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Narrowboat Hire booked for 6th April


Knighty

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6 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I think all you can do is leave it to the very last minute the final payment is due, check your booking conditions and gauge the situation at that time.

 

You will of course lose your deposit but better to only lose that rather than the full amount.

 

 

This is what is happening to my mates bookings. No one is paying the final balance. If it continues and is nationwide it will be catastrophic for many holiday firms and hotels etc. 

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I think this is an interesting one for all of us who boat extensively - unless we are told we can't (or the system closes down on the basis that boatyards are non essential) surely we are better off on our boats (I get pretty stir crazy if I'm not boating April to Oct)

 

Pubs, Boatyards and general shopping seem to be the real areas of risk to getting on with it - if you do fall ill home might beckon, but you would still have to self-isolate.

 

Don't forget Tesco's (other supermarkets exist) will deliver to anywhere you can provide access and a postcode - you/we may need to plan a bit more but I'd rather be semi isolated on the boat than stuck with next doors bored unsupervised kids making a racket every day cos the schools are closed.

 

 It looks as though over 70's boaters will have some challenges...………………..phew just missed that one...…………..

 

What we really need is some better weather to cheer us all up - hopefully give it another month and the pattern of our medium term lives might be a bit clearer with better weather making us feel better regardless.

 

We're going boating...…………..and soon...…………….

 

 

Edited by Halsey
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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

This is what is happening to my mates bookings. No one is paying the final balance. If it continues and is nationwide it will be catastrophic for many holiday firms and hotels etc. 

Personally I wouldn't cancel if was in the UK. Only actually having the virus thing OR a nationwide/local lock down (as the media term it) would personally stop me going.

 

But the person I quoted and who asked the question was coming from Canada which adds a complication. Even if they wanted to take the holiday there is the issue of getting to the UK.

 

Quite why any body based in the UK is cancelling their UK boating holiday is a bit beyond me. Yes there may be restrictions in terms of pubs and cafes and the like but that's only one small part (to me anyway) of what a boating holiday is about. The best bit is the actual boating.

 

And where better to be than on the open water on a boat when the chances of catching the thing must be massively reduced, especially when compared to going to a hotel or god forbid on a cruise.

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5 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Personally I wouldn't cancel if was in the UK. Only actually having the virus thing OR a nationwide/local lock down (as the media term it) would personally stop me going.

 

But the person I quoted and who asked the question was coming from Canada which adds a complication. Even if they wanted to take the holiday there is the issue of getting to the UK.

 

Quite why any body based in the UK is cancelling their UK boating holiday is a bit beyond me. Yes there may be restrictions in terms of pubs and cafes and the like but that's only one small part (to me anyway) of what a boating holiday is about. The best bit is the actual boating.

 

And where better to be than on the open water on a boat when the chances of catching the thing must be massively reduced, especially when compared to going to a hotel or god forbid on a cruise.

I agree with you, but many dont. There is a forum member who owns a hire fleet on here and I bet he is getting the same problems my mate is getting at his hire bases. Its sad but true.

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1 minute ago, mrsmelly said:

I agree with you, but many don't. There is a forum member who owns a hire fleet on here and I bet he is getting the same problems my mate is getting at his hire bases. Its sad but true.

I know I'm on a couple of groups and loads are cancelling their UK holidays, it's just utter madness, more fool them for paying a deposit for nothing. Part of the problem is some yards offer a very low deposit scheme to encourage bookings, particularly when booked in the previous year. People think they can easily throw £50 or a £100 away. I think this will lead to these yards wanting heftier deposits in the future, which is fine by me.

 

I'm hoping the inability for people to get abroad will give some degree of impetus to the UK holiday but not expecting it TBH.

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5 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I know I'm on a couple of groups and loads are cancelling their UK holidays, it's just utter madness, more fool them for paying a deposit for nothing. Part of the problem is some yards offer a very low deposit scheme to encourage bookings, particularly when booked in the previous year. People think they can easily throw £50 or a £100 away. I think this will lead to these yards wanting heftier deposits in the future, which is fine by me.

 

I'm hoping the inability for people to get abroad will give some degree of impetus to the UK holiday but not expecting it TBH.

This is of course where boating (and I suppose to a lesser degree caravanning etc) is uniquely placed this year as it is a holiday that doesn't involve crowds and encourages separation.

 

It should work in the industrys favour but it probably wont...…………….

Edited by Halsey
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36 minutes ago, Halsey said:

This is of course where boating (and I suppose to a lesser degree caravanning etc) is uniquely placed this year as it is a holiday that doesn't involve crowds and encourages separation.

 

It should work in the industrys favour but it probably wont...…………….

 

It might if they ran an advertising campaign to explain this to the public and those who already have bookings. 

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1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

It might if they ran an advertising campaign to explain this to the public and those who already have bookings. 

Any (affordable) suggestions as to how/where and who to run this campaign so it will be seen (and believed) by the general public gratefully received.

 

IMO the trade doesn't really have an effective body to represent it anymore, and there's only two big booking agents now, neither of which I suspect have the resource to spend on a big national advertising campaign.

 

I think the greatest factor putting people off booking is that they of don't know whether or not they might be ill at the time of their holiday, plus of course we can't guarantee the person on the boat before wasn't a carrier, or that one of the staff won't get it and we'll all be quarantined etc. etc.

 

At any point when there's a big unknown (2008 crash, Brexit vote, foot & mouth) the first thing people do is stop thinking about holidays.

 

Everyone's cash flow will be based around "surviving the winter" and now is when things should get moving again. The firms that have other income streams (moorings, repair facilities) and who aren't covered by their business interruption insurance are probably best off just hunkering down and weathering it, anyone without those fall backs is probably already in trouble and I feel for them.

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4 minutes ago, Rose Narrowboats said:

Any (affordable) suggestions as to how/where and who to run this campaign so it will be seen (and believed) by the general public gratefully received.

 

IMO the trade doesn't really have an effective body to represent it anymore, and there's only two big booking agents now, neither of which I suspect have the resource to spend on a big national advertising campaign.

 

I think the greatest factor putting people off booking is that they of don't know whether or not they might be ill at the time of their holiday, plus of course we can't guarantee the person on the boat before wasn't a carrier, or that one of the staff won't get it and we'll all be quarantined etc. etc.

 

At any point when there's a big unknown (2008 crash, Brexit vote, foot & mouth) the first thing people do is stop thinking about holidays.

 

Everyone's cash flow will be based around "surviving the winter" and now is when things should get moving again. The firms that have other income streams (moorings, repair facilities) and who aren't covered by their business interruption insurance are probably best off just hunkering down and weathering it, anyone without those fall backs is probably already in trouble and I feel for them.

Some of the yards on the broads are putting out on Twitter and Facebook and their web sites about enhanced cleaning, additional booking protection etc etc....

 

https://barnesbrinkcraft.co.uk/blog/new-cancellation-policy/?fbclid=IwAR1d9jz76pZvBo217DH6ht0mrQhQc4AS1-ofn3sKRMlHq82y_xYPeMPnfbM

 

 

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55 minutes ago, Rose Narrowboats said:

Any (affordable) suggestions as to how/where and who to run this campaign so it will be seen (and believed) by the general public gratefully received.

 

IMO the trade doesn't really have an effective body to represent it anymore, and there's only two big booking agents now, neither of which I suspect have the resource to spend on a big national advertising campaign.

 

I think the greatest factor putting people off booking is that they of don't know whether or not they might be ill at the time of their holiday, plus of course we can't guarantee the person on the boat before wasn't a carrier, or that one of the staff won't get it and we'll all be quarantined etc. etc.

 

At any point when there's a big unknown (2008 crash, Brexit vote, foot & mouth) the first thing people do is stop thinking about holidays.

 

Everyone's cash flow will be based around "surviving the winter" and now is when things should get moving again. The firms that have other income streams (moorings, repair facilities) and who aren't covered by their business interruption insurance are probably best off just hunkering down and weathering it, anyone without those fall backs is probably already in trouble and I feel for them.

 

As a start I would contact those with bookings, reassuring them that there is no need to cancel, as they will effectively be in isolation from the world at large, and as The Happy Nomad says, reassuring them about boats being deep cleaned between hires etc. You could also contact previous hirers, who may have had to cancel non-boating holidays.

 

CRT have a lot of "followers" and could put positive messages out regarding boating holidays to reinforce anything your trade body issues.

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2 hours ago, Rose Narrowboats said:

Any (affordable) suggestions as to how/where and who to run this campaign so it will be seen (and believed) by the general public gratefully received.

 

IMO the trade doesn't really have an effective body to represent it anymore, and there's only two big booking agents now, neither of which I suspect have the resource to spend on a big national advertising campaign.

 

I think the greatest factor putting people off booking is that they of don't know whether or not they might be ill at the time of their holiday, plus of course we can't guarantee the person on the boat before wasn't a carrier, or that one of the staff won't get it and we'll all be quarantined etc. etc.

 

At any point when there's a big unknown (2008 crash, Brexit vote, foot & mouth) the first thing people do is stop thinking about holidays.

 

Everyone's cash flow will be based around "surviving the winter" and now is when things should get moving again. The firms that have other income streams (moorings, repair facilities) and who aren't covered by their business interruption insurance are probably best off just hunkering down and weathering it, anyone without those fall backs is probably already in trouble and I feel for them.

 

Has to be "social media" not that I engage but its power cant be underestimated and it would be good to see it being used for good...………...

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There have been a number of very valid points raised... my (much) better half and I have had a number of conversations over the last few days regarding our June vacation. At present, we plan on going. 

 

We are both hopeful that in the little over two months to go before we leave here, that the situation will have stabilized. We're going to delay paying the final balance for a bit, but if it turns out that we have paid the balance and for some reason we have to cancel our flights... we'll deal with that if the time comes.

 

Having said that, if I were in the UK I would not be overly concerned about taking a vacation in the UK... much like the extra long weekend trip we have booked at a cabin about 90 minutes from here.

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On 15/03/2020 at 13:04, cp140405 said:

There have been a number of very valid points raised... my (much) better half and I have had a number of conversations over the last few days regarding our June vacation. At present, we plan on going. 

 

We are both hopeful that in the little over two months to go before we leave here, that the situation will have stabilized. We're going to delay paying the final balance for a bit, but if it turns out that we have paid the balance and for some reason we have to cancel our flights... we'll deal with that if the time comes.

 

Having said that, if I were in the UK I would not be overly concerned about taking a vacation in the UK... much like the extra long weekend trip we have booked at a cabin about 90 minutes from here.

Just a quick update.... earlier today I received a blanket email from the hire company we are booked with. In a nutshell it states that anyone with a booking to start within the next four weeks have a number of options including rescheduling for later in the year and deferring it until the same time next year... with no loss of deposits/fees already paid. They also stated that the situation will be re-evaluated towards the end of the current four week period.

 

I suspect (and hope) most hire companies will put similar policies in place if they haven't already.

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29 minutes ago, cp140405 said:

Just a quick update.... earlier today I received a blanket email from the hire company we are booked with. In a nutshell it states that anyone with a booking to start within the next four weeks have a number of options including rescheduling for later in the year and deferring it until the same time next year... with no loss of deposits/fees already paid. They also stated that the situation will be re-evaluated towards the end of the current four week period.

 

I suspect (and hope) most hire companies will put similar policies in place if they haven't already.

Sounds like a result. The only thing I would say (and im in a very similar position) is this. Bear in mind that if you do defer your booking and the company goes under in the meantime you will still lose out. Unless you have paid by credit card personally I would take a refund if it is offered.

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40 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Sounds like a result. The only thing I would say (and im in a very similar position) is this. Bear in mind that if you do defer your booking and the company goes under in the meantime you will still lose out. Unless you have paid by credit card personally I would take a refund if it is offered.

....but on the other hand, I reckon by early May, we will be seeing a decline in cases, especially with the warm weather and lots of peeps looking for safe UK hols so the hire companies will be rolling again and the government funding announced today will help bridge the 3 month cash flow gap. It now sounds like business interruption insurance should pay out if you believe what the Beeb says.

Boating will be a safe holiday.....as long as you take your own beer.

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1 minute ago, Dr Bob said:

....but on the other hand, I reckon by early May, we will be seeing a decline in cases, especially with the warm weather and lots of peeps looking for safe UK hols so the hire companies will be rolling again and the government funding announced today will help bridge the 3 month cash flow gap. It now sounds like business interruption insurance should pay out if you believe what the Beeb says.

Boating will be a safe holiday.....as long as you take your own beer.

Yes, beer lots of beer.!

 

But I do think May might be a tad optimistic.

 

If we defer we are going for around July or October as we have a different non boating break booked for the whole of September and want to avoid the summer hols due to the price hike.

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15 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Yes, beer lots of beer.!

 

But I do think May might be a tad optimistic.

 

If we defer we are going for around July or October as we have a different non boating break booked for the whole of September and want to avoid the summer hols due to the price hike.

I reckon you could negotiate any price at the moment for July?

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8 hours ago, cp140405 said:

Just a quick update.... earlier today I received a blanket email from the hire company we are booked with. In a nutshell it states that anyone with a booking to start within the next four weeks have a number of options including rescheduling for later in the year and deferring it until the same time next year... with no loss of deposits/fees already paid. They also stated that the situation will be re-evaluated towards the end of the current four week period.

 

I suspect (and hope) most hire companies will put similar policies in place if they haven't already.

Well I’ve booked with Hoseasons 6 April and haven’t received any email, however your post spurred me to look at their website and they say the following (posted yesterday)

 

  • For new and existing bookings with an arrival date on or before 21st May 2020*, customers may request a change to the start date of their booking by up to 12 months, subject to availability. We will waive any administration charges for the change but depending on the cost of the accommodation of the new booking, you may have to make a further payment or may receive a partial refund with respect to the cost of accommodation.
  • *Customers will need to contact us at least 48 hours before their scheduled arrival date.
  • We will update this page should our policy on this change.

 

I still want to go on my original date, I guess illness or government ordering people to stay in doors are the only things stopping me??

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4 minutes ago, Knighty said:

Well I’ve booked with Hoseasons 6 April and haven’t received any email, however your post spurred me to look at their website and they say the following (posted yesterday)

 

  • For new and existing bookings with an arrival date on or before 21st May 2020*, customers may request a change to the start date of their booking by up to 12 months, subject to availability. We will waive any administration charges for the change but depending on the cost of the accommodation of the new booking, you may have to make a further payment or may receive a partial refund with respect to the cost of accommodation.
  • *Customers will need to contact us at least 48 hours before their scheduled arrival date.
  • We will update this page should our policy on this change.

 

I still want to go on my original date, I guess illness or government ordering people to stay in doors are the only things stopping me??

I'm glad you have more information to work on. I'd also like to apologize for perhaps having hijacked and diverted your original topic.

It seems that most companies (airlines, hotels, car rentals etc.) are choosing to offer reasonable options to customers who may feel compelled to cancel or change bookings. Part of that is, of course, motivated self interest. Few companies could withstand the social media backlash that would arise from rigidly enforcing cancellation policies in the midst of a global pandemic.

Ultimately it is you that has to make the decision based on all the information you can gather at the time. What is right for you may not be right for someone else. Nobody can second guess you. My knowledge of what is going on in the UK is limited to news reports from the BBC and emails from cousins.

Please do let me know how you make out. 

 

Now, if you will excuse me... I'm off to bed... my regional government has declared a public health emergency.... my wife and I are both in healthcare jobs... I just want curl up in a little ball and suck my thumb... or perhaps find a large whiskey. ?

 

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21 hours ago, cp140405 said:

Just a quick update.... earlier today I received a blanket email from the hire company we are booked with. In a nutshell it states that anyone with a booking to start within the next four weeks have a number of options including rescheduling for later in the year and deferring it until the same time next year... with no loss of deposits/fees already paid. They also stated that the situation will be re-evaluated towards the end of the current four week period.

 

My daughter works for a popular visitor attraction. They closed at the beginning of this week and staff have been redeployed contacting customers with bookings in the next 3 months, offering them either refunds or rebooking for later in the year. But she's not sure what she's going to be doing after all the booked customers have been contacted.

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7 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

My daughter works for a popular visitor attraction. They closed at the beginning of this week and staff have been redeployed contacting customers with bookings in the next 3 months, offering them either refunds or rebooking for later in the year. But she's not sure what she's going to be doing after all the booked customers have been contacted.

Yes it is an unsettled time for everyone. My daughter works part-time for a local museum and is in her final semester of a French degree (she wants to teach French). The museum has been closed, but thankfully she has been given work to do at home transcribing old records.

My regional government has now declared a state of emergency and the Canada/US border is now closed to all but essential traffic.

What was that curse... "May you live in interesting times" ?

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Kris Cruisers and Waterways holidays who I booked my hire boat for Easter are not putting much help out for customers.

 

Waterways holidays do have a note on the website and apart from a little general information it basically says that non of the bookings are their problem and go look at the terms and conditions of individual hire companies.

 

Kris Cruisers have zero information on their website and have not sent any information out at all.

 

Fingers crossed that no more red boards disappear from the Thames and that will be a route to getting my money back.

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Further update, my booking was put on hold and I have now rescheduled for last week in October. An Autumn cruise to look forward to, I’m assuming @mrsmelly will be along soon  to tell me the hire company will have gone to the wall by then!

Edited by Knighty
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