to think you can't claim to be homeless living in an airport if your income is £1400 a month

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Strange DM story today, nothing adds up

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2943251/Homeless-Heathrow-look-holiday-truth-middle-class-couple-living-airport-losing-500-000-home.html#article-2943251

Difference of opinions.
It's one thing speaking out and another being listened to or willingness to be listened to

What goes round comes round goes for everyone including you once

Eve I know about running a business, I do it myself, but in my case it's a one woman job. I still make time to promote my work and manage my reputation using social media. Nowadays, it's as essential as advertising in more traditional forms. If someone with my name was involved in such a controversial story and for some reason people thought I was that person I would be making full use of Twitter, Facebook etc. to set the record straight.

Your friends can not rely on reviews on TripAdvisor, because they have no control over who writes on there or what they write. They also can't just hope it will all blow over because that link is going to appear every time someone searches for info about the B&B, which will be damaging. I suppose they could go down the route of using the recent privacy law to have those results hidden, but the search engines will add a notice to say results have been removed, so that will look even more suspicious.

I'm genuinely not accusing your friends of any wrongdoing, but I do think they are being very naive.

No one here has any evidence to prove who owns this B&B, although the New Stateman had checked the land registry and found that the ownership hasn't changed in ten years.
Assuming that the B&B has been unfairly brought into this then I really do feel for the owners. None of this is their fault. What they need to do, and I appreciate that they work all the hours, is contact the papers that have run this story - especially the New Statesman - and set the record straight. It would be good if the tried the likes of the independent or guardian with a Daily Mail ruined my life type story.

I hold no brief for Eve117 or or Alan and Katrina, the Heathrow elderly orphans.

But you are very naive if you think a newspaper, any newspaper, would admit to making a mistake and it would be a simple matter of sending out a press release to clear up any misunderstandings.

Limited I'm not suggesting that a paper would admit to a mistake. I know they don't. Well, not unless a tiny paragraph on page 23 counts as admitting it. However, a press release would be picked up by thousands (probably tens of thousands) of publications, the vast majority of which have no connect with either the DM specifically, or the mainstream British media generally. And this story has been reported all over the world, I'd be astonished if it (a pr) wasn't picked up, particularly by the various online publications that have already written about the dubious practices at the DM.

These 2 have been in the papers before though with c=various things. it seems also that their Dorset flat had an Alan Lane registered as living there and a Katrina but they were in their 20s?

They're fucking idiots. No idea of having to struggle.

You dont need a newspaper to put out an announcement theses days though? A facebook page to say "this is who we are, and what we do" Or commenting on said newspapers with their details?

I think its a shame - i really dont know if they are or are not, and to be honest, doesnt affect me either way - but if they are not the LHR2, they're not doing themselves any favours

other newspapers would love it "Daily Mail ruined my life by not answering claims about my business ownership"

a press release would be picked up by thousands (probably tens of thousands) of publications, the vast majority of which have no connect with either the DM specifically, or the mainstream British media generally

No, it really wouldn't.

Not that I hold any brief for them.

other newspapers would love it "Daily Mail ruined my life by not answering claims about my business ownership"

That's really not how it works

Limited yes, that is how it works, the traditional media is no longer the only way to get information out. In fact, they pick a lot of their stories up from other sources. I'm sorry to be contrary about this, but what you are saying is no longer true. You are correct that every single tabloid and broadsheet in the UK might ignore what the B&B owners say, but there will be plenty of other publications that would snap it up. Especially, if it was to the detriment of the DM.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed As I keep saying, I hold no brief for the Heathrow Two or the B&B Owners, who may or may not be one and the same.

But it has been picked up on social media, including here, and the decision is that they are the same people and even if they aren't, they deserve no sympathy - proceed to execution.

I suspect they might be the same people. I also suspect that one or both couples may be scamming. That's not the same as declaring that they definitely are.

Generally when people are given a judging in the Court of Daily Mail Opinion they're given an easy ride here.

So why not this time?

I am sceptical about both of them.

But I find many of the views here to be naive in the extreme and very judgmental.

The B&B has a website. They should stick a statement on it if they feel business will be impacted. I don't think a press release would get much if any attention. It's pretty much a non story now for the press - they've moved on.

It's very little to live on

£1400 a month isn't a lot to live on?! For a couple? For real? That's what millions of entire families live on.

Limited I do see what what you mean, but at the same time, although the story has been discussed here (which, strictly speaking, isn't social media) and elsewhere, at no point has anyone reported the actual words of the B&B owners. Everything we've heard from that quarter appears to come from third parties. I do think (speaking from professional experience) that if they are genuine there is a lot they could do to let people know. The fact they haven't/won't does make me wonder why not.

MrsRuffalo £1400 per month is the equivalent of a gross annual income of about £20000. It's not a huge amount, but it's certainly more than a lot of families are living on.

life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/homeless-british-couple

Standard state pension for a married couple is £981.50 per month. £1400.00 is nearly 50% more than that.

The problem I see with the online find raising for anyone, not just this couple, is that who is to say that they will get the money? We have to assume that the fund raiser is honey.

Once - so that is a new fundraising site as of today ?

Let's hope the organiser of this fundraiser sees sense and donates the money to a charity that helps real needy people.

And pensioners on a state pension alone are living in poverty!

I don't think it's much after mortgage/rent, travel and shopping. Sorry!

Yup, I saw it on Facebook, couldnot believe it

This cross funding needs looking in to. I hope no one donates to it

Then feel free to give them money, mrsr. They have no ties to any part of the country due to employment, so can easily rent a bedsit or one-bed place quite cheaply and have plenty left over for shopping.