So
We booked 3 cabins at Getaway House (company that does mini cabin rentals at locations just outside of big cities around the US) for next week for my birthday, for myself and a few friends.
Booked a month ago.
Received an email today saying that we won't be allowed to use the fire pits due to a state wide No Burn Order. Strange... This order is news to me. I do some research, check the state website, check the site for the Nat'l Forest the place is on, and even called the Fire Dept who's jurisdiction it resides in. Nothing. All the fire dept said is they suggest I get a campfire permit from the state (which I did).
My girlfriend then sent Getaway House an email, asking what was going on.
It comes out. There isn't a ban. They just don't have a permit to allow fires. They are a private business, and haven't had a permit from the county since Sept of last year.
So... Instead of mentioning it when booking (mind you my girlfriend had many email conversations with them before booking, since we were booking 3 cabins), they wait until a week before the booking to tell us, and with a lie at that.
The issue isn't the fact that we can't have fires. Living in California, I totally understand, and I've been watching weather patterns and what not in anticipation of this trip. It's the fact that they flat out lied about it. The woman who responded to the email assured us that "we will still enjoy our trip" and recommended we bring a propane stove.
Wouldn't be an issue... If it wasn't literally a week before the booking. Their original costumer service gesture as an apology was the refund us $50. That's... Nothing compared to what the booking costs plus the prep we've put into it (wood and fire related things being some of the prep). After raising a little more hell, someone higher up got involved and actually gave us 5 nights worth of credit for future stays (essentially a credit covering what we booked originally). That's awesome, but now we are all scrambling to find solutions. There's 5 of us. It's cold. We don't all fit in one cabin to hang out (the whole point of us going is to spend time together after a year apart).
Is it that hard for a company to be direct about shit? How many people have they lied to about there being a burn ban, instead of just fessing up about not having the permits?