We booked a break with Sykes Holiday Cottages for 11 of us to celebrate my mum’s 80th birthday last February. The cost was £2,400, paid for by my 87-year-old dad, but it was my husband who made the booking. In January, my husband was diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma, and he died 10 days before the trip.
My parents and some other members of the party still planned to take the holiday, and my dad informed Sykes of the death, since my husband was their point of contact. Sykes declared that the booking could not be honoured in my late husband’s name and that they would need a copy of his death certificate to move it into my name. We did not have one since an inquest into the death had been ordered.
Sykes said a copy of my marriage certificate would suffice. I submitted this, only to be told that “an official document recognised by the state that confirms the passing of the deceased” was required. We provided a screenshot of the inquest listing from the coroner’s court website but were advised that this was not sufficient evidence.
My GP wrote a letter confirming the death, but Sykes did not reply, and by then we were all too distressed to continue. Later, Sykes sent numerous emails to my late husband’s email address asking whether he had enjoyed the stay. We never received a refund, and I have not felt emotionally strong enough to do anything further before now.
I could hardly believe what I was reading as I trawled through Sykes’s correspondence. Its response, on being informed of your husband’s untimely death, was to send him an email asking for information. When Sykes received the requested marriage certificate, the company simultaneously stated in an email that this provided sufficient proof for the booking to be transferred to your name, and that the booking could not be transferred without an official confirmation of death.
The GP letter confirming the death merely elicited an email saying Sykes would be in touch. By then, the trip was two days away. Sykes still did not amend the booking name, nor did it acknowledge the link to the coroner’s inquest listing.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
