Blue Chip Holidays - letting the end customer down

Blue Chip Holidays (www.bluechipholidays.co.uk) are a small UK based company promoting luxury properties across the West Country, Yorkshire & the Isle of Wight. Their website provides a good range of top end properties with lengthy descriptions and numerous photos to build confidence in those using them for their well earned holiday.  A polished e-commerce website with a corresponding UK telephone number allows new and repeat customers to book their holiday accommodation.

Booking a holiday is a complicated process even more so if you are trying to book for more than one family as you juggle dates, needs and wishes so confidence in the people you are booking with is paramount.  But what happens if things go wrong and you don't get the luxury holiday you have been promised with accommodation that is not a suitable standard?  Blue Chip to the rescue and resolve your issues?  Unfortunately not.  Checking the small print (always your first port of call when holidaying) reveals the following with respect to your trusted Blue Chip Holidays booking agent.

"9.1 The Agent works closely with the Owner to ensure that all properties within the Promotion Material are fairly and accurately described. Occasionally an Owner will make changes to the set-up of their property after publication of the Agent’s Promotion Material for which the Agent cannot be held responsible. Where these changes materially alter the nature of a booking the Agent will contact the Tenant in writing informing the Tenant of the nature of the changes."

This should mean you have every confidence that what you see is what you get and Blue Chip have earned their money.  From a recent experience where a property was not as described with photos taken some years earlier of a property Blue Chip Holidays quickly pass the buck to the Property Owner claiming no responsibility and placing all the blame with the Owner.  Something to consider if you are thinking of using them to market your property as well as booking with them.  A good customer experience?  If the property hasn't been checked by Blue Chip they are surely failing to meet their own terms and conditions, so if you experience similar issues then check the small print and consider if the customer experience matches the luxury tag.  If not unfortunately this is an epic fail and a word of warning.