Hotel wont refund me key money

maestrodaz

Hi,

So I stayed a Langfords Hotel in Brighton with mates on the 5-6th September. Upon returning home I received an email saying I had returned a fake key to reception and £25.00 will be taken from my account. My friend had mistakenly swapped keys and couldn't get into his house when we got back. I replied immediately to the email and was promised a refund if the key was returned. I then returned the key within a week, again I have email as proof they received the key. I contacted them again about the situation asking why they have taken so long etc to refund me. Their response was sorry and that they do not hold card details on their system. yet again I was promised a refund when I ring up and tell them my card details. However when I rang the hotel I was passed over to the manager who was ignorant and obnoxious and he struck down my claims despite me repeatedly telling him I had proof etc. His response was that the person(s) who promised a refund basically didn't have the authority and I would not receive my refund due to the fact that they changed the locks the next day (Sunday). I then contacted budgetplaces.com who I dealt through and to my surprise they were of no help. I then contacted the Citizens advice bureau who suggested I send a letter highlighting everything with the proof attached before I went further, which I did. I Still haven't heard from them and I want to know if I should take them to a small claims court?

McKneff

Send them a letter before action, see what happens, give them 7 days.


When you get your money back, slate them on Trip Advisor

DaveTheMus

They had to change the locks or they would have had a room out of commision for the entire week. You should be asking your friend for the £25 not the hotel...

Marktheshark

What did the contract say with regards to lost keys.
If it says they are charged at £25 then you owe £25.

Sending it back next week is not really good enough is it.
They have to make sure all keys are returned and each room is secure.
If they are not returned they usually get the handyman to fit a new lock.
If thats the case you got of lightly at £25, a locksmith which they could have used would be in the hundreds.

maestrodaz

I sent them a letter and they haven't responded,




also why would I ask my friend for the £25 when I contacted them the same day and was promised a refund. although its his mistake why should I be punished for their lack of communication amongst their business?

Marktheshark

Have you read the contract ?
What does it say about lost keys.

DaveTheMus

maestrodaz wrote: »

I sent them a letter and they haven't responded,




also why would I ask my friend for the £25 when I contacted them the same day and was promised a refund. although its his mistake why should I be punished for their lack of communication amongst their business?

It is his mistake so he should pay.

You may have contacted them that day but they weren't returned for another week.

You're not entitled to £25 because an employee mistakenly said you were.

The manager has clarified the situation.

If you take them to small claims then they may persue you for the extra money they had to pay out to get the locks changed.

If your friend is any type of friend then he will offer to reimburse you because if not for his actions you would have your £25 back.

maestrodaz

I cant find anything about lost keys, even on their website. As for getting the money from my friend that wouldn't be a problem, however the managers crappy attitude makes me want to pursue it further.

bazzyb

I agree that generally speaking you should be liable for the £25. However, the fact that you have been promised a refund of this means you should now get it back. After all, why would you have spent time and money getting the key back to them (on their advice) if you had known the locks had already been replaced?

One other point, if they don't hold your card details to give you the refund, then how did they take the £25 from you in the first place? Did you give them further instruction to take the £25 or did they already have your card on file to process the payment?