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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:
aquamarine1 · 30/11/2021 20:47

My aunt moved out a bathroom window in my house recently and I could smell it for days. I was absolutely furious.

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/11/2021 20:47

You knew the policy, you broke the policy.

That OP could have been a lot shorter. Just pay it.

PollyPaintsFlowers · 30/11/2021 20:47

You and your husband are in the wrong. You need to pay up.

aquamarine1 · 30/11/2021 20:47

Ha! Smoked out a bathroom window. I wish she had bloody moved out it.

CSJobseeker · 30/11/2021 20:48

@user0176

Honestly you both sound like pains in the arse.
Yep.

When I was 16, I was convinced that hanging out of the window meant no-one could tell I'd smoked. I was wrong then, and you are wrong to blame the neighbour now.

Bagelsandbrie · 30/11/2021 20:49

A non smoker can smell smoke even if it’s literally just a waft of it - I would have walked into the room and known instantly he’d smoked. If you don’t smoke the smell is utterly vile.

The rest …. Yeah they could have been friendlier. I suspect the smoking is the real issue.

My now ex dh used to think he was being sneaky smoking out of the window downstairs. I knew when he’d been doing it. Every single time.

IVFdreams2021 · 30/11/2021 20:50

Of course you should pay it!! Can't believe you're even asking!

GettingItOutThere · 30/11/2021 20:52

you sound like a frigging nightmare pair of guests to be honest

pay up

CSJobseeker · 30/11/2021 20:52

I dont understand why your husband ordered several half pints either. If you want to taste an ale you can usually just have a sip. If someone ordered several half pints and then (after forgetting which was which) demanded that I identify them from the colour, I'd think he was an annoying eejit. And why order a second bottle of prosecco before you need it? Bizarre.

DontPeeInThePlayHouse · 30/11/2021 20:53

Pay the fine.

nextdoorslawnmower · 30/11/2021 20:54

I can tell if the previous person in an elevator was a smoker. It stinks.

VodselForDinner · 30/11/2021 20:55

None of your petty assumptions matter. If I was brought to a room at check-in that smelled of smoke, I’d refuse to stay there.

You need to pay the fine.

Why was he hanging out a window at 2am?

user0176 · 30/11/2021 20:57

Why was he hanging out a window at 2am?

Drunk by the sounds of it.

LetHimHaveIt · 30/11/2021 20:57

'Regardless. I would just tell them you did follow all the policies and you didn't enjoy your stay due to poor welcome and facilties. Raise it as disputed and decline to pay.'

Brilliant. And be sure to describe the landlord as 'cold and scratchy'. That, coupled with your husband asking which ale was which (trying to get a free one, was he?) will definitely make you sound like grown ups and not adolescents.

They have said you broke the 'No Smoking' policy. Which you did. I suspect they don't slap that fine on everyone and hope for the best, so they probably do have proof, and those insisting they won't be any smell are talking bollocks.

You should like a pair of chancers. Grow up.

CoffeeRunner · 30/11/2021 20:58

Why would he order several half pints of different ales at once?

Wouldn't you order one at a time & then you yourself would know what you were tasting?

Prosecco point is irrelevant. Not sure why we had that info.

The room will have stunk of smoke. It will have needed a deep clean & they may well have lost a night's rent on it while they did that. That is why you need to pay the £150.

lescompagnonsdeloue · 30/11/2021 20:59

You live with him, so you don't notice. To everybody else, the room stank of smoke. They probably have to clean soft furnishings and so on. Seems a lot though.

Chewbecca · 30/11/2021 20:59

None of your points are relevant.

Did you break the policy? Yes or no? If yes, you need to pay the fine if this is stated in the booking conditions you agreed to.

If you want to write a review or give any other feedback - do so, but don’t mix the two points.

GrumpyLivesInMyHouseNow · 30/11/2021 21:00

The lack of customer service doesn't make up for the fact your dh smoked in the room. 2 different things I'm afraid.

As an ex smoker I'm amazed at how strong cigarette smoke is now I've quit. No one grassed him up, it was the smell of smoke that gave him away. I'm not surprised they want you to pay a fine, the people who stayed in the room after you m, could quite rightly demand a refund if they booked a 'none smoking room'. They will have to pay to remove the cigarette smell to be removed from the room

Wizzbangfizz · 30/11/2021 21:00

If he hadn't smoked I would have said you would have been justified in complaining/asking for a refund but to smoke in a room is not on - window or not.

lescompagnonsdeloue · 30/11/2021 21:02

Actually come to think of it, the money probably isn't for cleaning, it's more likely to be that the room couldn't be rented out again as soon as it usually would have. So you are compensating them for their financial loss.

Totalwasteofpaper · 30/11/2021 21:04

@DontPeeInThePlayHouse

Pay the fine.
Yep. This.

Smoke smells disgusting and lingers horribly.

You sound like you weren't great guests to be honest.

I read 2 and 3 making this face Shock who orders multiple halves and 2 bottles of prosecco.

I also don't know what late check out has to with the room cleanliness? Confused

mrsm43s · 30/11/2021 21:05

@froggy1811

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?

All of this is irrelevant, apart from the fact that your DH smoked in a non-smoking room, for which there is a £150 fine.

Pay the fine, you owe it.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 30/11/2021 21:06

If I'd checked into the room after you I'd have refused to stay. The smell of cigarettes makes my nose itch and my eyes stream.

The fine will be to cover the cost of a deep clean and possibly a refund to the people booked in after you.

Mum0509 · 30/11/2021 21:06

It's not very adult behaviour, come on! Ordering multiple drinks at a time, hanging out the bedroom window smoking. If the next guest needed a non smoking room, as some do, they'd have had to stay elsewhere. It's also quite disrespectful as it's their home. Stay in a travelodge next time.

AffableApple · 30/11/2021 21:07

Pony up. YABU.