Travelodge Smoking Claim & CRS

Fuming1234

I just wondered if anyone has recently been wrongly accused of smoking in. Travelodge room and received a letter from CRS who are claiming £150 compensation on behalf of Travelodge?
I have come across many posts from a few years ago.  We have just received a letter from CRS and as non-smokers it is a defamatory claim on our personal character and one we shall be defending. 

Has anyone received a similar letter lately? 

DullGreyGuy

So fuming but not yet smoking? 

user1977

It may be a claim without a legal basis but it isn't "defamatory", if you meant that in a legal sense.

Aylesbury_Duck

How is it defamatory?  Who else have they told about it?

Fuming1234

That may be the incorrect use of the word.  The post was just to establish if anyone else has recently received a similar letter from CRS on behalf of Travelodge.  

Aylesbury_Duck

Fuming1234 said:

That may be the incorrect use of the word.  The post was just to establish if anyone else has recently received a similar letter from CRS on behalf of Travelodge.  

I haven't, and I don't know anyone else who has.  I do recall seeing a thread from someone in the same situation a while back, though, so worth searching the forum.

user1977

I doubt they'd actually go legal about it if you make it clear that you'd be defending it.

Clive_Woody

An old thread, but similar story

https://all-about-debt.co.uk/forum/consumers-your-rights-regulatory-bodies/consumer-rights/consumer-complaints/26156-civil-recovery-solutions-crs-travelodge-hotels

grouse_beater

I also have had a letter from CRS for a payment of £75 in regard to my Travelodge stay in February where they quote "Travelodge believe that I tampered with a smoke detector and covered it with a plastic bag" I initially contacted CRS regarding this matter informing them that I am a non smoker with restricted movement in my right arm after an accident over 20 years ago. They immediately responded that due to data protection they would only deal with my wife, who on this occasion did not accompany me, as it was she who had booked the stay for one person. Since then we have received a number of emails from CRS asking for the same details as to why we dispute this claim with each email coming from a different person. We have even tried to contact Travelodge customer service team only to be informed that we must deal with CRS only, and even tried to get a response from their CEO Joy Boydell. All she did was pass it back onto the customer service team and guess what, we must only deal with CRS. We asked for proof of this claim and have received a non-dated or time stamped photo of a plastic bag covering a smoke detector and a room log register for the day that I arrived but not one for the day of my departure. My wife is still receiving these emails despite our response of denying tampering with the smoke detector and it is now causing her severe mental stress issues. I also wonder if there are others who are experiencing these claims.

powerful_Rogue

grouse_beater said:

I also have had a letter from CRS for a payment of £75 in regard to my Travelodge stay in February where they quote "Travelodge believe that I tampered with a smoke detector and covered it with a plastic bag" I initially contacted CRS regarding this matter informing them that I am a non smoker with restricted movement in my right arm after an accident over 20 years ago. They immediately responded that due to data protection they would only deal with my wife, who on this occasion did not accompany me, as it was she who had booked the stay for one person. Since then we have received a number of emails from CRS asking for the same details as to why we dispute this claim with each email coming from a different person. We have even tried to contact Travelodge customer service team only to be informed that we must deal with CRS only, and even tried to get a response from their CEO Joy Boydell. All she did was pass it back onto the customer service team and guess what, we must only deal with CRS. We asked for proof of this claim and have received a non-dated or time stamped photo of a plastic bag covering a smoke detector and a room log register for the day that I arrived but not one for the day of my departure. My wife is still receiving these emails despite our response of denying tampering with the smoke detector and it is now causing her severe mental stress issues. I also wonder if there are others who are experiencing these claims.

Has you wife since responded to them advising them of the part in bold above?

If she has simply reply back saying you strongly refute the allegations and will have no further dialect with them. If they wish to progress the case to the small claims court, the allegations will be strongly defended.

Then simply ignore all further communication unless you receive any paperwork from the courts.

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/376035-travelodge-smoking-fine-crs/

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/273-civil-recovery-solutions-ltd-and-travel-lodge-smoking-allegations/

grouse_beater

We were discussing this after our most recent email this week and re-read the initial letter and the wording of believe stood out and we were thinking of responding by stating that "I believe that I did not do this". I wonder what response we would then receive.