Briton wins compensation after holiday 'surrounded by Germans'

[Aptrgangr]

Briton wins compensation after holiday 'surrounded by Germans'

By Patrick Sawer
Last Updated: 10:16AM BST 31/05/2008

There are plenty of British holidaymaker who can't bear the thought of a certain nationality always being first to the sun loungers - but one got so angry about being surrounded by Germans on holiday he sued his tour company, and won.


Paradise ruined: Briton David Barnish won compensation after his Greek holiday resort was booked out by Germans

David Barnish, 47, was awarded £750 compensation by a court after his family found their luxury hotel had been booked out by Germans.

Mr Barnish, 47, paid £4,000 for the all-inclusive trip to the Greek island of Kos and had been looking forward relaxing by the pool with wife Karen and his three daughters, Molly, 12, Gemma, 19, and 21-year-old Kim.
But on arriving at the 700-room Grecotel Park hotel he spotted the tell-tale sign many have come to dread. Each of the unoccupied sunbeds had a towel draped over them.

Worse was to come.
"We tried to join a windsurfing lesson and yoga classes but all the instructions were in German," he said. "My youngest daughter wanted to attend the kids' club but couldn't understand what was going on.
"Even the TV was in German, except for one channel."
Mr Barnish, a finance company executive, from Madeley, Staffs, claimed the Thomson break was ruined because the hotel did not cater for English people.
He said: "We entrusted Thomson with our holiday, going for an upmarket Premier Beachclub hotel for its facilities, but we weren't able to use many of them."

Thomson holidays was told to pay David £750 at Stoke-on-Trent County Court for breach of contract.
Deputy District Judge Naish ruled that a customer going to a hotel featured in an English brochure "doesn't expect to have to press for activities to be accessible in their own language".
He added: "The brochure is significantly misleading."
Mr Barnish, who represented himself, said after the court ruling: "I'm not racist, as equally I wouldn't like my family holiday at a hotel overrun by English."

A Thomson spokesman commented: "We are sorry that Mr Barnish did not feel the entertainment on his holiday was what he expected. However, we are pleased with the outcome."

Briton wins compensation after holiday \'surrounded by Germans\' - Telegraph

[Menydh]

Each of the unoccupied sunbeds had a towel draped over them.

It is well known that the Germans wake up in the middle of the night to occupy all sunbeds with their towels, before sun rising.

"Even the TV was in German, except for one channel."

An evil torture, I'm sure.

"I'm not racist ..."

Where is the sense of Germanic brotherhood?

Come on, it could have been worse! They could have been Dutch!

[M.R.]

LOL, the German TV programs are very lame indeed, but that's nothing compared to Austrian TV.

"David Barnish, 47, was awarded £750 compensation by a court after his family found their luxury hotel had been booked out by Germans."

I'd like to see his face when he found that out.

"I'm not racist, as equally I wouldn't like my family holiday at a hotel overrun by English."

LOL, I can understand that. I was in Zakynthos island some years ago, full of drunk English tourists. Annoying...

[Kernunnos]

If it is for that the inhabitants and italian tourists of Garda lake should get some zillion marks/euros compensation from the german government for the way german car clog roads at 25 km per hour, while the german tourists inside gape in awe at the landscape, unaware of the locals trying desperately to do their usual business in time, for the spots occupied at the beaches and for the fact that sometimes you should go around carrying a german vocabulary in the pocket.

Plus certain shop specialize in dumping the most horrendous leather merchandise to the elated german tourists, a merchandise that would gain them a beating if proposed to natives, so ruining the spiritual repose of the italian streetwalkers.

[orieleye]

The Germans are very territorial. I've heard that they own swathes of land along the Shannon river (in Ireland), and when boats pull alongside the Germans drive them off quickly.

[Kernunnos]

Originally Posted by orieleye

The Germans are very territorial. I've heard that they own swathes of land along the Shannon river (in Ireland), and when boats pull alongside the Germans drive them off quickly.

Speaking seriously, they are hardly noticeable here.

perhaps a mooring incident like you said but nothing more than words, really.

No drunken people around, just families with campers.

Flat normality.

I'm much more incensed at our local rubbish with tattoos and brilliantine sprayed hair that wastes time smoking on the beaches, lazy so much that they can't even swim , being noisy and making you doubt they are any better than africans.

[Susi]

Originally Posted by Menydh

It is well known that the Germans wake up in the middle of the night to occupy all sunbeds with their towels, before sun rising.

They also wake up in the middle of the night to occupy eastern lands with towels, before the sun rises.

An evil torture, I'm sure.

When I was in Germany, the telly had 20 channels. 15 were German, 2 were French, and 3 were English. I only found this out because I was waiting for my father to finish with a meeting in the room I was staying. ^^

And it can be inconvenient when you want to hear the news or learn the weather if there is no English (news/weather) channel and you can't speak German.

Where is the sense of Germanic brotherhood?

Somewhere in the ruins of Coventry cathedral.

Come on, it could have been worse! They could have been Dutch!

At least we can colour coordinate with the Dutch . Except that orange is a hideous colour.

Anyways I can understand them wanting money back. For most people who want this sort of holiday, it's a horrible time when there is no one to meet (in English). The company should have been more clear about it.

[Crvena zvezda]

"I'm not racist, as equally I wouldn't like my family holiday at a hotel overrun by English."

from what I've heard Ibiza in Spain is filled with English tourists. If this claim is true then his punishment is to be sent to Ibiza, and once he comes back he must sue the travel agency for being 'surrounded by the English."

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Crvena zvezda

from what I've heard Ibiza in Spain is filled with English tourists.

Ibiza is filled with nearly every euro-trash type. It is Menorca that's filled with English, while Majorca is filled with Germans.