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.

Fawlty towers indeed. His latest response is just so awful he needs to change his name to Basil.

@Itsalongwayto - depending on your professional body I doubt they'd do anything. You're entitled to your opinion and you're entitled to leave reviews about it. Unless you were carrying out your day job on the premises surely it's nothing to do with your profession as it was you being you as a citizen / holidaymaker?

Hi Mr M,

Thanks for joining us on MN. Thank you also for your threatening 6 page letter from your solicitor.
It will be a pleasure to comply with number 7 For so long as you remain the owner.

I love the phrase 'whether factual or opinion'.He thinks he can bully you into saying nothing regardless how factual it is!

See if there are any legal bods on Mumsnet who can advise because this screams of him having a bit of a strop because you've called him out on his lack of professionalism.

Mr Hotel Owner, your replies on Trip Advisor are clear for all to see. Potential customers are perfectly free to form an opinion of you and your businesses.

You're just annoyed that people are noticing your bully boy tactics.

That is ridiculous

I think that may be a case of shutting the satble door after the horse has bolted. too many people have long memories.

I have of course alerted MN, asked if they would please leave the thread up, but understand if it compromises them and they need to remove it.

Bloody hell - where did he get his solicitor from?

What a load of histrionic nonsense.

I wonder how much he paid them for that advice?

@Itsalongwayto

Hi Mr M,

Thanks for joining us on MN. Thank you also for your threatening 6 page letter from your solicitor.
It will be a pleasure to comply with number 7 For so long as you remain the owner.

I'm having trouble believing a solicitor wrote that tbh.

@AfterSchoolWorry No! The solicitor didn’t write that bit- they wrote a 6 page epilogue (very much in the style of Mr Ms responses on TA) of which the attached picture is a small part. In the letter he disclosed that he has read the MN thread, hence the Hi Mr M.

Someone should contact Alex Polizzi - she'd give an honest opinion one way or the other.

He actually spent money on a solicitor's letter! I presume that will be ignored (apart from point 7, of course).

The best thing is that if they just let it blow over, that would be it... Now it will gain proper momentum.

Where's the Daily Mail thread pincher when you need them?! surely this must end up there

I’d google the solicitors firm, not entirely convinced that came from one!

Refer Mr M to the classic Private Eye response from a few years ago ..
Arkell v Pressdram
Pompous arse .

Bad reviews I can look past but when an owner writes a response that includes "you're a nasty piece of work" then I 100% would not go near the place.

solicitors letters are practically worthless. If he goes to law then sit up and pay attention. By the way, did you pay by credit card? if so you could launch a section 75 claim for unsatisfactory services ?

@BloggersBlog that was exactly what I was thinking. He could have a double page spread of publicity for his lovely hotel

@ginandbearit brilliant!

Wow. Mr M is messing with the wrong forum person here!

I know it’s stating the obvious but this geezer is absolutely 100% batshit. And a huge flaming narc to boot!!!! It’s stunning.