Fires in Gironde, floods in the South-East, violent storms in Corsica... Since the beginning of the summer, French campsites have been hit hard by exceptional and destructive climatic events.
Vacationers suffer directly: according to the national federation of open-air hotels (FNHPA), contacted by
Le Figaro
, around the Dune du Pilat alone, around 15,000 stays could not be honored because of the fires that devastated nearly 7,000 hectares of forest.
In the case of a cancellation of stay for exceptional reasons, such as a major climatic event, is reimbursement systematic?
What about compensation?
We will explain everything to you.
In the event of a cancellation during the stay
The worst possible scenario, when you are on vacation, is perhaps to have your stay interrupted along the way.
In the case of Corsica and the violent storms which forced 6000 campers to be evacuated urgently, we speak of “case of force majeure”, as explained to
Figaro
Emmanuelle Llop, lawyer specializing in tourism at the firm Equinox.
“
The basic principle of force majeure is that it annihilates what it has planned.
In the case of a stay in progress, the campsite must therefore pay campers a pro rata refund,
” she describes.
Same echo from Nicolas Dayot, president of the FNHPA, who insists on the pro rata: “
In the vast majority of cases of cancellation, as in the campsites of the Dune du Pilat, the first days of reservation were not refunded, since they were honoured,
” he explains.
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In the case of a cancellation before arrival
Even if it is never pleasant to discover that your future vacation falls through, here is at least something to reassure yourself: in the event of cancellation upstream, constrained by a situation of force majeure, you will also be there completely refunded.
This is common law.
A nuance however: the refund is only guaranteed if the campsite cancels or evacuates on its side, not in the event of voluntary cancellation on the part of the camper who anticipates a possible bad weather.
If it seems safer to give up your stay in advance, it is therefore at the risk of not reviewing the amount advanced when booking.
"
It all depends on the context and it is still possible to negotiate with the campsite
", assures Nicolas Dayot.
"
The fact remains that in the event of bad weather, if the prefect has not triggered the orange or red vigilance, the campsite is not required to reimburse a customer who has canceled his reservation upstream
", he adds.
In addition to reimbursement, is compensation possible?
Phew, your stay is canceled and you are refunded.
Is it possible to receive additional compensation?
No, according to Emmanuelle Llop: “
A reimbursement is a return of funds advanced.
Compensation is reparation.
It is possible in the case of moral prejudice.
In the case of a cancellation due to a case of force majeure, there is no prejudice, since the campsite is not responsible
”, she argues.
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9 travel insurances scrutinized
The insurance bias
If you wish to abandon your planned stay in advance but it is not directly threatened by a case of force majeure, it is always possible to turn to other actors.
Some campsites offer their customers the possibility of taking out cancellation or interruption of stay insurance.
It is also possible to turn to your own home insurance or even the insurance of your bank card: “
Some home insurance includes specific clauses which allow you to be reimbursed in the event of voluntary cancellation.
It is also possible to take out additional insurance, such
as travel insurance,
”
assures Emmanuelle Llop.
These remedies have a future: “
It is increasingly common to find insurance adapted to exceptional circumstances.
With the increase in this type of natural disaster, insurers will be able to be imaginative for the years to come,
” she concludes.