I'm assuming they have offered you a full refund? If so I would take it and rebook with another company. You are not going to relax and look forward to your holiday if you have to compromise and take something you don't want.

Have a look at the Safe and Sound booklet available via my signature or by clicking Safe & Sound at the top of the forums. This will detail your rights regarding the change.

luci

Hi Cleo,

Surely this is classed as a major change? In which case they have to offer you the same spec accom (* rating, facilities, location etc) or give you a full refund. All TO's work on pretty much the same T & C's for changes.

Why is the third bed not suitable?

Regardless, you booked the holiday presumably based on 3 sharing. They took the booking and have confirmed it. Not your fault that they can't deliver. Please don't accept the alternative if you are not happy with it. You will waive any right to complain about it later.

Louby

What are the apartments called? Maybe you can get a refund and rebook - or we could see if anyone has stayed there and knows the lay out. Surely FC knew the age of your son ie he was either an adult or if classed as a child they ask the ages?

I wouldn't accept it without a fight. For a start if the booking shouldn't have been allowed, why has it taken them so long to realise their mistake? It doesn't seem fair that you should be penalised, since even if you take a refund at this late stage you are unlikely to find a free child place elsewhere, whereas had the 'mistake' been picked up at booking you would have had more options. Worth trying to fight this all the way, at least you know you've given it your best shot.
Good luck, let us know how you get on!
Pam

Sounds very unfair to me and yes, you should be offered a full refund, you didn't mention whether this was the case. The alternative they have offered doesn't sound suitable for you.

I presume that the TO offers free child places for under 16s, which is why you booked? The hotel clearly does not class their child places in the same way as it seems they have beds suitable for children under a certain age. Whatever the case, the TO mistakenly took the booking without checking that they were able to provide the room you wanted.

I would insist on the refund and book somewhere else. I know you were taking advantage of free child places but it's worth bearing in mind that if you make a booking for 3 adults in a room you often get a discount for the third person. This has been the case when I've holidayed with two friends. You may even find that you can do this with the hotel you had originally booked with - perhaps try another operator and ring them and ask them for details of 3 adults in a room.

We had a situation very similar to this a few years ago - we accepted a full refund............the only problem being that similar holidays had gone up so much that we ended up either having to pay a lot more for a similar holiday or go somewhere of a much lower standard/worse location
etc.

We chose the latter and had a terrible holiday (our choice obviously!) but with hindsight I would NEVER have taken the refund - why should you be at a disadvantage when you booked this months ago and they accepted your booking in good faith? The only cop out they should have is if you told them your child was 11 or something and the bed was for under 12's..........but this obviously isint the case. They knew the age when they accepted the booking!

I would persevere with trying to get similar accommodation/location from them - Ros Fernihough's number is on the thread - I would give her a call - you still have time to sort things before July.

Hope you get a satisfactory outcome from this.

I agree with Tootsie,
People book early and seem to get scrooood over!
If you book early and get a free child place, a full refund, at such a long time after the original booking, means you'll be very unlikely to get a free child on another holiday!
In many cases the offer of a full refund will feel like a slap in the face! Ok you've got your money back but you're not likely to be able to spend it on the same quality of holiday as you originally had!
Problem is i don't think theres much can be done about it!

I'm not familiar with the resort originally chosen by the complainant but, it's possible this may have been a new apartment complex or resort to the tour operator for summer 2008 and, could also be that the island has just opened for summer with the new reps preparing the PIF's (property information file). This may be what has highlighted the problem that the 3rd bed is probably only a z bed and therefore only suitable for a child up to about 12yrs or so.

The alternative unit is possibly the only one that offers a suitable 3rd bed.....

However, as far as I am aware - if you had a free child place on your original booking, the tour operator should honour this at any other unit (that was ALSO offering free child places in the same brochure edition you booked your holiday from). I would go back to your agent (if you used one) to find out which edition brochure you made your booking from. (This info is available on the tour ops reservation system and also in the small print at the back of each brochure - usually entitiled "brochure validity" or similar). Check the date you made your reservation and find the brochure that was applicable at that time, then check all the units that were offering Free child places. Stick to your guns in that you want your free child place honoured.

Bear in mind that apartment holidays usually offer free child places up to 16yrs but hotels only up to 12yrs.

CwB

Thank you everyone for your comments, I will not give up without a fight! I will post the outcome of this matter.

Cleo