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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think Premier Inn should’ve let homeless in.

407 replies

Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:03

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/premier-inn-homeless-people-turned-away-customer-paying-westonsupermare-a8240171.html

A woman who couldn’t make her mass booking of 19 rooms due to the weather last week offered the rooms to the homeless in the area via a charity’s Facebook.
A couple who had a flooded home were also given a room.
Flood couple let in no problem, homeless people who attended with charity rep were turned away.
Now Premier are saying they needed the lead room booker to be there and ID to be presented which is obviously bollocks because the flooded home couple were allowed in with no problem.

AIBU to think they should’ve let them in, it was bitterly cold and I think they acted heartlessly. Then the backtracking that followed. AIBU to boycott them? Would you?

OP posts:
beanii · 06/03/2018 13:46

Oddish in the town I live in, I know several homeless people have been rehoused and didn't want it - they are still on the streets no matter how much help they have been given. They sit and drink/take drugs, verbally abuse people walking by, intimidate people for money - the list goes on. So it's very commendable to want to help - perhaps set something up in your garden next time it snows - then they aren't in your house and you can make sure they are warm.

implantsandaDyson · 06/03/2018 13:46

We'll there's a start for you - get some locks for your and your family's bedroom doors and then you can open up your home- am sure you have a living room you can use as some kind of dormitory type facility? See it's as easy as that isn't it? You can be as passionate as you want about causes but PI as countless posters have said have a duty of care to their employees.

Usernumbers1234 · 06/03/2018 13:46

Stop talking about the women or men issue, that’s not going to swing opinion.

Women with mental health and substance issues are just as much of an issue. Posssibly even more so from Premier Inns point of view in terms of safeguarding their own staff.

KerplunkChampion · 06/03/2018 13:47

So kind of you OP! DM me your address and I'll give it to the drunk guy who sits outside the bank yelling abuse at people. Don't worry about making a bed up, the sofa will be fine. And he's great with kids.

SashaGem · 06/03/2018 13:47

What’s so awful about Costa?
Their coffee, it's shit.

I agree with this.
I’m with PI on this. I don’t think it was an altruistic gesture at all, l think she was pissed off they wouldn’t refund her so did it as revenge because she knew they’d either have huge problems or turn them away and she could get bad press.

sunnyday1976 · 06/03/2018 13:47

If the PI couldn’t/wouldn’t refund her booking it must have been on a saver rate, which has no cancellation, no changes or amendments allowed to the booking. I couldn’t use a room booked a couple of weeks ago due to DC illness and I checked if someone else I knew could use it. They weren’t allowed to, but I already expected this as the saver rate is very specific on no changes. It’s just how their rooms work and are allowed to stick to their own policies.

BakedBeans47 · 06/03/2018 13:48

Does it make you feel better about writing these people off as worthless?

Who said that? No one is saying they are worthless but you are hopelessly naive if you don’t realise a lot of homeless people bring with them a huge amount of problems. Not all, of course, but how would PI have any way of knowing?

Tralalee · 06/03/2018 13:48

Costa lattes stink. They actually smell (not in a good way)

Mylady · 06/03/2018 13:48

@oddish - I have worked and volunteered for homeless charities - I am as passionate as you like ano3ut homelesness but not understanding or dismisding the complexities and issues many homeless men and women have - many who struggle to live even in very supported accomadation with major financial and socisl care input trivialises the policial issues.
For me as many of the homeless are ex military army camps should jave been opened up and instead of fighting wars over oil the forces should be helping to solve problems like this at home.

Original poster
Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:48

Wtf is ‘virtue signalling’? I am allowed to feel disgusted at PI and to ask for others opinions. Obviously this is something I feel passionate about or I wouldn’t have posted about it. It’s interesting to see how other people think, it truly is.

OP posts:
papayasareyum · 06/03/2018 13:48

I’m on premier inns side. I can totally understand why they wouldn’t let them in. They made the right decision.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 06/03/2018 13:50

Oddish, I think you’re a bit naive about rough sleeping. Generally there are services available which can help people without places to sleep in the form of hostels etc and that was particularly the case in the recent bad weather when extra provision was on.

People who are sleeping rough are usually ones with the most profound and ingrained problems which stop them engaging with help that can be offered to them. Frequently there may be bans in place from hostels and hostels do not ban lightly and usually only do when they feel someone poses a serious risk to other residents there. If you think they would have had 19 spinster accountants who’d unfortunately been burnt out of their alms houses turn up and sing ‘Kum by ya’ round the receptionist you are very much mistaken.

FluffyWuffy100 · 06/03/2018 13:51

Just because you have no home doesn’t mean you have a drink/drug issue.

Why all men? Why all damaged in some way? Does it make you feel better about writing these people off as worthless?

Not worthless. But not people I want sitting next to me at breakfast in a hotel. Your'e a fool if you think a large group of people who live on the streets are going to make for pleasant bed fellows.

The vast majority of people on the streets homeless as opposed to homeless sofa surfing, do actually have MH and/or addiction issues. Help is there for people in early stages but once you've fallen down the cracks re MH and addiction its very hard to access this.

There are of course women on the streets too for sure, but a higher % of men than women.

Stop being suck a pathetic keyboard virtue signaler and actually do something practical to help people on the streets if you actually care (and I don't mean just helping at Crisis at Christmas once a year!).

Original poster
Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:51

I am not naive bakedbeans I just don’t believe that homeless = scum.

It could happen to me, you, anyone.

OP posts:
liz70 · 06/03/2018 13:52

She was never authorised to offer the rooms out to all and sundry in the first place, so it's a moot point.

I'm not saying that all homeless people smell, but I've had to leave a shop gagging after someone, obviously a vagrant, entered it. The stench was horrendous. Now imagine that in a hotel room for eight to ten hours, and the poor NMW cleaner trying to clean and get rid of the smell later. And how many critics here would want that in their homes? Really?

I've also had a local vagrant say the most disgusting, sexually explicit filfth to me when I was fifteen and minding my own business in my local shopping precinct.

I agree with others that more should be done to tackle the problem (we have a regular monthly SO donation to Shelter, amongst other charities), but PI are a business, not a charity. For the reasons cited in this thread, I think they did the right thing.

Tralalee · 06/03/2018 13:52

oh fgs noone on here thinks that homeless people are scum

but I can see you are going down this road now so nothing anyone will say is going to stop your feeligns of moral superiority books several Premier Inns

Gileswithachainsaw · 06/03/2018 13:52

Who has said homeless people are scum?

Original poster
Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:52

pathetic keyboard virtue signaller

Huh?

OP posts:
fuckoffsnow · 06/03/2018 13:52

"virtue signalling" - showing how much you care for the homeless when you're not in the situation of the person who has had to turn them away because they are not equipped to deal with their issues, even for one night.

Original poster
Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:53

It’s insinuated in every other post giles

OP posts:
FluffyWuffy100 · 06/03/2018 13:54

Obviously this is something I feel passionate about

Then I woudl LOVE to hear what outreach work you do with charities that help people living on the streets?

ScattyCharly · 06/03/2018 13:54

I don't think those of us who think PI were correct are saying homeless=scum. What we are saying is homeless=risky business for hotel. Do you not see that?

Original poster
Oddish · 06/03/2018 13:54

No snow but I could easily be in the place of one of the people wanting a bed on the coldest nights of the year. Almost anyone could. I’d prefer to put myself in that position.

OP posts:
fuckoffsnow · 06/03/2018 13:55

No one has actually said they're scum though, have they. Acknowledging the MH and addiction issues of the on the streets homeless is not calling them scum/worthless/any of the other words you've used.

stitchglitched · 06/03/2018 13:55

So OP, what about the night shift workers who are often alone? How do you propose they cope with an influx of 19 individuals, many of whom will have significant issues? How do you propose they police the potential drug use? Or noise? Or deal with the complaints of other customers?

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