Sun Holiday Problem

A question about : Sun Holiday Problem

I booked a short break through the Sun Holiday promotion in January.

It was booked online , neither before or during the booking was I aware that I would be charged for a compulsory Facilities pass.

In the booking confirmation I had from the Sun it even states that this is optional , see below

Lead Name : Mr XXXXX
Booking Reference : XXXXXX
Holiday Date : Friday 22 May, 2015 for 3 nights
Holiday Area : 10 - South Wales
Holiday Park : 74 - Manorbier Country Park
Accommodation : STANDARD Party Size : 4
Holiday Cost : Ј40.30
Amount Paid : Ј40.30 (Paid Saturday 10 January, 2015 @ 23:40:31)
Service Charge* : Ј33.75 (Ј11.25 pupn)
Entertainment Passes* : Ј29.00 (Ј7.25 pppb)
Total Holiday Cost : Ј103.05 * These will be invoiced direct by the holiday park with your accommodation confirmation.

Entertainment/Clubroom passes are optional and can be deducted.

I've had a booking confirmation/Invoice from Coastal Parks and it lists a charge of Ј29 for Facility Passes and it also says the passes are NOT optional , I've called them up and they confirm this and say it must be paid as it's not an Entertainment pass but a Facility Pass.

Given the fact I wasn't made aware of this cost before or during booking and my confirmation email state that it's optional then what would be my best course of action to get this charge removed ?

Best answers:

• I'm also going to Manorbier I just dug my heels in when i rang to pay balance Try ringing them back quoting the Suns email confirmation - if you don't ask you don't get
• From The Sun
  Do I have to pay the supplement charges?
  The Service Charge (includes gas & electric) is compulsory. At some parks on certain dates there is no service charge. Entertainment passes and bed linen are optional.
  All information regarding supplement charges are detailed against each individual park in the newspaper.
  All supplement charges are paid directly to the park.
  Please note that if supplement charges are not paid on time (the date specified on the confirmation from the park), the holiday will be cancelled by the park operator. There are no refunds in this instance.
  When I have looked at these sorts of holidays in the past it is always very clear which make an extra charge for their facilities and which don't and then it is up to you to decide if you want to go there or not. Personally I think that by the time you have paid for the extra's you can often book directly for around the same price.
  The Sun have been doing these sorts of holidays for years - I am sure they are fairly up to speed now with making sure their booking conditions are clear and their T&Cs are clear, otherwise they could not have continued for so long.
• Unlucky Wayne I just dug my heels and said i wasn't happy about paying for something that wouldn't be used as there are only 2 of us going - so paid for just the 2 passes. They blamed the sun for not pointing it out initially. Have a good holiday
• Sun holiday problem: spending any amount of time in any location where the majority of the clientele are people who "read" the sun.
  *shudder*
• I also had the same problem with Manorbier Country Park, but managed to resolve it over the phone with the park. We booked adjoining dates to get a full week down there, and negotiated with them that we would pay for passes for one period, but not for the other (which is what we wanted to do). The guy there was surprised that the Sun site let us adjacent dates (why shouldn't it if there's availability and we can in theory book as many holidays as we want), and he also made it very clear to us that they see none of the money that we pay the Sun, so we are getting 4 nights for Ј33, which is really cheap.
  I do have Sun's helpline number, but haven't called them about it yet - I was only going to do it because of Manorbier's T&Cs being at odds with the Sun's (which is the one you sign up for when booking), and raising that complaint.
  As for holiday with Sun readers... I never buy the Sun. I bet a signficant proportion of people on sun holidays never read the sun either! :P