Is it common for deposits at Irish B&Bs to be non-refundable?

I recently gave a 4 week cancellation notice to an Irish B&B. I was informed the deposit was non-refundable.

The booking was made directly with the B&B with no mention of being non-refundable.

It is normally prudent to ask what the cancellation policy is . . . . <u>Before</u> one pays the deposit.

Every place has it's own rules - some refund deposits, some do ONLY if they can re-rent the room, some automatically keep all or part of a deposit.

This may sound sneaky, but if it were me, I would have a friend email them asking about prices, availability and cancellation policy, just to clarify if you missed something, or were not thoroughly informed.

If they respond that the deposit is nonrefundable, I guess that there is nothing that you can do, but chalk it up to experience. If however they give a time period for cancellation with no penalty, I would contact them, sending their email response to your friend's inquiry, and ask for my money back. Money is money, especially your money.


If you paid by credit card, contact the company... if not, you are out of luck and out of pocket.

Nina

Does that mean you cancelled your B&amp;B reservation 4-weeks before your scheduled date of arrival?? If so, I think any reputable B&amp;B should refund your deposit.

It's not like you were planning to get there tomorrow and the B&amp;B Operator went out to buy eggs and sausages and black pudding for your breakfast.

If the B&amp;B is Irish Tourist Board (ITB) rated, tell the B&amp;B Operator you'll be going to ITB to report their unreasonable policy and to try to get your problem resolved. Don't send an e-mail! Contact them by phone!

23 days notice to be exact. While that is closer to 3 weeks, I still think it is quite an acceptable notice.

You're right, Janis, and I won't make that mistake again. However, I've never encountered such a policy that wasn't made quite clear (such as in reduced, pre-paid rates). I've found my original booking emails and there is no mention of the deposit being non-refundable.

I will follow the advice to follow up with the Irish Tourist Board.

Hi xxxx..I do have a question re the BandB. Which one was it, if you don't mind answering. We are going next May, and have not yet been asked for a deposit. Did you send your CC and they took it out of the CC? Would appreciate any more info, wouldn't want to get &quot;stuck&quot;. This will be our 7th Ireland trip, and have never been asked for a deposit.

Thanks, Helen

If you had given just a couple of days notice, then I would say tough noogies for you because they turned away other customers while holding the room. But you gave 23 days notice which I think is more than enough notice. I agree this isn't fair. Good luck.

I'm going to give the proprietor a final chance to willingly refund our money before I go public with the name.

We were not asked for a credit card confirmation nor a deposit at our B&amp;B in Kilkenny. And that is for a 3-night stay over a bank holiday weekend!

The 2 B&amp;Bs that asked for credit card confirmation are both located outside of Dublin near the airport.

This is the response from the B&amp;B when I made my initial request in May: &quot;If you would like to book, I would need a deposit which can be taken through your credit card, You can telephone me on ******** the details or alternatively send the details over 2/3 emails.
Please advise of your arrival time.&quot;

I'll post back with developments as they occur. I'm beginning to think that even if we don't get our money refunded, I'm glad to not be staying any place with these business practices.

Is the B&amp;B listed with Town &amp; Country: http://www.townandcountry.ie/ They have certain rules and standards. Contact them for info about these rules that their members must abide by.

Did you use your credit card? You may be able to dispute the charge directly with your card company.

I am happy to report that the proprietor has agreed to refund our deposit.

However, the refund is only taking place because she acknowlegded that no where in our correspondence does it mention that the deposit is non-refundable. She states it is usually her policy to mention that fact.

Speaking of being sneaky, I'd think about contacting the B&amp;B a couple days before your dates inquiring about availability (under another name, of course). If they tell you they are fully booked, then I'd contact them as yourself and ask for the deposit back again as they clearly rented your reserved room.

But since you've now gotten the refund, that won't be necessary.

I wished I had paid more attention, but does anyone know the B&amp;B organization, that the B&amp;B's agree to pricing. I've seen the card posted in rooms and check in desks???

I had a B&amp;B that did not honor that pricing cap, and when I inquired- he was very rude. Even though the B&amp;B was very nice, customer service is part of the package for me. I would never recommend the place because of this.

He did state some things that I would like to verify with the association, if possible.