Page 3 | To be pissed off at this accommodation

RainbowBriteUk · 2021-12-17T12:46:43+00:00

I booked a seaside getaway for a treat. Very excited! The accommodation looks truly lovely. After I booked via a website (and they took my money) I received an email saying (in a nice way) that they're charging £20 extra for a deep clean per stay due to covid. Fair enough but I'm pissed off that this wasn't in writing before I booked. I wouldn't have gone for it otherwise. It was clear in the email that if I didn't agree with the charge then I could opt for a refund but come on now, they've already taken the money from my account, a refund could take a while and rebooking somewhere else would obviously mean even more money coming from my account which isn't feasible at the moment! AIBU?

Travis1 · 18/12/2021 15:41

I’m a petty bitch so I’d cancel and find something else 🤷🏻‍♀️

sirfredfredgeorge · 18/12/2021 15:56

Illegal? They'll be arrested?

No, they wouldn't be arrested, lots of things are illegal without being arrestable.
The offence is contained in "The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008"
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1277/schedule/1/made

It's not for the police to enforce, it's trading standards / competition and markets authority etc.

There's obviously a question if it comes under the act, I would say it is one of the explicitly listed always banned.

In any case, it's almost certainly something that trading standards would handle informally, reminding the vendor of their obligations under the law, it doesn't really need more in the first instance, but to make sure it is just the first instance, they do need to be made aware of their behaviour.

Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 21/12/2021 12:27

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your replies.

The apartment was stunning without a doubt, but while I would've paid the original price for it, I wouldn't usually pay the price with the extra £20 on top.

I just sucked up the extra £20 but still resented it. I've been asked for feedback which I will give honestly and say that I think the £20 should be built in to the extra cost, not sprung on bookers after the money has already been taken. Check in was also 5pm because of extra precautions so the sea view was still there, but it was dark when I checked in! I got a sea view for a few hours in the morning and that was it.

Anyway, what has got to me even more is in the email requesting feedback, I feel the way it's written is very passive aggressive or maybe it's just me. What do you think?

First it states their mission to provide a warm and welcoming environment which is light and nice, but then goes on to say that to all guests who rate 5 out of 5 they can get a discount. Hmm, bribery! Then goes on to the say that the fact (a high percentage stated) score 5 out of 5 is much appreciated but there's always the 'odd one out' who want to find fault with something trivial or other and might mark them 4 out of 5 for something and they never get t find out what wasn't perfect, blah de blah. They also go on to say that there's nothing they can do if someone chooses to be one of those rare keyboard warriors and mark down for something without explanation. They follow on to say that no one gains anything from that process at all.

WTF!!! Is it just me?

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SpellBounds · 21/12/2021 12:38

5pm check in is taking the piss, I'd have a massive problem with that but the £20 wouldn't have bothered me.

TractorAndHeadphones · 21/12/2021 12:42

Surely this is illegal?
OP they sound like dicks. I’d report them for everything you can!

While there are trolls etc online the majority of people are reasonable. For them to be this angry they must’ve received lots of bad reviews and done something weimgz
Tone is very unprofessional!
Give them a 3 star and state why

Movinghouseatlast · 21/12/2021 12:43

Bloody hell, that request for feedback is very strange, way too detailed and long winded. It sounds like the owners are strange to be honest- I think they are inexperienced and trying to explain the review process to guests.

In fact on Air BnB anything less than 5 star means service failure and if you get too many 4 star reviews you get threatened with removal from the platform. Basically 4 stats means unacceptable.

5pm is late for check in, but we do 4pm at the moment because of the extra covid cleaning and precautions. When people leave at 11am we are supposed to leave the property empty for a while before we go in.

Cleaning is expensive. Our laundry costs have doubled since Covid. One bed set costs £15 wash and iron, then towels and bed protectors are £10 wash and dry. We do a deep clean, 4 hours at £15 an hour. So it costs us £85 per changeover.

Gothisway · 21/12/2021 12:57

I can’t believe you let them get away with that.
It’s illegal. The £20 should be the reduction for the late check in anyway. Not you being charged extra to check in late because they have to actually clean instead of god knows what “cleaning” they did before covid.

HumourReplacementTherapy · 21/12/2021 12:59

That would really get my back up and make me want to knock another star off for it
Who is the review provider/company? (As in Trustpilot/Tripadvisor) I'm sure they'd not be impressed.
A review should be true and honest. You can tell if a reviewer is just a pita or picky by what they write.
'One star because it rained every day'
Or
'The bedding was patterned and gave me migraine' are to be ignored

Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 21/12/2021 13:04

Thanks for your replies. I was a bit open mouthed at the email. Way to treat your guests! It's a shame as the accommodation was really nice.

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Marvellousmadness · 21/12/2021 13:13

I would still go and suck it up

i would however bring it up when you do a review of the place
Cuz it's cheeky... and wrong

ChateauMargaux · 21/12/2021 13:13

In your case I would be replying with all ten barrels of my keyboard weapon!!

Dear owner,

I paid for the privilege of staying at your lovely apartment with it's stunning sea view... however, I as check was not until 5pm so totally missed this key feature on my first evening. I assume such a late check in is due to the extra cleaning that I had to pay for, on top of the charges to stay in the apartment, so not only did I have to pay extra on top of the advertised price, it impacted my enjoyment of the property. I was fairly put out by the fact that this extra fee was deducted without my authorisation or agreement but decided to just roll with it, because that is the kind of person I am. However, when I received your email suggesting that anything other than a 5 review is unacceptable to you, I have changed my mind. I am not an 'odd one out' or 'keyboard warrier'. Your apartment is not perfect and taking £20 cleaning fee without prior approval or agreement is not trivial. Offering me a discount on future stays is worthless to me as I have been put out by these extra charges and by your very offensive email demanding nothing less than a 5 review so would have no desire to put more money in your pockets, in fact the entire communication from your side has really put a taint on the whole stay. Perhaps you would like to reconsider your 'warm welcome' to your guests.

Yours,
Disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells.

Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 21/12/2021 13:15

@Gothisway If I'd have opted for a refund of my cost of stay, it might have taken a while to hit my bank account so I wouldn't have been able to book somewhere more affordable and less grabby. Otherwise, I so would have!

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Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 21/12/2021 13:17

I offered to transfer the £20 cleaning fee over by bank transfer but they asked for it to be left in the apartment. More underhandness? I'm quite a chilled person but this got me riled. I wish I had booked the usual cheap but nice B&B I stay in!

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Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 21/12/2021 13:20

@ChateauMargaux I love it!!! I'm very tempted. I don't want others to fall for this and for the weirdo owners who seem to have a bee in their bonnet!

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billy1966 · 21/12/2021 13:38

@ChateauMargaux, perfect email.

Screenshot THEIR email and attached it to your review.

They are CF's and dishonest to boot.

They need reporting.

TractorAndHeadphones · 21/12/2021 13:42

@ChateauMargaux

In your case I would be replying with all ten barrels of my keyboard weapon!!

Dear owner,

I paid for the privilege of staying at your lovely apartment with it's stunning sea view... however, I as check was not until 5pm so totally missed this key feature on my first evening. I assume such a late check in is due to the extra cleaning that I had to pay for, on top of the charges to stay in the apartment, so not only did I have to pay extra on top of the advertised price, it impacted my enjoyment of the property. I was fairly put out by the fact that this extra fee was deducted without my authorisation or agreement but decided to just roll with it, because that is the kind of person I am. However, when I received your email suggesting that anything other than a 5 review is unacceptable to you, I have changed my mind. I am not an 'odd one out' or 'keyboard warrier'. Your apartment is not perfect and taking £20 cleaning fee without prior approval or agreement is not trivial. Offering me a discount on future stays is worthless to me as I have been put out by these extra charges and by your very offensive email demanding nothing less than a 5 review so would have no desire to put more money in your pockets, in fact the entire communication from your side has really put a taint on the whole stay. Perhaps you would like to reconsider your 'warm welcome' to your guests.

Yours,
Disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells.

Hello Chateau, you are an amazing writer, please can I hire you to write my biography???

ChateauMargaux · 21/12/2021 13:45

@TractorAndHeadphones... only if the whole thing has an underlying tone of barely contained aggression...

TractorAndHeadphones · 21/12/2021 13:51

[quote ChateauMargaux]@TractorAndHeadphones... only if the whole thing has an underlying tone of barely contained aggression...[/quote]
Perfect 😂😂 my entire job revolves around people doing the very thing I tell them not to do and expecting me to fix it.

Sorry OP I’ll stop derailing now

Kite22 · 21/12/2021 17:50

I would definitely include the fact they are bribing people to write 5* reviews in my review, along with the late check in and the fact the advertised price isn't the price they are actually charging.

Good e-mail from ChateauMargaux

DogsandCatsB4u · 21/12/2021 19:45

Wrong

Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 23/12/2021 22:36

Thank you for your replies.

I contacted trading standards who are investigating. I'm probably ruining the accommodation owners Christmas now aren't I?!

I've since read through some reviews on Booking.com, and whilst most are good, I've been open-mouthed at some that haven't scored a perfect score, with the owner questioning the guests why they have scored so low and saying in one that the guest was contradicting themselves by saying they had a great stay but scoring low on some aspects of the stay. It's madness that they can't take criticism! On one review where a guest has noted something negatively, the owner calls the guest out for his weight being the possible problem! Fucking hell!!!

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Dizzywizz · 24/12/2021 21:51

Wow @RainbowBriteUk what do you mean? As in eg the person complained the bed broke and the apartment said the cause was their weight??

DrManhattan · 24/12/2021 23:24

It would be best to create £20 worth of cleaning before you leave, get your moneys worth. (joke)

Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 31/12/2021 20:28

@Dizzywizz

Wow *@RainbowBriteUk* what do you mean? As in eg the person complained the bed broke and the apartment said the cause was their weight??

The reviewer wrote that there was a bow in the middle of the bed slats and the owner said that the bed perhaps wasn't made for a larger person.

I've wrote a review mentioning the extra charge and the owner responded (in so many words) that I would prefer for them to allow people catching Covid or something like that. It's a really odd response and one that's hard to make sense of. He's awful and totally in the wrong profession.

Unfortunately, on Booking.com a guest cannot respond to the owners response but I've done a review on trip advisor too.

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Original poster

RainbowBriteUk · 31/12/2021 20:30

@DrManhattan

It would be best to create £20 worth of cleaning before you leave, get your moneys worth. (joke)

They wanted me to empty the bins (fair enough) and strip the beds before I left too for covid safety. They're charging £20 extra for Covid safety. I let them strip the beds. I don't think they realise that Covid particles are in the air and not on bed sheets.

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