“Cottages.com insurance - a cautionary tale
This review submitted as a quiet warning to anyone booking with cottages.com to read the fine print of the insurance this company offers very carefully and make sure it is appropriate for your own situation.
We were unable to take our booked holiday back in April 2021 when our dog died suddenly a few days before the holiday start. I contacted cottages.com (many times, was ignored or stuck waiting on the phone for over 20 mins) to ask if the insurance we had taken out with them (Ā£35) would provide us with a refund, especially if they were able to re-book that week - a strong likelihood given staycation demand in 2021. Put simply - I wanted to know if cottages.com had made money by rebooking that property which just felt immoral and wrong given it was caused by the death of my dog. Cottages.com finally replied to me declining the refund and refusing to confirm whether they had rebooked the property on that week of 16-23 April. My more recent emails to them have simply been ignored.”
“Totally disappointed!!! We had to cancel the holiday 7 days before, we didnāt have a choice my wife father died we have to go for the funeral At the same time as we have the holidays. They didnāt want to even listen what is the reason of cancelling this holidays and they charge as fee 95% of full payment. Im not recommend that company please try to look somewhere else”
“I paid a deposit, which they advertised low deposit, and needed to cancel the booking, was charged Ā£600 to cancel, and the booking was in another 12 months time, I called the owner of the cottage and he was lovely and told me to call them, very hard to get in contact - will never book anything with them again”
“The site did not acknowledge my review which reflected the true state of the property we rented thru Cottage.com. Photos and videos not acknowledged either. The Orchard, Rye. Pool was dirty, the property not cleaned properly dead insect everywhere in the house and in the pool house as well as the pool. House had a large infestation of flies. Hundreds of dead flies by all bedroom window. The children refused to sleep in 3 of the 6 bedrooms. We were 3 families of 4,4,5, each family had to stay in one room. Absolute rubbish.”
“We booked Poppy Cottage, West Ashby, Horncastle for a group of 5 ladies. The cottage is immaculate and well furnished. The owner Mrs A Dixon was next door and she was really helpful advising us on the area and where to go for shopping and other things. Our stay was really great. The hot tub was lovely and the whole place was just so comfortable and cosy. Would really recommend this cottage for an excellent break. Thank you Angela you were great.”
“Worse company Iāve ever dealt with. Absolute hassle to cancel the booking with and hours of waiting on the phone to even speak to anyone. When we found out we couldnāt cancel the holiday we changed the name of the booking at a loss and add insult to injury chargers us an extra 35 pound to change the name of the booking.”
“First off don't take advantage of their low deposit. It's a rip off. We had to cancel our staycation as my job is about to go due to the pandemic, and it just too expensive. We have 12 weeks notice...they the claimed at We owed them Ā£422! We wrote back offering Ā£25 a month or Ā£200 full and final settlement...of course, they lapped up the Ā£200 straight away. They relet the holiday home within 24 hours of us cancelling and at a much higher price. Don't use this company unless you are happy to deal with a ruthless disgusting customer service”
“Read their terms VERY carefully before booking. Cottages.com or their agents do not care, their customer service is awful. It is when you have issues you find out how good or bad a company are to deal with. We have used this company a couple of times to book accommodation, the first was fine as there were no issues however we had to cancel our booking for a stay in September as one of our party has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. We expected to lose our deposit but they told me there would be a cancellation charge which including administration fees would be a further Ā£ 137 per their terms and conditions and to claim off insurance if it applies to reclaim any monies paid which is the last thing we need right now. They then sent an email from their ācollections departmentā to recover the debt within 4 days. I paid them the balance immediately but am still waiting for a settlement invoice so I can claim off their insurance. We will never use this company again. As a comparison, we also had to cancel a cruise and P&O gave us the full balance of what we had paid as a future credit, like chalk and cheese.”
“Booked and paid in full over a year ago fir a cottage in Tain... found out Saturday a week before we go cottage no longer available..it had a flood. Agent didn't try to contact us to advise therefore we may have driven s great distance to no accomodation. Maddie did explain overworked departments due to other issues on mobile homes but it's quite scary they aren't able to cope. We've git a booking further north but had to pay another Ā£297 to have a holiday. Very unhappy at service ..gesture of Ā£500 was good but limited availability swallowed that up. Experience not good..could have been handled better. Felt sorry for staff š””
“We stayed at Ladyvale Barn, near Bodmin from April 23rd to the 30th this year. It certainly deserves it's 5ā rating! A beautiful ultra modern barn conversion in quiet woodland setting. Well equipped. Lovely owners. Will be back! Jean & Dave.”
“I would have given zero if possible. This company is dishonest and impossible to contact. I had to cancel due to covid restrictions and was unable to get through to them after dozens of attempts including the owner of the property telling them to contact me. There is no postal address. They have kept my deposit.”
“I paid a Ā£400 deposit in January for a holiday at the start of July. I opted to also pay the company's Insurance Premium so expected the return of my deposit when the holiday was cancelled due to Covit. Not only have I had no contact at all despite numerous e-mails and phone calls to a contact number which puts you on hold but is never answered but I see from their website that they are taking bookings and dealing with new customers? Surely existing customers should be recompensed before advertising their company as "Excellent & Trustworthy" ?”
“They are a disgrace to British Tourism.We booked in march for a holiday in cornwall in august. Six days before we were due to travel they emailed to say it was cancelled due to double booking .Then got a phone call apologising the woman said it was double booked then blamed the owners . We rang the owners who told us that it wasnt them and sent us a copy of cottages email to them . Cottages then rebooked it within the hour at a much higher price . I asked about compensation and all that was offered was 15% off next booking .As if we'd book with them again .Told her she was lying. They are part of Hoseasons and a bunch of con artists .If i could give the a zero rating i would . They've done this to thousands of people . STAY WELL AWAY FROM THEM”
“Waiting 2 weeks to reply to an email about them cancelling our Family holiday. Offered an alternative that cost 1/3 less than the original and not even offered the difference in money back. I wonāt be using this company again and would advise others to avoid them.”
“tried to cancel my booking and they are trying to take another Ā£350 to cancel it! I cannot believe they think this is appropriate behaviour when there is a national crisis.
I expected to lose the Ā£75 paid as a deposit, but not get charged more! I am not sure what planet they are on. Strongly advise not using these scammers!”
“They helped me find the perfect place. The cottage was exactly as described by cottages.com and pictures where exact. Stacy was very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Hope to be returning soon.”
