Travelodge Cancellation!!

dmck1888

Hi

I had booked a saver room with a Travelodge in Edinburgh earlier this year for 3 nights. It was for my Mum and she was orginally meant to go on Sun 123th Sept. However due to work issues she was unable to leave until Monday 13th, a day late. I had telephoned the general enquiry line and asked if would be possible for the room to be kept despite her being a day late. I was told this would be fine, but to contact the hotel directly and inform them. I did this on Friday 10th Sept, explained the situation again and i was assured that a note would be made in the diary for the night porter and on the system. Needless to say, when my mum arrived on the MOnday eveing, the entire booking had been cancelled as she had been out down as a "no show" and the room was re-sold. The entire hotel was full and I spoke to the hotel receptionist and the reservations department and to cut a long story short, I had to pay £131 for another room for 2 nights in another Travelodge. Despite asking for customer services to ring me, I arrived home today to find an e-mail from them informing me that saver rooms could not be refunded. I already know saver rooms can't be refunded, but I feel that as the hotel cancelled my booking, the onus should be on them to have provided a room in another hotel, at their cost - not mine. Does anyone know if I have any grounds to get my money back on this one? I don't want the original £36 back, I want the £131 that I had to pay because of their incompetence :mad:

Any help would be appreciated!!

Mark_Hewitt

I know it doesn't help now but you were given incorrect advice. You can make changes such as this on the website.

vikingaero

Write to Travelodge and complain. Do everything in writing. Travelodge are pretty appalling with handling complaints so don't expect an immediate resolution.

dmck1888

I had tried to make the amendments through the website first but was unable to as it kept telling me there was no availability for the Mon and Tues night. I sent a rather nasty e-mail yesterday evening requesting that someone ring me but as yet I'm still waiting on someone actually doing that!

Ezmondino

Good luck, when things go wrong I find Travelodge pretty abysmal. Thankfully it doesn't happen too often, but there never seems to be a plan for when it does apart from a standard response of tough.

Quentin

Did you ask them why they sold your room?

They fobbed you off with the "no show" excuse - in fact they may have simply overbooked.

They don't have anything about no shows in their ts + cs, and in fact say this in the FAQs:

If I miss the first night of my stay, will it be cancelled?

No. You can arrive at any time during your stay. However, you will not receive a refund for any of the nights you have missed

So you had no need to even let them know you weren't coming till day 2 of your stay.

But they do say they might overbook, in which case they put you up at their expense in a nearby hotel - also paying for extra transport costs.

So pursue them for the return of your money vigourously!

dmck1888

Thanks everyone for your help. I am still waiting on someone ringing me but if I've heard nothing by the end of today, I'll have to ring them myself. Used the travelodge quite a lot but after this, I doubt I'll ever be staying in them again.

BillTrac

I know it doesn't help you OP, but this is why I refuse to stay at Travelodges.

At least with Premier you don't get charged until your stay, and you can cancel/change up until 1300 on the day.

Better hotels, always somewhere onsite or close by for a meal etc

Travelodge is the Ryanair/Easyjet of the hotel world. And I refuse to use them as well.

You have to draw a line between moneysaving and sheer cheap and nasty. And using Premier is moneysaving in a way, because unlike TL, if I can't/don't stay I don't get charged.

Keep on at TL, they haven't adhered to THEIR Ts & CS

Good luck

vikingaero

BillTrac wrote: »

I know it doesn't help you OP, but this is why I refuse to stay at Travelodges.

At least with Premier you don't get charged until your stay, and you can cancel/change up until 1300 on the day.

Better hotels, always somewhere onsite or close by for a meal etc

Travelodge is the Ryanair/Easyjet of the hotel world. And I refuse to use them as well.

You have to draw a line between moneysaving and sheer cheap and nasty. And using Premier is moneysaving in a way, because unlike TL, if I can't/don't stay I don't get charged.

Keep on at TL, they haven't adhered to THEIR Ts & CS

Good luck

I fully agree Bill.

Ever since my last appalling stay in a Travelodge I won't use them anymore. I don't care if there are £9, £19 or £29 rooms available - I would rather pay more for a Premier Inn.

Companies that have scummy terms and conditions often behave in that manner too.

mum2one

I had a similar last year with travelodge, booked 2 ngts, but the day I was due to go was an OU exam, rang the lodge direct and they said no problem, the room was booked and paid for 2 ngts, the plan was to travel down in the morning and get there about 12, so the room would be ready. The traffic had it against me, and what was meant to be a 3 hr journey turned into 6 hrs and trying to navigate the outskirts of Bristol.
When I got to the lodge, same happened the room had apparently been cancelled by head office - as all booking are done by them, appricate that, but as I told them when I rang the room was for 2 ngts, been paid for, and that dispite me ringing them at the lodge, someone (presume the morning person), had rand head office and said we were no show, this was despite a note on the desk.. just happened to drop my keys, when the notebook was open!!

They gave me a disabled room, as that was all that they had left despite me booking a family room for 4 with a dog, (lucky due to circumstances was just me and daughter), we were given complimentary breakfasts.

I found out afterwards that it was standard policy to overbook by 25% to allow for no shows...

I would def complain - but photocopy all letters, receipts, etc, can you get a copy of your telephone bill, show that you rang the number, and although they can try to deny it - your show that the call was connected.

Would send everything by recorded delievery as well, that way they can't deny they had it.

good luck x

Seronera

If you have kept a record of times and dates of your calls, and if the assurances you were given by Travelodge staff over the phone were not kept, then they have broken their contract. Had these employees said "No you can't do that T&C apply" then you have no leg to stand on, but if you have sought clarification and been given assurances then they are bound to honour the assurances they have given, regardless of whether in writing or verbal.

You were not a no show, you were a late show and gave them notice of your late arrival.

Decide what you want in the way of reasonable recompense, write to them demanding it, and say that "Time is of the essence, if you do not hear from them within fourteen working days you will proceed to make a claim against through the small claims court"

And do it if they don't respond. I think you will win.

Seronera (who used to use travelodge, but uses Premier these days..funny init)