Australian influencer Jade Tunchy was slammed after allegedly using her “social influence to put pressure” on an Australian business to refund her cancelled holiday booking.
Jade Tunchy (real name Jade Tuncdoruk) booked a stay at Meerea Park Estate in NSW last year for March 2022 as accommodation for their wedding. Tuncdoruk and her partner cancelled the wedding because of COVID restrictions, and requested a refund from the accommodation website, Weekenda Holiday.
“They said the best they could do was put it back up online to be booked by someone else. 6 weeks out of the booking and we’ve asked again for a refund which they’ve denied,” the influencer wrote in an Instagram story that was shared with her 486,000 followers.
She added: “They’re taking or money just because they can. It’s incredibly poor form and so disappointing that businesses are taking advantage of people in the middle of a pandemic.”
The whole shebang went viral after fans disagreed with Tuncdoruk’s post and criticized her for attacking a small business. It then gained even more traction when Instagram influencer watchdog account Celeb Spellcheck reposted the story and pointed out that the influencer should have read the booking’s terms and conditions, which state that it’s not refundable.
After the spotlight was thrust on them, Weekenda Holiday have more than doubled their fan base overnight, jumping from 5,000 followers to 11,500 (at the time of writing). To celebrate their free exposure, they’ve refunded Tuncdoruk and decided to give away her fancy booking as a prize.
They announced the giveaway in a new Instagram post, and shared some insight about just how hard the pandemic has impacted their business.
View this post on Instagram
“Your personal messages have also meant a lot to us. We have really struggled through 2021 and not paid ourselves at all between July 1 and December 1, while we weathered the Covid lockdowns. We are determined to come out of this stronger than ever and your support means everything to us at the moment,” they wrote in the post.
Weekenda Australia also took a thinly veiled jab at the unfair demands made by Tuncdoruk.
“It’s a shame in this instance Jade felt it was more important to try to bypass the rules all of our other guests (and she) had agreed to, by using her social influence to put pressure on us.
“We believe in the power of influencers, but using a following for personal gain at the loss and detriment to another small business, just isn’t cool.”
They shared that the giveaway is the accommodation that Tuncdoruk would have booked, and that it can house up to eight people.
“We’re going to gift the ‘Weekenda’ Jade would have booked at Meerea Park Estate to a lucky follower! If it’s good enough for Jade, think how awesome this prize will be for you and 7 besties !”
A quick squiz at the Meerea Park Estate on the Weekenda website shows that it costs between $600 – $960 per night and is spread over 271 acres. It has a large pool and an outdoor tub that overlooks a grassy green yard.
If you’re looking to score Tuncdoruk’s cancelled holiday – or you just want to support a small Aussie business, you can find their Instagram account here.
