Rome accommodation disaster! Booked on venere.com

catt_2

Rome accommodation disaster! Booked on venere.com

We've just returned from our trip to Rome. Thanks for all the helpful tips. Rome really is a fascinating city and the weather was lovely and we saw a great deal.

We were really looking forward to this trip. Unfortunately, we felt let down by the accommodation that we had booked on venere.com.

I thought I had been thorough by doing our accommodation search on that website. Then I looked up my short-listed choices on their own websites and to double check the information, looked them up on google as well. But we feel our B & B accommodation was misrepresented.

We had initial grievances that turned out to be minor compared with what was still to come!

When booking on venere.com we had to give a check-in time within certain parameters, which we did for 12 noon. We also had to give our credit card details but not as the payment method but for one night's cost to be deducted should we fail to show up. The website instantly confirmed the booking and we printed it off.

1. We turned up with our suitcases to a locked door!
We had wanted to freshen up and start our planned sight seeing. Instead, we found ourselves making mobile phone calls at international rates to the proprietor who it turned out, knew about our booking and had asked her assistant to be there and he was at the dentist so could we book in that evening instead. We finally got a code for the building to at least enable us to leave the suitcases but no room or even access to a WC!

2. When we returned that evening, the room we were allocated turned out to be an internal room without a window and this had not been disclosed in the booking information. We thought it should have been mentioned along with all that trivial detail about tasteful décor.

3. A safety deposit box in each room helped us opt for this B & B over others. We later learned there was only one on the premises and the proprietor had the key, not the assistant, so we never had the benefit as the proprietor never showed up during our stay.

Now the main issue with our accommodation did not become clear until early next morning......

4. Major building work was going on right next door! :eek:
Yes, in a terraced building, at our floor level, a wall was being demolished with industrial grade machinery. At first I awoke fearing it was an earthquake!

It wasn’t much better in the breakfast room. We could not hear each other talk! Other guests were complaining. The assistant seemed surprised about the noise. So we thought it was a one off. Next morning was a repeat.

Here’s what we did…..
We complained! We said that as we had already lost sight-seeing time on the first day due to them, we would not be changing hotels because of the time it would entail. But we would expect a reduction from our bill. The noise continued early every morning, 06.45am or 7.00am.

We must suppose that as a consequence of our request for a reduction, we were given check-out time of 9.00am. Rather early we think, especially as we hadn’t got the room on day one until 7.00pm.

The proprietor got very heated with haggling on the phone to us on our last morning during breakfast. She claimed we were the only guests to complain. She let slip that the building noise had been happening for weeks. This made me feel even more justified in my complaint as the proprietor had had time to amend the website- the B & B was specifically described as “quiet” and “in a quiet, pedestrianised area”. Temporary building works were not disclosed.

A discount was grudgingly granted but not before she had put the phone down on us and then called again, speaking to her assistant. We paid him in cash and got a receipt for our 4 nights stay. With business concluded, he then told us that every guest had complained as they settled up in full. Too much money he thought.

So we hope this is a useful warning if you a reading this and contemplating a trip. Don’t be embarrassed about complaining.

Just wondering if they will try to make an unauthorised withdrawal from our credit card on venere.com………

Nordictat2

You should write venere.com and let them know so they can update the listing for this B&B as to the construction going on also inform them (if you haven't already) about how you were treated.
You can also write your experience about the place you stayed at on say https://www.tripadvisor.com/

catt_2

Thanks Nordictat.

We have only just got back but I will get straight on to it. I see venere.com has an email for customer services so I will write to them before posting anything.

The B&B is still being described as quiet and of course their customer relations was also lacking.

liames

We booked an apartment in Viareggio Italy with Venere beginning of September. Arranged a time with the owner but waited an hour and a half with our suitcases on the doorstep. The confirmation of our holiday by email gave us 3 mobile numbers but we had great difficulty contacting the owner as the apartment had a new owner and two of the mobile numbers were no good . However we eventually got through with the help of an Italian lady who lived in the next apartment. When we got into the apartment I realised I had had my money stolen from my bag. The owner spoke good english but showed no interest and told us to contact the police . I think my money was stolen from the the airport whilst waiting to purchase a train ticket. Oh and the view from the balcony was like a bomb site. Complained to Venere but did'nt get much joy.