Anything more I can do?

supersaverkerry

Hi

Can anyone give any advice please, we went and stayed at a UK attraction and it was awful, I will paste my complaint to the company and their replies below - am I being unreasonable? I have marked out names and places -

To Management

I am writing regarding a trip my partner and I booked to stay at *** for the dates 01/04/203 – 03/04/2013.

I booked this holiday on 6th March via **** website and made the choice to stay at*** on site, for this I paid £285 for my partner and myself with our plans being to travel from our home in *** via National Express coach to**** and then travel via taxi to the ***

Upon arrival we checked in and went to our room. Having stayed in the room for around an hour and a half and becoming very upset about the accommodation we made our decision to go back to the office and speak to staff about cancelling our stay at *** due to the unacceptable conditions.

Initially we spoke with the receptionist who called for someone from guest services and for the manager of *** In the meantime the receptionist listened to our concerns and filled out some brief information on a customer feedback form. We are pleased with how she handled this as that she appreciated our concerns – she did also mention this is not the first occasion this had happened.

We were then seen by *** from guest services who was very helpful and understanding of our situation, but was not in a position to rectify it; he did however offer to give us some tickets to get faster access to some of the rides if we chose to return the next day.

At this point the accommodation manager *** came to see us, who asked us again to explain what our concerns were. Unlike the receptionist and *** we found her to be very un-genuine and when we had explained our concerns she commented on some of them but there was no offer to try and sort the situation, her reply was simply ‘oh so what are you going to do then’ at which point we again stated out problems and why we would not want to stay and would like to cancel, to which her reply was ‘well what is your budget, we can book you a taxi and a hotel and you can pay when you get there’. She was also unwilling to tell us who were responsible for the ***, saying it was probably *** or could be another outside company, but was definitely not***. We felt that we were being fobbed off and in addition she said ‘well these places are not really aimed at people of your aged, they are more for 16-24 year olds, they like all this festival feel accommodation, it suits young people well’. This is not how it is advertised and quite honestly I find it hard to believe that when it is being shown as 4 stars on the website – as a note my partner is 22 and I am 25 so he is in the age bracket and I am only months outside it.

For the reasons I will state we found this accommodation totally unacceptable and the receptionist called to make hotel reservations for us elsewhere – having used my laptop to find alternative accommodation the only place anywhere close to our price range which could accommodate us for the 3 nights we had booked at *** was the ***, so the receptionist called and booked this for us and also called us a taxi.

We went back to our room and collected our bags. On the way to exist the site we stopped again to ask for some more information and only *** was in the office. When I asked what taxi company we could expect to collect us her reply was simply ‘I don’t know’ and when I asked for details of who I could make a full complain to and a request for a refund she was very stand offish and said ‘well you have already filled out a form and you’ve complained to me, if you have any other questions you will have to call me’ and she gave us her card.

We then went to *** feeling very upset and angry with the service we had received.

The Points I would like to make about why the *** was unacceptable and falsely advertised are –
• The room was freezing cold – we turned the heaters on to full for an hour and a half but still could not take off our coats and shoes.
• The room had no sense of security; there are gaps in the side of the door which the wind comes through.
• The heating system was very noisy – there is no way we could have slept with how cold it was and it would have been difficult even with the heating on as it was still cold, however it still would not have been possible to sleep because the heating system was so noisy.
• The room was noisy; we could hear the other rooms around us flushing their toilets, walking around, talking etc…
• The bed was very uncomfortable and my partner could not have laid straight on the bed he would have to lay at an angle to fit in it – our own bed is standard double and he fits fine yet did not in this bed.
• It was not until we had arrived at*** that we were informed we were not allowed any food or drink in the room. The room had 2 bottles of water in it (we were staying for 3 days!) Provided by ***, yet the only other water available was from the bathroom because we were told we could not have our own food or drinks in the room. This is unacceptable, especially for people with medical conditions which need to take medication and eat at certain times – there is not access to restaurants 24/7 so how does the company expect people to manage? I feel this is discriminatory.
• Free Wi-Fi is advertised yet upon arrival we find this is for only 1 device per room, yet there was my partner and myself who both needed to get online as he had some work to do for his employment and I for my degree portfolio – we felt this would be no problem since free high speed Wi-Fi was advertised. These rooms are to sleep up to 4 people yet only one person can get online at a time. In addition it was most definitely not the high speed internet offered.
• This is not a hotel – the website clearly advertises this as a four star hotel. When speaking both to ** and ** we mentioned this. We booked this having compared the other options on **** website, each of which has a star rating. The *** which is only a 3 star according to the site was like luxury compared to ****. Both **and ** confirmed that this was certainly NOT 4 star and that it is not even a hotel and as such should not be given a star rating. The **** is we have since found out, a shipping container which was not clearly portrayed on the website, it most definitely is not the 4 star hotel it had been sold to us as, as such this is a clear case of false advertising.



The costs for our holiday should have been
£61 National Express – 2 people ** to **
£29 Return Shuttle ** – **
£285 **** including continental breakfast.
TOTAL - £375

Costs of leaving **
£249.98 3 Nights at **** 01/04/2013
£49.40 continental breakfast at **** for 3 days / 2 people
£25 Travel from ** to ** 01/04/2013 – no shuttle available at short notice
£50 Return Journey ** to ** and vice versa – no shuttle available at short notice
£13 Shuttle Taxi from** to ** – this is the cheapest we could get at such short notice
£19 Shuttle Taxi from ** to ** - this is the cheapest we could get at such short notice
£9 ** to ** for our coach home – our shuttle was non-refundable and cancelled as we were no-longer getting picked up from ****
TOTAL - £415.38

This makes the total cost of our holiday £790.38 where as we had expected to pay £375 as originally planned – this is £415.38 of extra expenses incurred due to the false advertising of the **** along with added stress which quite frankly put a real downer on our holiday as well as financial stress of having to use our credit cards in order to try and save our holiday.

We booked with **** because it was portrayed as an affordable hotel and gave the benefits of being on site with early access and an inclusive breakfast - we believe it was however wrongly advertised and had we known the true state of the accommodation we would have booked elsewhere within our budget.

I am sure you can see why this is unacceptable. This was our one break away for the year and I feel it has been a disappointment due to the poor facilities and false information we were supplied by the **** booking site.

I trust you will look into my complaint and I would hope to receive a written response within 14 working days. Please note that due to the conflicting service we have had so far I am not willing to discuss this by telephone and would request all communication is in writing.

Regards


So then I got this reply ( before anyone says I shouldnt have put it on my credit cards, no I shouldnt but it was our one trip away - havent been away for 6 years and we needed to save out holiday, our other option would have still meant putting charges on a card because we couldnt have gotten back that night - we had 6 hour travel time then we would have to buy more travel tickets and then still have no holiday )


Thank you for your correspondence regarding your recent visit to ****. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts as we always consider any feedback that helps us to improve the service we provide for our guests. Firstly, please allow us to apologise that your day with us did not live up to your expectations. Giving our guests a thrilling and fun experience is high on our agenda, and we do apologise if you feel that we have failed to do so on this occasion.

I was extremely sorry to hear that you were so disappointed with your visit to The ****and felt the conditions were unacceptable. I can assure you that it is not our intention to mislead our guests and all information and advertising in relation to the facilities available are accurate. **** is the ultimate overnight experience and an onsite accommodation and we do not advertise it as a ‘hotel’, however I can understand your frustration on arrival if this was not clear. The star rating listed is reflective of the customer satisfaction scores; however after your specific feedback this terminology is being reviewed.

I have reviewed the points you have outlined and feel these again are linked to your expectations of **** being a hotel. The team are extremely happy to assist with these types of concerns and equipment is checked on a daily basis to ensure that our high standards are adhered to. We are also very willing to offer guests an alternative room if there are continued problems however from speaking to ****, it is clear that at this point you had already decided to leave and I’m sorry we were not able to recover the situation. I have passed your feedback regarding the Wi-Fi and the eating policy to the Operations Manager for review.

The cancelation policy for your booking does state that refunds will not be issued when guests are unable to visit or decide not to visit on the day of their stay, hence the reason why the team on the day were unable to offer a refund when you enquired. I’m pleased to hear that you found ** and the reception team to be helpful however was concerned that ** was most unhelpful as this is certainly not the impression we want to give to guests. Since your visit this particular staff member has left the business and I apologise for any additional upset caused.

Ultimately the decision to not stay and find alternative accommodation was your choice however I can empathise with your situation and even though we cannot take responsibility for any travelling costs, I can understand the amount you ended up paying on your trip was more than you budgeted.

On this occasion, as a gesture of goodwill I will be very happy to refund the accommodation part of your visit, which is £225. This leaves the remaining booking charge to cover the ticket costs.

I am genuinely sorry that your visit to ****and **** was disappointing and did not live up to your expectations however appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your feedback & hope that you will re-visit **** again soon.


I replied to them because I have evidence it is sold as a hotel and got this reply which is contradictive - I dont think even they know if they are a hotel, so how can customers know ?? I can not take them up on their offer of 2 free tickets because what does that mean for me - more travel costs, more hotel costs, I just cant afford it!

My reply was then this -

Thank you for your response to my complaint. I am afraid I am not satisfied with your reply however and feel that may now have no option but to take this matter further.

Before making our complaint my partner and I agreed that as a minimum we expected to be refunded the difference from what our holiday should have cost us to what it did cost us - £415.38.

As my letter made states, this is a clear case of false advertising and I actually feel that the matter is being brushed under the carpet with many of my comments ignored. The site clearly gave a 4 star rating and at no point does this say based on customer satisfaction, and also you say it is not advertised as a hotel however it clearly is, as a matter of fact I have included a document on this email which clearly shows several places where the word HOTEL is used , this includes on my tickets.

I would also like to bring to your attention that beside the fact this holiday was miss-sold an alternative room was not offered and actually there were no other rooms, **** stated that the 'hotel' was full because a potential guest came in whilst she was talking to us and asked to view a room, she told them they were all full.

Unfortunately I feel that if this matter can not be resolved in a way in which we are satisfied we will be taking it further which may involve legal assistance and involvement of regulating agencies such as trading standards

Whilst I would hope this could still be rectified, please be advised that I will be seeking advice on this matter which will include sharing my letter, your reply and the information I have gathered showing that this is advertised as a HOTEL.

I look forward to receiving a reply within 7 days.

Regards

And I have just had this reply -

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry to read that you are disappointed with our response.

To clarify our previous response, the **** is branded and advertised as the ultimate overnight experience and even though it is not advertised as a hotel prior to booking, it is still a hotel and falls within the recognised definition of a hotel which is “An establishment providing accommodations, meals, and other services for travellers and tourists” This online summary also covers all the amenities and services that are available and included with a package. I’m sorry if that explanation was not clear previously.

As mentioned in the previous correspondence, I can fully appreciate your frustration if you feel that the description or the Holiday star rating was misleading leading to your expectations not being met. As there is no specific information into what this star rating actually relates to or means, your feedback is being reviewed to improve the description and satisfaction rating, however we do feel that the synopsis, description and additional photos are a fair reflection of the product on offer therefore the package was not mis-sold.

Even though the package is non refundable, your comments and feedback has been taken on board and as you decided not to stay, as a gesture of goodwill a refund on the accommodation section of your booking has been offered. We feel this is fair and consistent and therefore this offer of a refund will not be increased.

However I do also appreciate the staff service you received was not to our usual high standard and therefore would like to also offer you and your partner a chance to visit us again here at **** with a 2 day ticket, or alternatively another ****attraction such as –

****
****
****
****
****

I look forward to hearing from you with your response and choice of attraction.

Kind regards,





Please, I do not need anything judgemental about my choice to spend money to stay elsewhere, this place was horrible, I burst into tears having been in there for an hour, I hate confrontation and am very quiet and shy, I never speak up but this really got to me enough for me to go and complain.

Would anyone know where I stand with this in legal terms, as you can see most of my issues have been ignored because as they say its the expectation you would have of a hotel and they are not a hotel, yet I have evidence which shows they sold it as a hotel, and now they are infact saying they are classified as a hotel - even they dont know!

Any help is really appriciated.

Thank you

Slowhand

I'd let it go, forget it and move on. By your definition of a Hotel a caravan site could be one. I feel there's not many will wade through your post due to it's length.

wealdroam

So they have refunded your accommodation costs and given you tickets for a return visit.

That seems to cover all the money you spent with them.

If it does, then I fear you will not get any more without court action.

supersaverkerry

my definition? So if you pay for a hotel it is fine to put you in a tent? Or in my case a freezing cold shipping container?

supersaverkerry

wealdroam, return tickets are no good for me, I live 6 hours away and do not drive nor do I have the cash to spend going there again ( nor would I want to )

Dogger69

Slowhand wrote: »

I'd let it go, forget it and move on. By your definition of a Hotel a caravan site could be one. I feel there's not many will wade through your post due to it's length.

I read the whole thing and agree with you, the offer is more than generous.

OP, is this the Crash Pad at Thorpe Park?

visidigi

Dogger69 wrote: »

OP, is this the Crash Pad at Thorpe Park?

As soon as i saw the words shipping and container it was the only place I could think of....

sunflower_2

all the ****s hurt my head

i do think they have been reasonable though OP

Poppie68

If it is the Thorpe Park Crash Pad, it is classed as a snoozebox hotel, its there temp while they finish drawing up plans for the permanent hotel they are planning to build on that site... these snoozeboxes are used all over the world at the moment. 4 of my friends stayed at the Thorpe Park one a few weeks ago,a group of middle age ladies and loved it but its all down to taste and expectations. They knew they were going to be sleeping in containers, surely op you must of realised they were shipping crates before you booked? You don't mention asking for an alternative room, did you ask to see another? I would take the offered refund and put it down to experience and next time do more research.

battleborn

You paid for a cheap hotel, what do you expect? if it was £200 per night then i would agree with you but it didnt.

Your expectations were too high and unreasonable, take the comp offered and think yourself lucky you got that.

wealdroam

supersaverkerry wrote: »

wealdroam, return tickets are no good for me, I live 6 hours away and do not drive nor do I have the cash to spend going there again ( nor would I want to )

OK, that's fine. You are now supplying new information.

As I said earlier, It's off to court you go if you want more.

By the way, did you notice in their latest reply they offered tickets to alternative resorts?
Without knowing where you live, or what the asterisks are signifying, are any of those under six hours from you?