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.

[expatinscotland]

There's no such thing as an unbiased view. It's up to each person to make up their own minds and then book or not book.

[LucyLouLou]

Partially true, but since we only have the OP, a guest from two years ago, and the owner's word to go on, another opinion would be helpful IMO.

[WhatTheWhat]

OK Saintly, we're all going to be agog!

But, won't tea and cake count as inducements. How could we possibly rely on the impartiality of someone who's had complimentary homemade cake?

Hmmmm... the plot thickens....

[510fudge]

sorry, perhaps being a bit dim but where on Trip Advisor can you see the hotel's response to the review? am interested to see........

[Wringford]

Ok I will serve shop brought cakes!

[Jamieandhismagictorch]

I don't see why we should be prepared to believe the word of the OP, just because she's on MN. She hasn't come back on here, and I don't believe I've ever seen her on MN before.

[NoobyNoo]

I think it's very telling that the OP hasn't returned. Wringford - please don't take this all to heart. I'd come and stay if I wasn't at the other end of the country!

[LucyLouLou]

The OP may not have seen all the replies, some people aren't online every day. If she has seen them and not replied....yeah, that doesn't speak well of her, but there's no way of proving that I guess. She may still come back....

[BikeRunSki]

What a shame, because Cawsand is so lovely (my DB lives there!)

[Myleetlepony]

If I'd started such a contentious thread in AIBU I'd definitely have looked in a few times.

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

Lol @ bribing me with cakes (home made or shop good :o). I could bring ds1 - he sorts out the people prepared to go the extra mile :o

Seriously I may take you up on the offer when we get our dog in a couple of months. Don't worry too much wringford I run a small business - I know I provide a good service and have lots of feedback to confirm that. You know whether you provide a good service or not and you have the benefit of lots of feedback.

[banana87]

510fudge I don't think Wringford did respond, I certainly cannot see where she did. I see where she did on another customers complaint, but not this one.

Wringford- While I stand by the fact that I would not come visit your B&B (and that is not soley because of this, as I said, I have found my "regular" place to stay in Cornwall), please take heart in the fact that you are number 3 on Trip Advisor, so score quite high. I depend on Trip Advisor when booking holidays and I usually judge where I stay based on all the comments, not just one or two. Your good feedback outweighs the bad, fact. And also take heart in the fact that I have stayed in 2 B&B's (also "3 star") who have MUCH bigger problems than this complaint (think staying in a B&B owned by the town drunk, and witnessing domestics every night, sleeping on beds hard as a rock, and NO CURTAINS in the room!).

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

Perhaps the B&B could post a link to this thread, as their rebuttal to the TripAdvisor complaint?

[MisSalLaneous]

I've changed my mind [fickle emoticon] - Wringford, I feel you've been put in a difficult situation, and whilst you probably didn't handle criticism in the best possible way to start off with, I now think you've tried defending your business on here without saying all you possibly could or want to (which is good, you have to try and stay professional).

Look at this in a positive way. You know what might potentially bug some people, so you could, for example, explain said window, etc etc., and many more people now know of your b&b than before. Please don't be upset - the way AIBU works is that people post straight to the point, without being too "fluffy" about it. It even comes with it's own warning for sensitive souls, but as a non-regular MN user, of course you wouldn't have known! :-)

[Poohbah]

I haven't been on mumsnet as I've had friends to stay and we have been doing things so that's why I haven't replied.

The window catch was definately broken - the screws were loose.

The shower door was also broken.

The stool was attached underneath with screws, one screw was loose and therefore rickety.

My husband was working so irrelevant. He does a really cool job. He often works at weekends so perfectly normal and I often go places without him. I love him very much him indeed.


When I arrived I asked for another room but was told that it was the only room available. They did say, if you come alone we will charge you £220. But then said that was only for a different room.

I would have left if it hadn't been for the wedding and because I had arranged to stay at another hotel on the way back. I didn't have a laptop or mobile reception so couldn't really think how to source alternatives. I also thought that Wringford would say I had to pay £300 anyway because of there 3 night minimum stay policy and didn't know my rights about that.

Surely if a car hit the tennis courts a week before the damage would be at the bottom of the court perimeter fence rather than at the top. It looked like high wind damage to me. I really wish I'd taken pictures.

I didn't mind the place looking shabby. I did mind the owners thinking that broken furniture and leaking roofs are acceptable. It's 2010 not the 1970's. I would have had some sympathy if they said, we are struggling, it's a big place, we can't manage/afford the repairs, we hope to sort things out by next year. But it was ridiculous to sit there and say, "what do you expect???" Then say that I haven't been many places and be in complete denial about the service that they provide. I did call her a b*h because she said "I hope you have a safe journey back" whilst raising herone eyebrow in such a evil way that it was clear she wished me and my child harm on our long journey that it was justified, and I do not often speak like that.

[Imisssleeping]

Poohbah - why did you only complain at the end of your stay?

[sloanypony]

I've been following this thread and you know what, to me it sounds a bit like 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

Poohbah you are possibly not an easygoing happy go lucky member of the public all relaxed and amenable on holiday in Cornwall, and Wringford, it sounds like your place could do with a bit of maintenance and its fairly possible your attitude towards customer service could be due a review...not saying that based so much on what the OP has said but I've seen your comments on Tripadvisor...who knows.

I have to say I'd avoid any B&B that was the subject of this kind of thread simply because there is often no smoke without fire, regardless of how unreasonable the OP may or may not be. Its not worth the risk if you are paying money or travelling more than a few miles, is it?

She may well have been trying it on and at the very least, she should have raised any issues with you during the course of her stay and not at the end when her credit card came out. Under those circumstances I dont blame you for being defensive.

Now you've vented your spleen, the decent thing would be to ask Mumsnet to have the thread pulled - just dont go there again. This is someone's livelihood, they've probably put their heart and soul into it, by all means dont recommend it, but do consider drawing a line under it and letting them get on with it. I very much doubt they could forget all about this and I'd like to think they are viewing their property with critical eyes and making any adjustments. And if not, its their loss in the long run.

[sloanypony]

Sorry that last paragraph was directed at the OP having chopped and changed a bit!

[VivaLeBeaver]

Wringfrod - try not to let it worry you. I think most people will realise that there wil lalways be one customer who isn't happy for whatever reason.

I'd agree that maybe the B&B looks slightly shabby round the edges, but you know what that wouldn't bother me in the slightest. A lot of b&bs are, doesn't mean they're not great places to stay. If you want fancy furnishings, plasma tvs, etc go and stay in a hotel.

I wouldn't expect a good view or decent products. As long as the place is clean and the food is good I'm happy.

Me and DH and DD stayed in a hotel in North Wales last year. Lovely location, it cost £200 for 2 nights. Food was great, lovely sitting room with creaky leather sofas and open fire. They ballsed our booking up and gave us a twin room when there were 3 of us. DD is 8 so DH had to sleep on the floor all weekend! Though in fairness they had only charged us for 2 people as had not realised DD was coming so they never did bill her. They didn't have any other rooms free. Our view was of a brick wall about 6ft away from our window, couldn't see anything else at all apart from bricks. The TV didn't work at all, I asked about this and was told there was a problem with the sattelite dish and it couldn't be fixed till the following week. The plumbing was noisy as well (very old building). However we had a fab time and I'd love to go back (though hopefully with the right number of beds next time), never crossed my mind to ask for money off for the lack of a view or lack of TV.

[Myleetlepony]

Good reviews much outweigh the bad. This thread wouldn't put me off at all if I wanted to go to that area. I look at price, facilities and reviews. This B+B has good reviews.
Poobah, I'm being picky here, but I notice that you have ignored the fact that many say you shouldn't have left your 4 year old unsupervised to wander off into an adult only area. You obviously did, because you don't know what happened when the owner went and retrieved said child. I don't think you should be outraged at your child crying when you don't know what happened at the time, 4 year old children can cry for the most unexpected reasons can't they.

[Poohbah]

Well, it wasn't clear to me that children weren't allowed in there. He was told by my friend to go into the room, which I thought was safe because it didn't have a door to the outside (he has hearing loss so if he went outside and I shouted him he wouldn't necessarily respond so could be more dangerous, eg, there is a duck pond with stock fencing but he could climb that easily) and there wasn't clear signposting to say adults only. It was only after the incident that we both peered at a typed note written on paper that said children not allowed. There was a dart board but it was high up and he was just fascinated by the billiards going down the hole and coming out again. The owners made so much of the place being family friendly that it didn't occur to me that a space with a billiard table 3 metres from where I was having breakfast would be off limits. The bar room was more of a through way to another exit with patio doors with the same tables as in the dining room so not clearly an off limits area either.

The first night I tried to keep an open mind and make the best of it. On the day of the wedding I didn't really have time to say anything as was focused on that and got back into the hotel at 11pm. The day after I felt like saying something after the snails in the pool and leaking pool roof incident but then thought I have to stay another night anyway and then my friend turned up and sprung me for the day and when I got back it was really late and I knew I had to stay that night. I did debate whether to say anything at all. But then I thought actually no, this is the worst placed I have ever stayed. It is messy, it is in a state of disrepair and She did say that if my husband didn't come she would charge me £220. Which I did offer to pay as I thought that is reasonable at over £70 per night. I have stayed in similar places and paid £29-35 per night so that influenced my valuation of the service provided. I did offer to pay just felt mislead by the facilities available. I am not a)poor b)trying it on as I think has been mooted. I was however, embarassed that people can provide such a poor service, particularly as a french couple were staying there and I used to live in France and stayed in some very cheap yet amazing places. Also family friendly shouldn't mean messy. Why can the ride on toys, pool toys etc put away each night. They would be in any other establishment.

[expatinscotland]

still sounds like a chancer to me. 'oh, btw, this place is crap. i want £80 off or i'm going to spray all over the net about it.'

meh.

[Ariesgirl]

I think you have handled yourself very well Wringford. As a small business owner myself, I know it's very distressing when you think that someone is going to try and badmouth you for something you don't believe to be justified. I'm not sure anyone understands who has never been in this position themselves - that you put your money, your heart, your soul and your life into running a small business and therefore it's very difficult not to take it personally it someone acts unreasonably. I'm sorry I initially doubted you.

[MrsMadWriggle]

good post Ariesgirl. Also a small business owner. I feel sorry for Wringford. Like many posters said, the OP shouldn't have left it to the end to complain, and then blackmail.

Also, if you are going to complain, it is not acceptable to descend into a slanging match. The OP has admitted she called Wringford a b**ch, which is unacceptable.