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.

OMG this man. So rude.

"I am sure readers will realise that your capability to judge whether we are a country house Hotel in an historic manor or not is somewhat deficient. I realise there are lots of arty-fairy alternative types living in your city and it seems to have gone to your heads! Thank you for noting that our location is indeed ‘stunning’ – I am surprised you are discerning enough to know."

I've added my 'helpful' to your review. 37 now

@fleurdeliz yes, I looked at his other reviews. No longer a resident of Croyde but clearly an old mucker.

I agree on the syntax by the way.

I still can't find it please can someone PM me, I feel like I'm missing out!

Read all the reviews. He's bonkers!

@Nquartz

I still can't find it please can someone PM me, I feel like I'm missing out!

If you google search some of the quotes from the trip-advisor page that have been posted on this page, it will come up

@JD1313

I tried to pm u but your account won't accept messages.

Spent many a happy hour reading the reviews and replies!

Agree the good reviews are fake - not only are they the same syntax but a couple of them are the same profile photo as well!

To those querying what the “ Review collected in partnership with this hotel" means - it is not trip advisor questioning whether the review is truthful or not, it is because trip advisor now works with lots of the booking sites like booking.com and it means that someone posted a review on the site they booked through, which then gets also added to trip advisor.

@Itsalongwayto

He used to own/run a Christian bookshop in Barnstaple....apparently it was his own personal charity. I’m going to make the brave assumption that he didn’t read any of the books!!!!

I wouldn’t be so sure😂

It is hilarious when the owners of cafes/hotels etc reply to the reviews with rude messages! There was a restaurant in Jersey where the owner used to get really angry if anyone dared to criticise. Also a fish and chip shop in Torquay (which is actually very good).

Well OP I doubt very much he will try to sue for libel.
Trip Advisor have published your review. They know it's legit.
So if it were a libel, they would be liable too.

Also, if you click on the little grey line where it says "x number of people find this helpful" There are loads of us on your review from all over Mumsnet and different places too.

He seems to have someone called Noah M. on a couple of them. I think that's his son, aka The Manager.

I know. And is it hard to understand that I will put a bad review into context with good reviews, so it won’t be the end of the world, but a single shirty reply will put me off entirely.

Trip Advisor. Just rounded it up to a big 50 👍🏻

Thanks for seeing this through Op. I'm terrible at complaining but absolutely hate bullies.

Wow, the owner is a piece of work! He has even tried to sue his own brother who he employed to refurbish his hotel that he apparently overcharged for labour, bills for materials that he claimed where not received etc. The judge completely threw out his claim but instead upheld his brother’s counterclaim that he had not been paid and ordered the crazy hotel owner to pay half the defendant’s legal costs.

As for his financial advice company, a quick glance throws up complaints against him upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service for giving unsuitable advice. And then there are his dodgy involvements with a village pub. I was really interested to see him appear on a Channel 4 Kitchen 999 show but I can’t find the episode online, the links I saw are expired.

Does the owner look like the "take your money and get off my property Jane" man from Come Dine with Me because he does in my head....

They should make a documentary about him - he sounds brilliantly awful! still cant find the blooming hotel despite clues

Please can someone pm me. Google isn't helping

Done, @JacobReesMogadishu

It drove me mad too!

Is it wrong that I now sort of want to go there ?

Wow. That guy is well dodgy. So dodgy even the Tories didnt want him. And his own brother sued him.

Thanks. The Google reviews are an odd mix of good or awful.

@Aridane

Is it wrong that I now sort of want to go there ?

I want to go just to write a review to see his response

Well I for one am local to this establishment and LOVE this place. It is idyllic, Tranquil.
The owners have never been anything but kind and friendly to me & my children. The manageree of wonderful birds amuse us for for an hour +
On a Sunny day we always have a home made Cream tea which is by far the best for miles around. And as for 'water features, & rivers' if you count a tiny extremely shallow stream as a danger 🙄🤦 if your that worried don't allow your child out of your sight, I don't anyway 🤷
It's @clean, very clean inside and if you call Antiques old decor so be it but it is the character of this magical Manor House. I have MANY photographs of this lovely place and many happy memories.