Dirty B&B

Nildesperandum

Hi all

I hope this is in the right place.

A couple of weeks back I booked into a B&B in London through booking.com. It was fairly cheap, but the photos made it look quite trendy & very bright & clean.

When we got there, the guy on the desk checked us in & didn't show the room (in fairness we were there at 1.45 for a 2pm check-in; he took our bags & gave us a key. He also explained that there would be no reception service by the time we returned.

When we let ourselves in, the place was awful. There was mould on the floor by the entrance, bedsheets had a large stain on, as did the towels & there was an awful smell of damp. I took photos & we decided to book in somewhere else, posted the keys back through the letterbox & left. It was torrential rain that evening which didn't help matters (though oviously not their fault!).

I e-mailed with the photos asking for a refund. Their response was, essentially that I had slept there & was pulling a fast one. I replied to sy I could provide irrefutable proof that I stayed elsewhere & have had no further response.

I also e-mailed booking.com customer service but have had no reply.

Do I have a leg to stand on here & what is my best approach to them? My inclination is to stick the photos on every review website I can find, but frankly I'd just like my money back & forget the whole episode.

As an aside, I also suffer from an illness called SAFS/ABPA; a form of aspergillosis, which means that mould spores can be highly dangerous to me.

maninthestreet

They are unlikely to hand over any money to you without a fight. Just because you didn't sleep there doesn't mean you are entitled to a refund.

Nildesperandum

Yes, I accept that. However, aren't there rules about places being as advertised, & presumably, hotel/b&b accommodation should be of a reasonable standard?

Fosterdog

You really should have given them the opportunity to rectify the problem first, they may have been able to move you to another room which didn't gave any problems. I understand that it was unmanned by the time you got back to the room however it's not their fault that you arrived before check-in and were not able to get back there until it was too late. Ideally you would have arrived at the right time to check in and inspect the room before going out to do other things.

That's not to say that they are in the right, just that you didn't help yourselves either so will have a fight on your hands to prove anything and get a refund.

SouthUKMan

To be successful in your complaint, you really do need to be able to demonstrate that you gave the B&B an opportunity to resolve your complaint at the time of your visit. You can't unilaterally decide that it's no good for you, then book in elsewhere and expect the original B&B to pick up the bill. What if you had complained at the time of your visit and the B&B manager had reacted by profusely apologising to you and had shown you to an alternative newly decorated room? Or he / she had accepted your criticism and had instead offered to book you into another B&B (perhaps at mates rates to him / her)? The problem is that you will never know, and that is where I am sorry to say that your case becomes a little weak, as the B&B will simply say that you never gave them an opportunity to resolve your complaint at the time. Did you ask to see the room prior to walking out of the B&B and I presume returning much later? Asking to see the room is a perfectly reasonable request...any decent B&B or hotel would allow this even if it was a few minutes before check in.

bris

First rule of thumb is to complain to the management to put it right, if they fail to do so then you move out and mitigate the loss. After that you have a case. without giving them the right the case is slim.


Your slim chance comes in the fact they were unreachable.

pinkshoes

As Bris said!

Did you try and find staff immediately to ask them to rectify the issue? How long did you try for? Did you try phoning if no one was around?

The-Truth

Nildesperandum wrote: »

He also explained that there would be no reception service by the time we returned.

That sounds like you went for the cheapest possible. Seeing you have a condition

Nildesperandum wrote: »

As an aside, I also suffer from an illness called SAFS/ABPA; a form of aspergillosis, which means that mould spores can be highly dangerous to me.

Wouldn't have been a little wiser not to skip things as much and pay a little bit more?

Gravedigger

Was this an actual "B and B" and not a hostel? Might be worth dropping the mayor a message advising him of that particular establishment but I doubt there's anything you can do that won't cost you money. Give Environmental Health a call too. If it's a dirty as you suggest, I doubt it will be open for too much longer. :cool:

hollydays

Gravedigger wrote: »

Was this an actual "B and B" and not a hostel? Might be worth dropping the mayor a message advising him of that particular establishment but I doubt there's anything you can do that won't cost you money. Give Environmental Health a call too. If it's a dirty as you suggest, I doubt it will be open for too much longer. :cool:

The mayor??????

Sicard

Well, to be honest if you go to an establishment and pay you at least expect the room to be of a certain standard and if it isn't it's a reflection of the entire standards of the management and their level of standards. A B&B should be clean, not have stained linen etc and provide a breakfast.

(I hope this isn't a school holidays post).

OP where was it in London and how much?