Non Smoking apartment booked but Smoking apartment provided

Belenus

In early March we booked a 4 star rated apartment for 7 days in Amsterdam in September via a UK company.

We specified that we wanted a non smoking apartment. That is very important to us.

We paid a deposit of 434 euros on a UK credit card to the Amsterdam Apartments company with the balance of 1014 euros due on arrival, a total of 1,448 euros.

We received a booking summary from the UK company confirming a non smoking apartment. The following day we received details from the Amsterdam company stating that it was a 'Smoker Friendly' apartment.

We raised this with the UK company and a few days later they replied stating:

This is to inform you that we have received an email from the Amsterdam Company stating that the apartment is non smoking.

We arrived at the Amsterdam apartment last Monday. The company cancelled the prearranged accompanied check in at the last minute so we had to let ourselves in with a key that they hid outside.

The first things we noticed was a strong smell of smoke and a dirty ashtray. We also saw that the apartment was not as advertised. It was very shabby with badly stained furniture and a host of other deficiencies. I won't go into detail about them here. It would have shamed a 1 or 2 star apartment.

There was a folder about the apartment which stated that smoking in the apartment was permitted.

We spent the next hour or so on the phone to the UK company to no avail. We asked to be immediately moved to another apartment or hotel but they were unable to offer us anything. We were unable to contact the Amsterdam Company as there was no reply to their phone.

We did try to find alternative accommodation ourselves but all that was available was far too expensive at such short notice.

We stayed the full seven nights although we spent as little time in the apartment as possible as it was not the comfortable and relaxing environment we had expected.

We never saw or heard from anyone from the Amsterdam company or the UK company during our stay.

On our return yesterday we saw that the Amsterdam Company had charged the 1014.17 euros balance to the same credit card we used to pay the deposit.

We have contacted the credit card company saying that the charge is disputed by us as we have not received what we had expected.

We plan to raise the issue of the unsatisfactory apartment with the UK company tomorrow and demand a very substantial reduction on what we have been charged. We are prepared to take legal action for breach of contract if required although we would much prefer an agreed settlement.

We would never choose to stay in a smoking apartment as the smell of smoke gets into everything and never really goes away.

We are also very dissatisfied with the quality of the apartment and the furnishings etc. They were very much not as described. It very considerably detracted from our enjoyment of our holiday. Instead of having breakfast in the apartment and eating some meals there too we left the apartment as early as possible and ate all our meals in restaurants etc. That was an additional expense we had not expected.

What advice can you offer us?

Thank you