B&B want me to pay £150 fine!

[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?

Im going to to a wild guess guess assume he obviously smoked more than one in the room

I am an occasional smoker and can honestly say that the smell of cigarette smoke indoors is disgusting! The smell really lingers . If I smoke I always go outside and ensure window is closed.

Pay the fine, and next time don’t book a non-smoking room if you can’t get through the night without stinking up the room.

They will have spent extra time and effort trying to get rid of the stink that you don’t realise you left, and more importantly it was massively disrespectful to them.

Imagine that you rent a room to the lodger. The lodger deliberately urinates out of the window in the middle of the night because he can’t be bothered to get up and go to the loo. Some of it splashes back into the room and gets onto your stuff. Urine on your duvet, carpet, furniture. After the lodger has left, you spend time sorting this out and getting the room nice for the next person. Should the lodger pay you anything? Or do you have to just put up with it?

Given the choice between someone smoking in my home, or urinating on my stuff, I’d prefer the latter. Smokers don’t realise how disgusting cigarettes smell to the rest of us.

I don't smoke but would one cigarette smoked out the window really make a room with clean bedding smell all day?

lol that sounds like a fun night, pair of you on the piss and smoking in the room,😂😂😂

Two bottles of Prosecco and ordering several half’s at once.

Pay the fine, you did the crime.

I like a drink and I know MN often doesn't, but one and a "bit" bottles of prosecco in an evening on your own and trying to make it reasonable because you didn't finish the 2nd ?!

Trying a number of beers is normal if you like real ale but you still order them one at a time!

I'm going to guess you're right they didn't like you from the off because they could tell you weren't "naice" customers. Whether that was justified or not , he smoked in the room. They will know that from the smell, no one across the road is going to care enough to report you. They will have a nightmare trying to get the room fit for use because the smell lingers so much, but it's up to you if you pay. I don't see how they can enforce it.

I would ignore it or if thats not possible then definitely contest it. The whole place sounds like a shambles. Noone smoked inside

They won’t care about your visit if you smoked in the room. They won’t want you back.

Your husband smoked in a non-smoking room. All your points are irrelevant.

To be honest,both of you sound a bit weird.who would order 2 bottles of Prosecco at once and all that strange beer thing.the room would have stunk of fags and it takes ages to get that smell out of a room.sorry,I dont have much sympathy for you.

Why didn you ask for tastes of the ale - most people are happy to give you a sip???why order a load of half pints
Ask to see the ruling written in black in white for the fine

I hate cigarette smoke and yes it lingers but fines should be written down somewhere

Someone smoking hanging out of the window would make the room absolutely fucking stink of the foul stench of cigarette smoke. Of course you should be fined. When I book a non smoking room, I want to be able to breathe.

You don’t order 6 halves to taste! What a plonker. You ask for a small amount in the glass and taste it and you can either say oh yes lovely and have it or you then go on to the next!!

@wolfstarling

I wouldn't pay it. It is hardly the crime of the century! Did any of you live through the 90s!

Smoking indoors in the 90s wasn’t a crime. It is a crime now.

@lunar1

If I'd been the guest after you I'd have refused to stay in the room. Cigarette smoke smells revolting to a non smoker and plenty will have blown back into the room.

This ^

No way could I stay in a room overnight that had even the slightest stink of smoke. £150 is cheap!

@Bunce1

You don’t order 6 halves to taste! What a plonker. You ask for a small amount in the glass and taste it and you can either say oh yes lovely and have it or you then go on to the next!!

Oh cmon, they were on the piss. Who orders a bottle of Prosecco for themselves and then a second Bottle.🤣

@jesusmaryjosephandtheweedonkey

So he got pissed and had a fag in the room?! Just pay the money and act with more social awareness, next time you both leave the house!

^ This ^

I bet you’re louder and rowdier than you think you are.

Yabu. There is nothing worse than someone who smokes indoors. Hanging out the window still makes it stink.

Pay the fine. Even getting in a lift after a smoker gets out of it smells revolting and that's just from them passing through the space for a minute or two.

As a smoker he won't be able to smell it and likely you can't either being around a smoker so likely they just smell it. It may have blown back in.

I've never smoked but I grew up with smokers in the house and I could never smell the smoke. My first ever boyfriend smoked like a steam train and I could never smell it on him cos I was hard to it. Since parents have given up and me moving out, I can now smell it a joke off and it makes me retch.

@Branleuse

I would ignore it or if thats not possible then definitely contest it. The whole place sounds like a shambles. Noone smoked inside

What? Did you read the op? Her husband smoked inside.

You are being ridiculous. Your list of issues with the hotel are absurd. You would have known at the time of booking if a late check out was an option. Of course you pre book a table for dinner especially in covid times.

Smoking in the room is out of order and anyone in it after you will be able to smell the horrible stale smell lingering. Your DH should have went outside! No wonder the owner was judgemental you both sound like a pain in the arse.

I live in a flat and my Mum smoked out of our Juliet balcony whilst I wasn’t there and I could smell it for days afterwards. YABU, it stinks to non smokers and people who aren’t around it all the time so they 100% will have been able to smell it.

You havent got a leg to stand on to be honest OP, you are being extremely unreasonable. Im just glad i wasnt one of the other guests staying there at the same time, you both sound awful quite frankly.

I would have found you annoying - and the smoking is just horrible