsites. ~~~SNIP Cheers
C00P
I only ring a day or two ahead if I know 100% I am going to be at that town/park. Otherwise, I take pot luck.
I too am careful about booking ahead and like Coop get a bit up tight when I am up for a booking fee or admin charge. While I can accept reasonable costs some seem to be a bit over the top.
This is where negotiating for a credit against future stays is a good strategy, especially with the bigger chains.
In some way, that arrangement may have been the crux of the problem, and their insisting on their 'cancellation fee'.
If a group was booked all together in a group of sites then one cancellation would quite probably have meant that the now 'cancelled site' would be very hard to 'fill'.
Most other travellers may not have been keen to be in amongst a crowd with a common purpose they didn't share, and didn't know. That may have caused the van park to have to forego the chance to recoup the fee your booking for that site would have attracted.
Easily fixed- shift one from the edge of the group into the vacant spot leaving the vacancy outside the group.It wouldn't cost $25 to do that...
If that was the reason, then they lacked imagination!
We booked a caravan park site not that long ago. about a month before we were caught in a storm n van needed repair. Got the repair date n it was the same time. rang n asked could we change date for a few days later. No. Could i have a refund. No. Not a busy time Either. I eventually got onto the council n complained. Finally got a refund. Never been back.
Totally understand parks charging an admin. Fee is it is with say 10 days but 1 month out i ridiculous.
I learnt the hard way. Never book ahead.
-- Edited by the rocket on Wednesday 17th of May 2017 11:59:03 AM
I think most folks understand that a deposit is a part payment against an agreed sale amount, and as a verbal contract of sale exists, a merchant has no legal obligation to refund any deposit what-so-ever.
Should the merchant so desire, they are entitled to chase you for the entire contracted amount (the entire length of your proposed stay), including recovering any legal costs they incur in doing so.
I agree with Swoffer, if a merchant agrees to give you any deposit back you are lucky.
Many accommodation merchants these days do what is called credit card "hold amount".
Basically, a deposit amount is deducted from your available credit limit (for up to 1 year in advance) but is not immediately transferred to the merchant and so you pay no interest on it.
Only if you fail to complete the contract, does the merchant then finalise the card transaction and get paid the entire hold amount.
This is what almost all car hire and tour companies do as well.
Well, granted my experience with cancelled bookings is fairly limited, however with only one exception, all the other parks (20 of them) took no fee. (The other one was a fee of $4).
So, either I am extremely lucky, or the other park owners understand that such high fees are poor PR, entitled or not. Especially when, given how far in advance the cancellation was made, there is a very good chance they would be able to make up the booking anyway.
Regardless of what industry they're in, some service providers are just more commercially astute than others, this CP isn't one of them. We know how it works, we know canx. fees are common with accommodation providers, and that they have the right to invoke their cancellation terms. The problem with this one is they chose to alienate the customer in the process - poor commercial judgement since there are no winners.
Despite their legal rights, the CP should have made their canx. policy much clearer before the transaction was completed, then C00P wouldn't have an axe to grind assuming he/she had accepted them. There are too many operators like this who trip themselves up trying to be smart, so if the terms are not made clear before entering into the purchase contract, it's wise to ASK before signing.
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Cheers,
Tony
"Opinion is the medium between ignorance and knowledge" - Plato
A bank I once dealt with bounced one of my cheques because 
