Bath & West ridiculous situation

LEC

LEC

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22 July 2005
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I am trying to withdraw from B&W but they will only give me a 50% refund and will not replace me despite me personally knowing 2 people who would take that place. How bad is that for customer service? What is the point they will not lose any money nor will it be any extra hassle for them.

This is what really annoys me about BE the withdrawl system is just there to sting you and I pay ridicuous entry fees all year long for this pleasure.
 
I was really lucky with Moreton Morrell - their policy was only 50% refund but I knew there was a wait list, so I e-mailed them and asked for a full refund. They gave me one!

B&W saying you only get 50% back is ridiculous if there are others to take your place - plain greedy
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Argh, how irritating!!!
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When I've asked several times this year do you have a wait list I've been told 'not officially'. Therefore I might not get my money back despite knowing people that want to enter. I haven't, and don't expect to, receive any money back for any of my withdrawls this year.
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i've never had any money back from a withdrawal. i agree, it is awful when they fill your place, and don't refund.
i lost over £800 one year from withdrawals of 2 horses, due to many different reasons. made me absolutely furious and bitter.
 
This really is one area that BE need to address. They are supposed to actually give you a full refund minus £10 admin if your place can be filled although in reality it doesn't happen as much as you might think. Munstead did for me though so a thumbs up to them!
 
Dont even get me started about refunds......

Following Beth & Songs....'incident'.. at Gatcombe she was signed off for 7 days minimum (LOC/Concussion) and Songs injury means he is now out for the rest of the season, Keysoe refused even a partial refund for the 2 horses for last weekend .... so we have a Drs cert (hopefully she will be passed fit to ride when seeing the Dr this afternoon), her medical card signed, and a Vets cert .... they said they would 'consider' if they could even give us the stabling back...... GRRRR.... Beth couldnt even have ridden if she wanted to.... (... goes into dark room and takes deep breath while counting to 100.....)

ah thats better.... sorry for the rant!
 
One idea I have had which could be a good thing is that BE draws up a list of all avaliable spaces at events a bit like a sales list which people can look on and its first come first served. That way if people have had to re-route or spaces have become avaliable due to withdrawls then people can see them clearly listed and enter.
I am lucky I can still run at Bath and West but this totally unhelpful situation for an event I have supported for the last 3 years really annoys me. I will not be giving them a single penny in the future and nor will I bother to help as they are close to me.
 
I really think letters to both H&H and eventing mag are in order, plus is there not some new body/rep to talk about improvements to the sport with now? They could be worth contacting (seem to remember seeing something about it in the latest BE mag). In relation to the system as a whole.

Frankly considering the number of cancellations this year I find it hard to believe anywhere would struggle to fill places, and if you are offering to do all the work for them re finding someone else then it is just outrageous that they turn you down.

The entire withdrawal/entries system is designed to penalise amateur riders and those with only one horse, whilst pros can just change horse or rider more easily. Considering organisers and entries secs whinge we don't withdraw early enough, you'd think they could be more helpful when people want to - but for me there is never any point in withdrawing early as you just lose your money, so you might as well wait till the last minute and pray for a miracle!
 
As well as not giving refunds, they never count the amount of entries they have in working out prizes, they count starters. I went to one show last year and the ground had no prep. so was very hard and lots withdrew. They only gave prize money to 4th place even though they had taken entries for full sections.
 
I think the withdrawals system stinks. I can understand if you withdraw at the last minute that they can't replace you, but if you give them several days notice and there's someone on the wait list then I think £10 admin fee to keep should be the max and send the rest back.

I suppose they feel that that if this were the case then every time the weather was bad or the ground not quite to people's liking then everyone would be withdrawing and the whole thing would be a technical nightmare.... but I think they should give people a chance. They could trial it for a year and then if people abused the system, go back to the old way. But give us a chance!!
 
It the same with the BSJA, if you have to withdraw you have to do it 48 hours before the show starts and you get 50% of your entry back after that you get zilch! My horse injured itself before SCOPE this year and it happened over 48 hours before the show started and I got a letter from the vet but it took me 3 days to get through to the secretary and they finally picked up the phone on the day the show started and basically it was tough luck according to them because even though I could prove i'd been ringing them and had a letter from the vet with the date of the injury and the treatment commencing, because I couldn't get through (it was just permanently engaged (the pesimist in me says they had it off the hook!) i lost my £190 entry fees (and that was just the entry for 1 class!), Imagine the money a big show like that rakes in!!!
 
Another country?? haha remember your passport then
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i'm not stabling but going up on the day, as it should take us about 2hrs (maybe not quite).. how long would it take you to get to J27 on the M5??
 
I reckon three hours to get there from here, and it may be bloo** freezing overnight sleeping in the box, looking at their website they have over 300 stables so sure to cater for stallions.
I reckon drive there like you, CCJ is out so will see if she wants to go when she comes back. It's not that much further than Bath and West I suppose and if their sec is so dilatory as not to even bother replying to me I don't think I want to go there anyway...
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The jumping in the main arena sounds great, and dressage on a surface, worth the long drive just for that.
 
Thanks DD, now to decide whether sleeping in the box is bearable..(ours is a very small crowded box with only calor gas to heat it, and having shivered my way through a November night at the Stoneleigh sales once I am not sure I can ever do that again..)
 
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It the same with the BSJA, if you have to withdraw you have to do it 48 hours before the show starts and you get 50% of your entry back after that you get zilch! My horse injured itself before SCOPE this year and it happened over 48 hours before the show started and I got a letter from the vet but it took me 3 days to get through to the secretary and they finally picked up the phone on the day the show started and basically it was tough luck according to them because even though I could prove i'd been ringing them and had a letter from the vet with the date of the injury and the treatment commencing, because I couldn't get through (it was just permanently engaged (the pesimist in me says they had it off the hook!) i lost my £190 entry fees (and that was just the entry for 1 class!), Imagine the money a big show like that rakes in!!!

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I think you were unlucky. I cancelled from Scope a few years ago as I decided I didn't want to go anymore and they gave me back the 50% and they also sold my stable for me so I got that back as well. I was very happy.

However Bicton were complete gits. My sister was entered and the horse got seriously injured, vet letter everyting about 2 weeks before the show started and the would not refund a penny. Unfortunately we didn't know the 50% rule back then. We have never entered Bicton again because of it - spent my money at Wales and West instead - who if you cancel used to put the money on account for you.
 
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Thanks DD, now to decide whether sleeping in the box is bearable..(ours is a very small crowded box with only calor gas to heat it, and having shivered my way through a November night at the Stoneleigh sales once I am not sure I can ever do that again..)

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Just take lods of duvets and track suits to wear!
 
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Thanks DD, now to decide whether sleeping in the box is bearable..(ours is a very small crowded box with only calor gas to heat it, and having shivered my way through a November night at the Stoneleigh sales once I am not sure I can ever do that again..)

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Hot water bottles.........at least two each!!
 
Bicton refunded me in full (minus stable) couple years ago when Dan went lame. Informed them 2 days before I think it was and hand delivered vets letter to show, they said didn't have to give back anything as didn't give 48 hours notice but they did. And that was before I knew any of the staff or should I say volunteers! Have since left midway through show and after speaking nicely I got my entry fees refunded for the remaining days (though not that day's classes) which was far more than expected.
 
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