Hotel threatening to sue us for bad review

[Itsalongwayto]

Unashamedly posting in AIBU for traffic. We stayed in a truly dreadful place over the August BH weekend. I wrote to the owner afterwards expressing our displeasure and with a long list of complaints including unsecure blind pulls, a trampoline with no safety net, water features with no warning, general filth and 1980s decor (I expect more at £300/night). Additionally one of the curtain poles fell down on my head. He wrote back ignoring most of my points but stating that he was disappointed that I hadn’t said thank you to them for fixing the curtain pole so quickly . I submitted a review on reevoo and Tripadvisor, neither of which have been published yet......but he has emailed threatening to sue us if we don’t take our review down (I’m assuming he has been sent a preview). We have photographs of everything except the awful smell.
I’m assuming it’s safe to just ignore and block? I’m not taking my review down.

People who say it's over the top about a river....
if you let your toddler run around in your friends garden while visiting them, with one eye on them and one eye talking to your friend. And then at the end of the visit you realise there is an unfenced pool in the garden. You wouldn't be horrified at what could have happened? Seriously?

@MiddleClassProblem

When people say fingers in pies, in this instance I think of American Pie rather than business for some reason

@MiddleClassProblem

Why are you shuddering? American Pie is a famous, classic song. Nothing to get weirded out over. #ByeByeMissAmericanPie

@DreamTheMoors......I think the pp means the film American Pie

Say you’ll take down the review if you receive a full refund. Less drama, less stress for both parties unless you want a petty back and forth argument that’ll clearly get nowhere.
However if they don’t issue a refund then do as what people have suggested.

[quote Itsalongwayto]@DreamTheMoors......I think the pp means the film American Pie[/quote]
@Itsalongwayto

Dang I should’ve thought of that, thanks.
Gross movie that is. >shudder

@DJB33 Looking at the response at TP by the owner, he bullies those that ask for refund.

I will just be honest, your giving advice to others that’s what tripadviser and review sites are for. Well they must know there facilities are not great hence they are threatening to you. Good luck to them! There’s no case in this maybe they should look to update there hotel instead of being bullies well don’t for sharing this with everyone!

Thank you, @tectonicplates

For people who can't find the hotel on TA, I've just read some owner responses, here are some of his comments to just one reviewer -

"I suspect we were saved further pain by not having endured your custom"

" I mean, are you challenged? You are a nasty piece of work"

"don’t bring us down to your levels and standards, please"

" I shan’t be bothering to ring you either as my time is not worth being wasted on the likes of you"

He really doesn't like being called out does he, and turns nasty. Shouldn't be running a business, he isn't up to it.

I found the hotel but can't see OPs review and reply, have you removed it?

I found the hotel but can't see OPs review and reply, have you removed it? I'm a bit about the whole thing

@derxa

I found the hotel but can't see OPs review and reply, have you removed it? I'm a bit about the whole thing

I can't see the ops review either 🤔

It takes a few days for a TA review to post

Cambridgeshire by any chance? I picked up scabies from the place, stupidly having ignored the reviews already posted. Staff and owner were so nice though and really struggling as a result of having to close / reduce staffing. They contracted public health who contracted us and confirmed mites had been found on bed but only in two rooms which had been closed.

Hotel was so apologetic, offered money back but felt so sorry for them refused.

@DreamTheMoors Why are you shuddering? American Pie is a famous, classic song. Nothing to get weirded out over. #ByeByeMissAmericanPie

This is so full of beautiful innocence, I feel so bad for shattering it!

What the fuck is wrong with this man that he thinks this is appropriate to post on a public review site for potential customers to see? He's really something else..

Good luck OP!

@MiddleClassProblem

It takes a few days for a TA review to post

But others have seen it ?

This has to be the worst, he has said he recorded guests talking to him about their complaint and then photographed their children playing football in an attempt to disprove their claim that the room was too damp for their asthmatic son who clearly can't be asthmatic because he's running around

I expect there would be a lot more bad reviews, but the owner says he's going to sue and then the reviewers remove their truthful bad reviews.

God, this is awful.

Surely at some point it becomes less hassle to simply get the necessary work done on the property?

It sounds like this guy spends half of his life fighting this ridiculous fight. I'd have gicen up and called in a builder years ago...

My review has not yet been published- it’s still ‘pending’. I originally thought perhaps he had had a preview of it, but have been advised by pp that he doesn’t get to preview. I have reread his email and the threat is pre-empting any review that I might right. He will sue if we publish a bad review. Since Sunday a glut of glowing reviews have been posted, one of which is essentially the opposite of every point I raised in my private email posted by someone who last posted in 2013 and has only posted about places in Canada. I wonder if he pays them

Just reporting to HSE now

One bad review says that their children had to walk through long grass and past chickens to reach the trampoline.

@TitsOutForHarambe I think he is too stingy. He told me in his email that they had spent ‘well north of £1m since 2007’ on renovations- So less than £80k/ year. A place that size would probably cost more than £100k to decorate. Well north of a million is literally pissing in the rain.