to ask for money off for a crap B&B stay???

[Poohbah]

I didn't get it though.....

Basically I paid £300 for a three night stay at a B&B (double room) in cornwall which was advertised as a family friendly hotel with a swimming pool and tennis courts.

The room was okay but had stained walls, a broken window, no decent view, poor products, no hair dryer, poor/non existent room service, a rickety stool which my son fell off and ended up with cut face.

The swimming pool was warm but the bottom was dirty and all the buoyancy aids were horrible and the roof leaked when it rained and there were garden snails inside the pool shed and it needed painting. The tennis courts were covered in childrens ride on toys which sounds great but the wire fencing was falling down so therefore dangerous to a four year to go near. It was all shabby and sad.

Also the owner made my son cry when he when in a room only designated for adults, although we didn't realise it as it had a billiards table in it so thought it safe for him to go there. Odd because he doesn't usually cry when told off by random others - I didn't hear what /how she told him off though. I asked for £80 off as the place was so horrible but the owners (a husband and wife) ganged up and basically barred my way out of the hotel until I paid up, stating that "This is cornwall" so what did I expect...I told them exactly what I expected but then they became quite horrible. I was there alone with my son and the place had no mobile reception so I caved in.

[Wringford]

Didnt take it as a critism - the offer is genuine.

You are very right - we are not a hotel, just a B&B, the extra facilities do make it easier for families. The microwave in the dining room is often in use!

I would really like someone to come so they can set the record straight and be believed.

We also have a self-catering lodge and a cottage if anyone feels brave enough to try our hospitality. By the way we add home made cakes and a welcome pack for S/C to ease people in to their break.

Let me know if you want to come!

[bottyburpthebarbarian]

So, if I understand correctly Wringford, the OP booked a room that had a minimum price based on two adults sharing, she turned up just herself and DC?

And if she had tried to book with just herself and DC you would've given her a different room?

Out of interest, how much cheaper would that room (had it been available) been?

[bottyburpthebarbarian]

Sloppy sentence construction in my last sentence of that post.

have been

DOH

[WhatTheWhat]

This thread is going to be printed off and used as a case study for business studies courses for years to come!

[bottyburpthebarbarian]

lol @ WTW

[Wringford]

We actually offered her a standard twin room which would have cost £202.50 for 1 adult and 1 child, but she insisted that she wanted the king size.

This has been a horrible few days, it is not nice to feel so much negativity and be unable to stop it - I just hope someone comes to stay and writes an honest review.

[banana87]

No thanks Wringford, I would hate to hear what you might say about me or my family if we complained. That and I have found a FANTASTIC place to stay in Cornwall that is also quite cheap for the time of year, excellent food, friendly staff, comfy beds, and great views (and a clean pool!).
I agree with the others that your response was great until you started referring to the OP's personal life, and went on to wonder out loud what other customers thought of her.
I too am in the customer service industry and I know that the customer is always right, even if they aren't. An apology on your behalf is all that was needed. I.e. I am sorry that you felt the window was broken, this is how it works.....etc etc etc. Ending off with a discount on the next stay, which you have now offered to MNers anyway.

[bottyburpthebarbarian]

So you offered her a room which was cheaper than the £80 discount she was looking for when she checked out?

And she said that she wanted the dearer room?

[bottyburpthebarbarian]

Banana - I agree with some of what you said, and I do think that Wringford should've handled the complaints in a different manner.

BUT the OP implied that they had been nasty/aggressive and maybe more to her son in a room when he was out of her sight. And they did this first - so they were the first ones to start with the personal slagging if you look at it like that

(not blindly defending Wringford, but I don't think this case is as clear cut as the OP originally stated)

[LucyLouLou]

botty, I'm generally agreeing with what you've said, but when a service is being paid for, the onus is on the provider to be polite and respectful to the user, something that has failed miserably in this case. There is of course an element of he said/she said in this, but where customer service is concerned, the OP paid for what she considers a dissatisfactory stay somewhere and was slagged off and her personal life highlighted for the world to see. That's much worse than any personal comments she may have made about the owners.

On balance, I quite agree with banana. Whether the offer from the B&B is genuine or not (and it probably is), I would never want to stay somewhere where I would be wondering what was said about me when I left, a genuine concern in this case. Also, I wouldn't be fooled, anyone taking them up on this offer through MN is never going to receive an average service, it will be first class to a degree than other guests would likely not receive.

Again, not saying for sure that Wringford is entirely to blame for what's happened, but I would just expect better customer service from a business.

[WhatTheWhat]

I think that damning Wringford for commenting on an anonymous poster's personal matters is a bit hilarious, unless there's someway of identifying the OP???

[LucyLouLou]

There is a way, she has given her name and location on the review.

[WhatTheWhat]

[sethstarkaddersmum]

Wringford, honestly, you need to look at how you respond to complaints.

When I go to Trip Advisor or similar, I don't take an awful lot of notice of a couple of bad reviews in amongst the good ones, because you are always going to have people who had an axe to grind or are having a bad day, but your response to them on the site have been seriously offputting and your responses on this thread are compounding it.

It's not that I don't believe what you're saying, it's that you are coming over in a way which makes me feel like I wouldn't be comfortable in your house (even though it does actually look really nice and child-friendly). For instance, with the thing about the window - you are probably telling the truth that the window is not broken, just a tilt-and-turn window which the OP couldn't know how to work! But it also makes me feel like if I stayed at your place, couldn't open the window and told you it was broken, your response would not be 'Oh we're really sorry, our windows are a bit confusing!' but a bit snotty and defensive and make me feel thick for not being able to work out how it works! Similarly, if I asked for a hairdryer (which lots of B&Bs I have stayed in have, btw) you would make me feel like I was unreasonable to expect one, rather than just say 'Oh sorry, we don't have them, what a good idea, I'll see if I can find you one to borrow!'
Now, this may of course be completely wrong, and you may be lovely and helpful, but the evidence of your own words online makes me assume the worst.
That is presumably why professional organisations, when they respond publicly to complaints, don't try to make everyone see that actually they were right, they just treat the customer as if they were right and say 'terribly sorry it didn't live up to your expectations, I hope we can improve it and that you will come back again'.
I have no opinion on the £80 discount but you should also not have brought the OP's personal circumstances into this....

[Wringford]

I was not commenting on her personal life - just that she had booked for 2 and only 1 arrived - which possibly made her unhappy!

How is that personal! Could be she didnt want to drive all the way....

I have no idea really.

Customer was fine until discount declined!

[hobbgoblin]

I think wringford should pull names out of a hat of those who have contributed to the thread and who want to stay at their place and offer the winner a free weekend stay so the mnetter can offer feedback and clear up this whole sorry mess.

I do think the OP had too high expectations, but then the owners need to try their best to live up to the highest expectations of their guests. Also, the owners are very defensive in their reponses. This is a familiar stance of B&B owners I have found, but have met many owners who do not live up to the stereotype and who graciously point out the limitations of their accommodation whilst striving to achieve whatever it is the guest requires.

The B&B is probably crap, but the OP should have sussed this sooner and either stayed elsewhere or complained earlier on.

I wouldn't stay based on how tired the place sounds not because of what the OP has said particularly.

[hobbgoblin]

what seth just said above me! Customer needs to feel they are right whether they are or not. Arguing from the business owner is poor form and makes you look awful.

[sallyseton]

Did everyone miss the part where Wringford said the OP called her a bitch? If that's true then that's pretty poor form.

Although, as others have said, the customer is always right. Businesses do this because long term it is a better business strategy. Unfortunately Wringford has discovered this the hard way.

[laurely]

I didn't miss it.. I asked the OP to clarify whether this is true or not.

[expatinscotland]

See, that's why I'd never run a business. Because some customers are arses.

[EmmaBemma]

Having read the thread, my sympathies are very much with the B&B. I don't think Wringford looks "awful" for arguing their side of things at all, especially when the OP has deliberately slagged them off all round the internet just because she didn't get a discount.

[laurely]

I think this really does illustrate how their are three sides to a story

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

They are indeed, expat.

I disagree with "the customer is always right". It doesn't always pay to give in to irrational/bullying/bizarre complaints (no reference to the OP btw - I'm neutral. All sounds like a misunderstanding tbh).

[Wringford]

Hi again!

Yes the customer did call me a b---- as she left.

We do of course have hairdriers available to loan, along with steam sterilisers for bottles (and bottles if needed), changing mats and baby baths and lots of other things - but we dont have 1 of each in each room, and there is of course no charge to borrow them.

It is really difficult as the owner not to repsond to the posts here - some of the things said are really nasty and completely untrue.

As for the window - it was not mentioned until the post here, or the sand in the bottom of the pool, a hairdrier was not requested...the list is endless. We could have solved all of them given the chance!

For some reason (human nature I suppose) many posts here seem to be desperate to respond to anything I say in a negative way.

I do like people to be happy when they are here, most of them are and lots come back regularly. I can honestly say that I had no idea the guest was unhappy until she checked out.

The change of mood came immediately the discount was denied.

I really do not see that any buisness should be blackmailed in to giving huge discounts under threat of poor customer reviews if they do not do so. As the owner there is little I can do other than reply to the complaints.

[Casserole]

Wringford did you block her, and her child's, exit from your premises, as claimed in the OP?