To start a thread about ridiculous trip advisor reviews?

[Coralnails]

I'm currently looking for a holiday so of course I'm reading trip adviser reviews.

I can't believe how many people leave poor reviews over the stupidest of things.

Quite a lot will leave bad reviews when they haven't even stayed at the place, but they've taken the hump because it was fully booked or a tour operator mixed up the bookings.

Or complaining about the weather, as if that's the hotels fault.

One that made me cry with laughter was the one who complained that no one spoke English well - in Spain.

Another left a hotel one star because they tv remote was faulty and they could hear someone from the kitchen putting the recycling out throughout the day. Apparently everything else was great, but they felt those two minor complaints warranted a terrible review.

When I was checking out a hotel, I read a 1 star review by a woman who was furious that the hotel staff wouldn't tell a woman who was sunbathing topless by the pool to cover up. Apparently it really upset her 13 year old son

When I got married, one of my batty aunties left a 1 star review of the hotel. Turns out the fan in her room broke (it was a really hot night) and she didn't say anything to the staff but left this vitriolic review instead. My mum was mortified so she created an account just to leave a 5 star review.

I read one where they were complaining about a cockerel crowing in the morning
Nah, this is a 100% valid review. Fucking cockerels and their fucking crowing from 3.30am in summer need to fuck right off when I;m staying in a hotel.

Very nice place to stay but they need to do something about the tide being out a lot

Ok, not this exactly, but if the beach at a beach resort is one of those ones where the tide is super shallow for miles at high tide, and at low tide it is bloody miles out and the beach is all rocky and shitty and it takes forever to get to the sea - I would like to know this.

I used to be a holiday rep. I loved the job but my god, some people should not be allowed to travel.

There were reviews about center parcs banning BBQs last summer - as instructed by the forestry commission - due to prolonged hot weather and danger of forest fires.

Some people moaning about all the bbq food they had brought with them and they couldn’t possible cook it inside. They were also unaware that you could cook it inside but still take it outside to eat.

One woman argued with her family over it and claimed CP were to blame for the family rift.

When I used to go to Indonesia frequently, I actually found the cockerels, and then call to prayer quite comforting, or Id just sleep through it.
I live on a main road on one side, and train line on the other now and I feel the same.

but if the beach at a beach resort is one of those ones where the tide is super shallow for miles at high tide, and at low tide it is bloody miles out and the beach is all rocky and shitty and it takes forever to get to the sea - I would like to know this.
But surely you find out before you go, not moan about it afterwards!

Once read a trip advisor review which gave The Spanish Steps in Rome one star because they where closed for maintenance! (American woman - which just re-informed my prejudice about American travellers)

I read a great response recently even a man had complained that the hotel wifi didn't work around the pool and his kids were bored without their tablets. The manager suggested he played with his kids in the pool as they were on holiday.

There's a great MN Classics thread from some years ago on this subject www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1174221-Thickos-on-TripAdvisor?pg=1

We were at Centerparcs during the BBQ ban, they really really needed it as the place was so dry - there was no green grass at all and it was tinder dry. The forest would have caught fire really quickly. Anybody with any common sense would have realised that.

However, Centerparcs weren't entirely sensible as they still had the barbecues on sale in the on site shop

We always read the worst reviews, you can usually tell if the people are twats or not and if they are it's usually a good place! My fav was one star review for a perfect hotel because the weather wasn't good.

There was a mumsnet thread about the bbq ban the poster was seething about wasted bbq meat until many many posters pointed out you could cook a burger inside! The thread was eventually deleted.

I don't know whether Centreparcs contacted customers and explained the situation with BBQs, but a simple email would do it. Cooking inside isn't the same, I would be disappointed but understand the reasons and certainly wouldn't want to cause a fire.

@Dorris83.

That owner appears not to appreciate the irony of him insisting the staff aren’t rude, whilst posting incredibly rude responses. Should I ever find myself there I will avoid that place!

I don't know, I'd be tempted to go in and see what happens, do a review and wait for the response!

I was at center parcs during the bbq ban, which is how I came to see the reviews. Funnily enough we still had a fab holiday even though I had to cook my vegetable kebabs inside.

I read a trip advisor review once about a hotel in Bulgaria. The woman was outraged the TV in her room could only pick up local stations and it was all in Bulgarian. She was even more disappointed one evening to find they were showing the Superman movie on tv but they had dubbed the English voices to Bulgarian and it ruined the movie for her. This was obviously the hotels fault.

I was also in Centre Parcs last year during the BBQ ban. We were slightly disappointed but hardly devastated. Given how dry everything was I could understand the ban and they had signs up everywhere. We were also informed of this at check in and (when I was there anyway) they had removed the disposable BBQ’s from the supermarkets. Some people did still ignore it though and go ahead with BBQ’s because you could smell it in the air almost every night. Stupid people thinking it’s worth risking a forest fire just so they can grill some burgers outdoors.

they could change the meal for you, they could offer you a refund. Eating the meal, saying it was fine then demanding refund/ giving bad reviews is just silly

I've only left one bad Trip Advisor review but it was about terrible and overpriced food. I just wanted to leave. And then I got very angry that they were serving such rubbish and wanted to warn others. The restaurant should know whether their food is any good.

I had some really bad food served to me recently. It was a cafe bar and I was starving, I told the waiter there was an issue, and that I’d like to cancel the rest of the food (tapas type stuff), finish up my drink and go.
What a palaver! I had constant updates from the waiter, manager, and at one point, the chef, constant offers of freebies, when all I wanted was to cancel, go, and eat elsewhere. I didn’t think on until I escaped the constant barrage of apologies, offers etc that they were probably worried I’d slate them on trip advisor. Sad really.
They made a mistake (they all agreed, think used a wrong mismatched ingredient in something, but not allergy/diet cock up) they corrected it to my satisfaction right away, I was content, no harm done. They’re all there killing me with kindness and tugging their forelocks at me- in case of a bad review!

The hotel I’m going to next month has a review from someone complaining that his pyjamas weren’t folded!

The ‘Thickos on Tripadvisor’ thread in Classics is one of my favourite ever MN threads. I still reread it sometimes if I’m in need of a laugh.

The best one I have ever seen was a woman giving 1 star to a hotel in Spain because her husband had slept with a waitress. She seemed to think it was all the hotels fault for hiring waitresses that would sleep with married men! Wish I could remember the hotel.

I would complain about food that was badly cooked e.g. burnt food. But if it is supposed to be like that, what is the point of complaining in the restaurant? For example, a place selling food with obviously frozen vegetables rather than fresh. They know what they are serving.

This is my favourite (a hotel we had a good stay at a few years ago). I read it whenever I want a giggle - www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g298664-d2207741-r139335317-Veltur_Turiya_Hotel_and_Spa-Turgutreis_Bodrum_Mugla_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coas.html

I own a flat in a popular holiday resort in Cornwall which I let out via TripAdvisor's sister website. Guests can leave reviews on TripAdvisor.
The flat is in a converted building. The other flats are a mix of holiday lets and permanent residencies.
One guest left a negative review because one of the permanent residents was smoking in her flat. The neighbour concerned was a woman in her 70s, a lovely woman and no, I wasn't going to demand she stopped having a fag while watching Corrie.
I'd never even smelt it, and noone else had complained. It's a private block so clearly ain't covered by the smoking ban.
No mention made of the spotless flat, good facilities including a parking spot (rare in the town), just an old dear having a fab in the comfort of her own home.