Travelodge

The_mangler

So first the praise:
Just got back from 3 nights at Torrelaguna hotel and it was fantastic. Two rooms, both clean, all bedding sealed upon arrival so we knew it was fresh, polite and very helpful staff. Would thoroughly recommend it.
But....
(you knew there would be a but didn't you!)
I booked these rooms back in November and managed to get one of the rooms for €12 a night, an absolute bargain. The website said this hotel took payment upon arrival but we still had to provide credit card details which we did. A week later I noticed a payment to Travelodge had gone out of my account for £170, the approximate currency conversion for these two rooms. So I emailed Travelodge to check whether payment had in fact been taken and a reply came stating it was company policy to take payment at time of booking so he 'thought' it would be for that booking. So we arrived on Saturday in Madrid to be met with a request for payment. We said we had already paid and the manager said no, and that the website clearly stated all payments at this hotel were taken upon arrival. So thankfully I had space on a credit card for this extra money, otherwise a trip that was for a 40th birthday present could have been seriously affected with an extra £170 to find.
I have emailed Travelodge and asked for a full refund plus asking what they are prepared to do about something so basic to check but missed. They have had my money for three months so think I should be entitled to something. Has anyone else had any experience of this with travelodge?