‘Death doesn’t constitute a refund’ – grieving woman told by Selsey holiday firm

Bunn Leisure told 78-year-old Jean Kinahan, from Croydon, they would not refund her £424 for a week’s stay in September after her partner James Burgess, 76, passed away on Monday, despite her having paid an optional £25 cancellation cover.

“It’s unbelievable to me it really is,” she said. “It doesn’t seem plausible.

“At times like this you would think they would be a bit more sympathetic. I’m not after the money for the sake of money.”

Philip Mitcheson-Smith, the Bunn Leisure general manager, said: “Obviously we get a number of cancellation requests so our reception team have to work to the letter of the cancellation policy.

“This is a very difficult situation though and I have asked a member of our senior management team to give her a call.”

Mrs Kinahan said: “I rang on Tuesday to put them in the picture. She said if your partner was sick we could give you a refund but death doesn’t constitute a refund.”

According to Bunn’s cancellation policy, available to view at www.bunnleisure.co.uk/company-info/terms-and-conditions.aspx, the three instances in which a cancellation would be valid are: a new illness, redundancy, or presence required by police.

Mr Burgess had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and died from heart failure on Monday.

The couple had been together for 20 years.

“We were there (at Bunn Leisure) last year,” said Mrs Kinahan. “In fact we were going to have the same caravan.”

They were due to go for a week from September 25-October 2.

The pair met through work 20 years ago and August 6 would have been their 20th anniversary.

“We went on an office outing to Lingfield races,” said Mrs Kinahan. “We got talking and afterwards he said would you like to come out for a drink and it snowballed from there.”

Mr Burgess had three children and two grandchildren. Mrs Kinahan has two children and six grandchildren.

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