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Original poster

B&B want me to pay £150 fine!

453 replies

froggy1811 · 30/11/2021 20:32

So, this might be a longish read, but please bear with me! Recently my husband and I went to stay at a pub B&B. It is not often that we would ever be in a financial position to do this; however, we love the area and decided to treat ourselves. Anyway, when we arrived we didn't exactly receive the warm welcome that we were hoping for! I thought that perhaps I was imagining things; however, I received a message this morning from Booking.Com demanding that I pay £150 to the B&B for not following their policies. They have stated that this is because my husband smoked a cigarette in the room (please don't all shout at me at once! 😱) BUT, in his defence, he did this hanging out of the window at 2am and disposed of the dimp discreetly - so the only way I can imagine that they knew, is if someone from across the road of where we were staying, saw him and told the landlord!

To be honest, the attitude of the owners was absolutely dreadful from the moment we arrived! And I got the distinct impression that they didn't like us straight away! I shall list some of my points below:

1: Upon arrival we were told that if we wanted a table for dinner, we should have pre-booked. Our fault entirely, but it was the irritable way it was said to us.

2: My husband ordered several half pint ales at the same time, so that he could try them and decide which one he wished to drink for the night. Unfortunately, the idiot forgot which one was which, but as his drinks was still relatively full he asked the landlord which he thought was which based on the liquids colour. The landlords response was extremely cold and scratchy! He made it plain my husband was a fool in his eyes, and then he just stomped off without trying to assist him.

3: Over the course of the night, I had ordered 2 bottles of Prosecco (although, the second bottle didn't actually get drunk, as I couldn't manage any more!) So, it was taken up to our room.

4: We had booked a King room, but this was actually a really cramped, small double , and my husband's legs hung over the end of the bed. Shower and sink only a few inches apart so if you opened the door it hit the sink, and there was zero room to dress in there! The toilet seat was also wonky.

5: Room wasn't the cleanest, and no option to pay extra for a later check out.

6: When my husband went down for the breakfast, the landlord made reference to the amount of Prosecco I had drank the night before! This is despite the fact that we sat quietly at a table all night and was not in any way 'loud' or rowdy! So why mention this?!

7: WiFi didn't work all night long.

I know my husband shouldn't have smoked out of the window, but I have a suspicion that they just didn't like us from the moment we arrived. I had expressed this concern to my husband, who just brushed it off. We were quiet guests who made sure the room was spotlessly immaculate before we left, so I just genuinely feel like they were looking for issues!

Would you pay this? Do you think AIBU?

OP posts:
Trixiefirecracker · 01/12/2021 14:32

@froggy1811 if that’s the case I would phone up the proprietor and do some apologies/grovelling and state your case. If you are pleasant/sincere enough they may change their minds.

Bluntness100 · 01/12/2021 14:45

@froggy1811

Also *@rookiemere* I can't pay it! I literally don't have that amount of money available to me!
It’s so hard ro understand, where folks are old enough to have adult children and spend up on a night away, two bottles of Prosecco, large meals, cigarettes, lining up beers etc, but are so broke they literally don’t have 150 quid to their name.

It’s an unusual way to live, but we are all different. If you are that broke then the whole thread is pointless, you don’t have the money so can’t pay it.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 14:46

[quote Trixiefirecracker]@froggy1811 if that’s the case I would phone up the proprietor and do some apologies/grovelling and state your case. If you are pleasant/sincere enough they may change their minds.[/quote]
This is a good idea in theory; however I'm not confident he would sympathise with my financial position. He wasn't at all friendly, when we were paying guests at his B&B, so it would be really difficult trying to converse with him in a reasonable manner considering he's trying to chase me for money...😰

OP posts:
Dizzywizz · 01/12/2021 14:48

What have you do so far @froggy1811? Have you responded?

BonesInTheOcean · 01/12/2021 14:51

I have said several times that I don't think DH was justified in smoking that cigarette; however, I do not think I should have to pay them £150 on top of the £85, the food and bar bill that I've already paid them;

But you should have complained when you were there. You can't expect them to fix stuff you didnt complain about until you got the bill for smoking in the room, which you knew was against the rule of the booking.

Seriously? Why are you so special that you shouldn't have to pay the fine for something that you did

ButtonSister · 01/12/2021 14:53

@froggy1811
Ask the website on what basis the sum of £150 is arrived at. Challenge them if you feel that sum is unfair and includes a punitive amount beyond the cost of putting right the smell in the room so that it could be occupied by other guests. They can only charge for the cost of putting matters right.
And it's not a fine, its a claim for damages!

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 14:53

@Bluntness100 the money that we spent was saved up for a rare treat! I am indeed broke, and if this is considered a crime then for that I apologise. You have absolutely no idea why I am in this position, and even if you did, judging by your comments thus far, you would make it a point not to understand.

I have already responded to your unconstructive/unfounded comments regarding the drinks situation multiple times, so I will not waste any more energy on you.

OP posts:
ButtonSister · 01/12/2021 14:56

They are also allowed to charge (not fine) a sum that is in line with the contract terms you signed up to, so could be an admin fee on top of the cleaning fee for example.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 14:56

[quote ButtonSister]@froggy1811
Ask the website on what basis the sum of £150 is arrived at. Challenge them if you feel that sum is unfair and includes a punitive amount beyond the cost of putting right the smell in the room so that it could be occupied by other guests. They can only charge for the cost of putting matters right.
And it's not a fine, its a claim for damages![/quote]
Good idea! I could email them requesting a break down of claimed damages. I shall do this!

OP posts:
JSL52 · 01/12/2021 14:56

@froggy1811

I feel that they should be asking for a lot less. And I also don't really think that the one cigarette he smoked out of the window has caused the damage to justify that fee.'

One cigarette WOULD stink the room out for the next day / days.
If you live with a smoker, you don't realise how horrible it is.

I would know , and I've asked to be moved if I can smell smoke.

They may have to have the soft furnishings dry cleaned and maybe the carpets shampooed.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 14:58

@Dizzywizz

What have you do so far *@froggy1811*? Have you responded?
Not yet, but I am going to email them and request a full break down of the charges!
OP posts:
rookiemere · 01/12/2021 15:02

Sad person that I am, I just googled smoking fines in hotels. £150 seems to be the standard amount as this is what Travel lodge is charging and it seems as if they don't have to justify where that figure comes from.

kikipie · 01/12/2021 15:07

I doubt that will get you anywhere, they can just make up amounts to total £150, you can’t disprove it.

It’s £150 as a deterrent as a pp has said, you broke the rules and that’s the price you pay. What you paid for the room, food and drinks is irrelevant as you got what you paid for. Those amounts did not include for smoking in the room.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 15:12

@rookiemere

Sad person that I am, I just googled smoking fines in hotels. £150 seems to be the standard amount as this is what Travel lodge is charging and it seems as if they don't have to justify where that figure comes from.
In this case I would have no way of paying it right now, unless they either reduced the charge or accepted the fee via instalments!
OP posts:
Aposterhasnoname · 01/12/2021 15:13

You’re being VVVVVVVVU. Were you in Blackpool by any chance? DH and I have just got back from there, we’re middle aged very respectable looking old farts, but they still took a £100 deposit off us, returned the next day once the room was checked. Because that’s what literally every hotel there does, due to the type of person that frequents them. And by the sounds of it you were in a less than salubrious establishment that attracts a certain clientele, and probably has the same policy. Check the small print on your booking. The fine will be listed there, I’ll bet my pension on it.

rookiemere · 01/12/2021 15:14

@froggy1811 then you may need to pay in instalments or put on a credit card. People have had the charge cancelled if there is no proof of smoking, but as you have confirmed that your DH did indeed smoke in the room, that's unlikely to be the case here.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 15:17

@Aposterhasnoname

You’re being VVVVVVVVU. Were you in Blackpool by any chance? DH and I have just got back from there, we’re middle aged very respectable looking old farts, but they still took a £100 deposit off us, returned the next day once the room was checked. Because that’s what literally every hotel there does, due to the type of person that frequents them. And by the sounds of it you were in a less than salubrious establishment that attracts a certain clientele, and probably has the same policy. Check the small print on your booking. The fine will be listed there, I’ll bet my pension on it.
I was not in Blackpool. I was in the Peak District.
OP posts:
Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 15:19

[quote rookiemere]@froggy1811 then you may need to pay in instalments or put on a credit card. People have had the charge cancelled if there is no proof of smoking, but as you have confirmed that your DH did indeed smoke in the room, that's unlikely to be the case here. [/quote]
Well, this turned out to be a ridiculously expensive night out! 😂 I only wish it had been in any way worth the cost.

OP posts:
Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 15:22

@BonesInTheOcean

I have said several times that I don't think DH was justified in smoking that cigarette; however, I do not think I should have to pay them £150 on top of the £85, the food and bar bill that I've already paid them;

But you should have complained when you were there. You can't expect them to fix stuff you didnt complain about until you got the bill for smoking in the room, which you knew was against the rule of the booking.

Seriously? Why are you so special that you shouldn't have to pay the fine for something that you did

I don't think I'm particularly special at all!
OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 01/12/2021 15:24

Op have you read rhe contract? I think if you don’t have rhe money don’t pay, don’t ask for a break down of charges just ignore it, speak to your card provider and explain no other charges to be accepted from them. As they may just take the money

You’re then relying on they don’t come after you for it.

This thread would have went much better if you were just honest up front and said we have had a charge for smoking but don’t have the money to pay it.

SockFluffInTheBath · 01/12/2021 15:37

@froggy1811 why are you saying you can’t afford it when it’s your DH’s fine to pay? Do you have entirely joint finances?

ElftonWednesday · 01/12/2021 15:39

OP sounds like a bit of a pain in the arse, but £150 fine for smoking out of the window and dropping a single cigarette stub sounds a little unreasonable, if we are to take OP's word for it.

That amount would be ok if there had been some damage to the room, lots of mess left, damage to furnishings, that sort of thing.

If they went to court to enforce it, the B&B would have to prove that the OP had agreed to this term, and as it is onerous for the consumer, it would have to have been brought to her attention on booking, or at the very least on arrival at the hotel. They would also have to show that such a heavy penalty for smoking out of the window is reasonable - additional cleaning costs would amount to £150, for example (unlikely). Finally they would have to prove that someone from OP's party did actually breach this condition.

ElftonWednesday · 01/12/2021 15:41

Check the small print on your booking. The fine will be listed there, I’ll bet my pension on it

It's not good enough to hide onerous terms in a consumer contract. In order to be legally enforceable they have to be brought to the customer's attention.

Original poster
froggy1811 · 01/12/2021 15:44

@Bluntness100

Op have you read rhe contract? I think if you don’t have rhe money don’t pay, don’t ask for a break down of charges just ignore it, speak to your card provider and explain no other charges to be accepted from them. As they may just take the money

You’re then relying on they don’t come after you for it.

This thread would have went much better if you were just honest up front and said we have had a charge for smoking but don’t have the money to pay it.

I haven't read the contract because booking .com mysteriously lost my booking details and I had to email them to retrieve them. When I did so, booking.com replied saying that they need my booking reference number and dates in order to help me find the booking! I didn't have the booking reference saved (my mistake!) But I had remembered the name of the B&B, so I rang them owners, explained about booking.com losing my booking details, and they confirmed them for me over the phone. Interestingly, booking.com are the ones who contacted me about this charge from the B&B, but if you click on "my bookings" the booking still doesn't show up, and there's no trace of me having stayed there! 😏 So there's no T&C's or anything for me to read.

Yes, I probably should have led with my financial situation. I agree!

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 01/12/2021 15:54

Unless your husband smoked the cigarette solely in retaliation for shoddy service and a crappy (or not so crappy for £85 really) then you are being pretty unreasonable.
However, if they dont have your credit card details and/or you dont have the money anyway I don’t see how they can get the money from you

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