ROYALLY SHAFTED by Lastminute.com! LIVID.

sillyme

I could have sat down and done calculations and looked at a map and clearly - with hindsight - I should have done. BUT the advert says it's in bloody dubai! SURELY at the very least that's false advertising or something.

Who would / could I appeal to?

sillyme

inflationbusting wrote: »

I don't think even Priceline is like this, the distance is pretty far.

Question: you say the tag line says the distance from Dubai. Surely you could infer something from that?
I mean, if I booked a hotel 10 miles from Central London, I would not expect to be staying in Oxford Street. In fact, I could be staying in Essex, which is not London.

Nevertheless, I do feel that this is a bit on a cheap stunt on behalf of lastminute who probably know that tourists are not going to have much idea of orientation.

You could raise that the hotel in question says 'nearest airport: Dubai'. It isn't. Therefore your decision was based (partially) off information that was incorrect.

And this was my point with them also.

The distance stated was 25km from Dubai CITY not from Dubai. And the advert says the hotel is actually in Dubai.

Incapuppy

Ok, lets play devils advocate here....(aside from the issue that the hotel was advertised as being in Dubai) ....

It has already been stated that your hotel is closer to the centre of Dubai than at least one other property that is geographically situated in Dubai rather than an adjoining state.

Are you telling me that you would rather be further away from Dubai centre than you already are for the sake of being able to state you are in 'Bl**dy' Dubai?

Caz3121

If it is 25km from Dubai City I read that as it could be in any direction....15 miles from Carlisle might be in England - but it might be in Scotland but it would still be within 15 miles of Carlisle.
I think if you needed something in Dubai City you should have picked something yourself or discounted one that told you it was 25kms away

warehouse

I'm with you OP. Did you pay with a credit card as already asked in the 2nd post? If so, go straight to your credit card people and give them the story so far.

sillyme

SORTED.

Got a returned call from their legal team - I'd asked my issue to be referred onto them.

The lady there had arranged a cancellation and full refund <phew>. The refund isn't from lastminute it's from the hotel (apparently), she put some more pressure on them and they agreed to cancel.

I've learned several lessons.....

discoinferno_99

Ajman is not in a separate country, but it is a separate Emirate.

Much as I can understand the point made by those who have pointed out that you were happy with the distance, it fundamentally isn't in Dubai either. If I was picking a hotel based upon West London and was told that I could have a 'London' hotel 17 miles away, you would accept being in say Stratford. Would you be happy with Watford though as it isn't London?

If Lastminute.com won't play ball, it may be worth disputing it with your credit card company. You booked a hotel in Dubai and although the distance is correct, the destination isn't so it isn't as you booked.

{EDIT - Glad you got it sorted!}

sillyme

Thanks Disco - my feelings precisely. Just glad it's all sorted and I'm wiser....

bcl999

Very glad this has been resolved.

Reading the saga, I began wondering if maybe Michael O'Leary (Ryanair CEO) had bought a hotel out there! It sounds a bit like Paris (Beauvais), etc.

odowdchr

inflationbusting wrote: »

I don't think even Priceline is like this, the distance is pretty far.

Priceline at least gives you a zoning map so you can see the areas within each zone.