Travelodge damages to room

dan_gough14

Myself and a few friends stayed in a travelodge a few weeks back. The booking was made in my name, however whilst I was asleep in one room, my friends caused damage to their room.

Travelodge have now come after me for damages, I accept there are damages to be paid however they are trying to charge £406, they have photos of the damage - which in the main is aesthetic and just needs a wipe over.

However they are charging £260 for cleaning, £80 for a curtain and another £80 for a curtain rail - which I feel is extortionate.

A mentioned I was not in the room at the time and am unhappy that I am being treated like a criminal by the Civil Recovery Service. What are my options? also I am hoping to get a mortgage in the next few months, how far can this claim progress before it will damage my credit rating?

Would travelodge accept an offer for the damages, hoe would I go about making such an offer?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

can you not just get the money from your mates that trashed the room, if not, then, some mates. :mad:

spacey2012

It can not damage your credit rating unless they obtain a CCJ.
If they file for a CCJ, I would suggest you add this "friend" on to the claim as a joint defendant and counter claim against them.
The other option is to write to them with the name of the person staying in that room that was responsible and remind the firm that as the action were result of criminal damage you are not liable for the criminal actions of another person.

trisontana

Ask for a full breakdown or their so-called losses and expenses. This matter regarding Travelodge and CRS has been featured on Watchdog . It's very much like the PPC model because the so-called losses they are claiming bear no relationship to actual losses.

Don't be put off by the name "Civil Recovery Service". It's just a private debt recovery company and not some sort of government department.

maninthestreet

So what was the nature of the damage?

lynnemcf

How many of you were in the two rooms? Could you split the cost? You could try making Travelodge an offer, it depends on how much of your time you want to spend arguing with them. Let this be a life lesson ... never pay for a room you are not sleeping in ...

HO87

spacey2012 wrote: »

It can not damage your credit rating unless they obtain a CCJ.

...and you subsequently fail to pay any award the court may make within 28 days. If you defend the case then the registration of the judgment may well not be carried out until a payment schedule is agreed, for example, or the claimant takes steps to enforce the judgment and obtain payment. Pay immediately and the matter will not be registered - only default judgments are registered immediately.

SodG24

Tell Travelodge that the person who damaged the room is the person they need to contact and that it wasn't YOU.

As already mentioned Watchdog covered this and Travelpdge are on very shaky ground. In some instances it was proven that they were lying. I'd challenge this all the way if I were you and contact Watchdog as well. Tell them you're prepared to go to court and so CRS will need to pass it back to Travelodge as they are legally unable to go to court on behalf of Travelodge.

Coupon-mad

There are no excuses for damaging a hotel room but there are no excuses for extortion either. DO NOT pay that amount - if this wasn't Travelodge I might not be so vociferous about this but people should be aware that Travelodge have form or trying it on.

:mad:

Talk to your friends - did they cause damage to the curtains and actually break a curtain rail? Travelodge could be lying and I make no apologies for saying that - Google the 'Watchdog Travelodge smoking damage' issue. We had a thread on it last year and Travelodge were apparently making stuff up. Watchdog featured a family who have never smoked, and a disabled man in a wheelchair, both alleged to have caused smoking damage and to have put a sock over the smoke alarm on the ceiling!.

If it was just a bit of cleaning needed, clearly that's not £260 worth - even a whole new basic carpet doesn't cost that, let alone a 'deep clean' carpet service! A curtain rail and curtain is not that much either, even if including the labour to put it up. Get your friends' version of events and work out a fair amount between you and stick to it - maybe half, or under £200? That would seem very reasonable to me - in fact if it's just cleaning, no breakages, I would offer no more than £100 or so.

If so, then they should offer a reasonable amount, and you should put it in writing without accepting liability nor begging forgiveness, just as a business style reply but direct to Travelodge 'for full and final settlement'. Enclose a cheque for the fair amount and enclose a copy of the debt collector letter for their reference and say you will not deal with a third party debt collector and there will be no further offer made.

Do not deal at all with the debt collector, ignore them. They are not bailiffs and have zero powers, can't affect your credit rating either.

Crabman

Hi dan_gough14 & welcome to MSE :hello:

I'm happy to leave this thread here (even though it's not strictly related to Parking Fines) as the advice from our regulars is brilliant as usual & seems to be just what's needed.

If, however, you'd like it to be moved to the Consumer Rights board, please send me a private message by clicking on my username on the left.

muckybutt

I can see your point but I can also see Travellodge's view as well seeing as I used to work for the Forte group.

The charges although seem high to you and everyone else on here would be for commercial graded quatity equipment, its the same in the maintenance job im in at the moment, for example if you had used an ordinary water fire extinguisher you would be charged around the £100 mark - these to buy cost around the £20 mark. The reason the costs are inflated are because they then have to be fitted and a new service contract will be formed which is all part of the cost.

Like wise the curtains wont be cheap tat, the curtain rail will need to be refitted / replaced by a tradesman, and again the cleaning might need a carpet shampoo'r which again still needs someone to use it - if they dont have one it'll go to a contractor to do it for them.

So you see they arent unjustified prices really.

In my past dealings with hotel work you need to contact the hotel manager or duty manager of that hotel - deal with them unless its gone to the head office, clearly explain to them what happened and how it happened, offer them a sum you think is justified for repairs / cleaning - they might reduce it but probably they wont,unfortunately its your name on the agreement so it will be you they come after.

When I worked at Forte I know of a couple of cases that went to court for damage to fixtures and furnishings and know the hotel won...its up to you what you do but if they issue court papers dont ignore them.