To think an offer is an offer and shouldn't be retracted?

[Bearcrumble]

My mum is not very computer savvy so she asked me to find her a B+B for one night when she goes down to Dorset for a friend's 65th birthday party next month.

I had a look at the local tourist office's website and did a search - found a nice looking place with availabilty on the date and gave her the details. When she rang she was quoted £45 by the owner. Mum is a bit frugal and didn't want to spend that much so she said she'd think about it but it was a bit expensive. The woman seemed pleasant at the time and gave mum a couple of cheaper suggestions.

When mum turned up to see me today I showed her the photos of the place on my computer and the (4 or 5) alternatives. I said I didn't think £45 was that steep and she agreed that it was the nicest looking place and she'd go for it.

I rang to book it for her and the woman said "I remember. She said it was too expensive. It was a bargain. I gave her the names of some other places in her price bracket." I said I'd explained to my mum that it was the going rate and she was now happy to pay. The owner was adamant that she didn't want my mother simply because she'd said she didn't want to spend that much if she didn't have to and she wanted to shop around but may well come back to her. I was really quite disbelieving - handed the phone to mum - the woman reiterated that she'd offered mum a bargain and she'd turned her down so she'd decided not to let her have the room but to hold out for a double booking.

We found another place where they were very friendly (not as nice a building as the original one, but hey) and got a room for £40. I think we got a better deal as the woman who ran the original B+B was obviously not very nice - but I feel quite pissed off to be told that just because my mother wanted to see what else was on offer this woman took it as a slight and decided to be really quite petty and spiteful.

I wouldn't want to stay at that sort of place, I guess the managers can decide what they want to charge, when they want to, and reserve the right to let rooms or not, to whoever they want

but then shouldn't be surprised when they end up on 'the hotel inspector' with debts of a gazillion pounds because no-ones stayed there since 1994

Seems fine to me, her business is obviously doing well, she's limited by capacity so she does get to choose her customers, choosing ones who don't quibble the prices makes a lot of business sense.

I'm sure there's no spite involved, just sound business sense.

Maybe she just thought that if your mum was being fussy now she would be a nightmare guest...I dunno, she is probably getting busier so can pick and chose.

£45 sounds very reasonable to me .....

Surely it's the woman's business and she can do what she wants. We don't know what was said in the original phonecall and only have one side.

It's probably best she didn't end up booking that place then. The petty owner could have given in, said yes to the booking and then rubbed your mum's toast under her armpits at breakfast.

If she were inclined to be petty and spiteful she wouldn't have given your mum 4 or 5 alternatives.

sounds unprofessional to me. One of those people who runs their business like their baby and goes bonkers at any perceived criticism of it (I used to be one )

You can't take things personally in business, you just can't.

These types of businesses are often very personal. It's up to the owner if they want to allow someone to stay on their property, they are not obliged to let anyone they dont want to stay there just because they are a business, and rightly so.

Maybe your Mum came across quite rudely when she was on the phone, and the owner woudo prefer to not have to deal with her.

£45 sounds like a good deal to me. I'm another that thinks she probably isn't short of guests and thinks your mum might be a bit of an awkward customer having already quibbled about a reasonable price.

Alls well that ends well if you got a better deal in the end somewhere else anyway though.

She's probably just nearly booked now and know she can probably get a couple in time for the date, assuming it's a pay pp.

picnic Tell me you've never worked in food service, please....

the offer wasn't withdrawn, it was rejected and as such died. that's contract law 101, you don't get to reject an offer and also get it to remain in case you don't find something better.

I agree with BettySwallock - if you're mum was quibbling about the very reasonable price then she would have pegged as someone likely to complain about everything, want money off for seeing a spider in the bathroom then write a bad review on trip advisor anyway. Not worth the hassle!

It sounds to me as though your mother rejected the offer in the first place though. You can't go away and think about hotel bookings (or anything) in that manner. They could become booked up in the meantime and it's unreasonable to expect someone to hold them for you, unless that is expressly agreed for a set time period.

ok while i agree that it's up to the owner who she lets rooms to, there was no need to be rude

if she genuinely was almost booked up, or was concerned that the OP's mum would be too picky etc she could have been polite and said "i'm sorry we no longer have the room available"

but she didn't. she chose to make a point of telling them that she was refusing simply because this lady wanted to check out some other prices. She then also pointed out that she could let the room if she wanted to, but she wouldn't. so yes, deliberately spiteful

she won't get much business treating customers like that will she?

Her business, her choice. She isn't removing the offer. She offered, my mum refused. Offer gone. She has prob refused as its seems to much hassle.
we have a restaurant and often the customers that ring up and want the price of everything on the menu then says its to expensive are the ones that turn up and are a pain tbh.

Can you get money off if there are spiders in the bathroom??

Rather your mum refused.

Tbf you don't know of your mum offense her as you weren't there when she called.

I agree with mayorquimby the offer was not retracted, it was rejected by your mother - and I do have to wonder how her manner was when she rejected it. There's a big difference between "ooh, that's a little more than I was looking to pay" and "That's too much, I only want it for a night not a week. You should be glad of any business you get in this climate." (Not saying that's what your mum said, but her tone may have conveyed similar.) The B&B owner was more than nice to offer cheaper suggestions, she had no need to do that except niceness.

And I would guess in this Brave New World of Tripadvisor reviews, it would be a foolish proprietor who did not neatly sidestep what she perceived to be a tricky customer.

the woman sounds a bit petty but your mother rejected her price so there was no offer as such

Debeez, no I haven't but it was very much a tongue in cheek remark and I would never do such a thing, I assure you

Legally I don't think it counts as an offer.

I think the B&B owner was not very savvy though - if she didn't want to give the room to your mother, all she had to say was "Sorry, we are now fully booked".

Now, she has lost your mum's future business and yours, by the sound of it, and probably other business from your family and friends. Silly woman!

Typical British service really.

I hate the attitude that customers are a pain because we all like a moan. Yes they are but it's the job of the people in service industries to make it a better experience. Shit customers are part of the deal really.

Also isn't it a bit discriminatory? Can you actually pick and chose your customers based on an assumption about them. If someone can't refuse people on the basis of long held religious belief it seems a bit ironic that they can refuse people because they are in a snit.

Sorry It meant to be "we in the industry " like a moan. Most companies spend a bit on customer service but the culture -that everyone is too good to look after people -we still get rubbish service.

My parents used to run a family business. They could spot a difficult customer at 20 paces and often found they couldn't do whatever they wanted. It's one of the perks of running your own business.