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Original poster

Would you respond to abusive email from hotel?

323 replies

digginforturnips · 13/07/2023 09:26

Stayed at a small guesthouse recently for two nights. The hotel had overbooked their cheapest rooms. They told us on arrival that we could either pay the £100 extra for an upgraded room, or they could cancel our reservation and find another hotel. There was no availability nearby. We were seriously unimpressed, but after a long journey had no real choice other than to say we’d pay. Owners actually seemed really nice other than that.

We checked out at 5am and did not pay the £100. Hotel has sent us 6 emails asking for the money, which I have ignored all of them. Then today I got a long and very angry email from them telling us how we are dishonest, untrustworthy, unhonourable people. They told us they would be leaving bad reviews of us, and they would be filing a complaint with the booking website.

What would you do? Would you email back? Contact the booking platform for advice?

OP posts:
HulaChick · 13/07/2023 18:28

You agreed when you got there that you'd pay so based on that, I can see why they're not umpressed. However, you were equally unimpressed by their inability to book out the rooms properly. I would have argued my case at that point and not kept without paying it. I agree they put you in a difficult position but I think as you'd agreed, you should pay.

LoisPrice · 13/07/2023 18:34

I’d type back this

You tried to trick us out of £100 and on this occasion it didn’t work. Tell us when we arrive the price is £100 more than the contract we had previously agreed is just not happening- we were happy to pay the original price on booking dot com and did so

Bossmum94 · 13/07/2023 18:42

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 13/07/2023 19:00

Contact the Mail or the Metro. They absolutely love stuff like this. Make it known what a bunch of scammers they are.

No need - give it half an hour or so and they'll have lifted it from here automatically.

That's a huge difference in room cost, especially for a small place. What little family-run place has such a big variation in room costs? And if it is small, as you say, how could they double-book without anybody noticing? Normally, the massive ones just rely on computers, but the smaller family ones are usually a bit more hands-on with their bookings.

If they had double-booked, why was it you who were expected to just pay another £100? I'd have asked what the other guests had said when they were offered the 'opportunity' to pay a load more - and called their bluff by asking for their room number, so I could go and discuss it with them!

Also, if you left at 5am, you wouldn't have had your breakfast - so they could always take that off the excess charge that they reckon you owe for starters.

This has got scam written all the way through it like Blackpool rock, though. It's one of the oldest ones, where you apparently undercut the competition to secure the custom, but then, by the time people have committed to buying from you, your price ends up the same as your competitors, if not even higher. Thoroughly dishonest, disgraceful way to do business.

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 13/07/2023 19:01

What would have happened if they didn't have the 'lucky' availability of the more expensive room? What if they'd just double-booked full stop and told you you'd have to go away? Would they have compensated you?

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 13/07/2023 19:07

WomanStanleyWoman2 · 13/07/2023 18:01

Look, I agree that it's good customer service to give the free upgrade. But this hotel chose not to, and the OP agreed to that, and then didn't keep her word.

”Keeping your word” is meaningless in legal terms. Keeping to a contract is the issue here - and the hotel didn’t. The OP said what she needed to say to ensure she wasn’t left without accommodation for the night. It’s the hotel that was in the wrong.

Unless the hotel owner is planning to go into court, throw him/herself on the floor sobbing and banging his/her fists and sobbing “But it’s not faaaiiiirr!! You PROMISED!!!” like a child who’s been told they’re not going to the fair after all, the OP’s “word” doesn’t come into it - apart from the perspective of it being her word against theirs.

I'd like to read that contract because I bet there is language in it that absolves the hotel in this scenario. I wonder if the OP read every word of what she was agreeing to when she made the booking.

It will be interesting to see if the lodging pursues this.

Precipice · 13/07/2023 19:17

I'd like to read that contract because I bet there is language in it that absolves the hotel in this scenario.

The question is whether a court would uphold such a provision. You can physically write anything into a contract, but it doesn't mean that it will be enforceable legally. There are many legal obligations you cannot contract your way out of.

DrSbaitso · 13/07/2023 19:25

It will be interesting to see if the lodging pursues this.

They'd be idiots if they did. The negative press will cost them way more than £100.

sunglassesonthetable · 13/07/2023 19:28

*The hotel was not providing optimal customer service, but they were up front about what was available when the OP showed up. I am sure that the booking contract, if read in minute detail, favours the hotel in such a scenario. The choice then was to accept the higher-cost product, or leave.

Not agree to one thing and then skedaddle when it comes time to pay the bill. Imagine doing that in any other establishment?*

I doubt they were upfront AT ALL. At best they were disorganised/incompetent and were expecting OP to take the hit. They hadn't sold out of more expense rooms - funny that.

They broke the contract^ not OP.
OP had booked and paid up front.

What do all these posters expect - OP to sleep on the pavement??

And re the booking detail above " I'm sure" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. To be frank you actually don't know. And since this a known scam- I doubt it.

And imagine if they said to you at the train station " soz, overbooked you'll have to pay £50 more for the journey you've already paid for.... " Imagine indeed.^

Ihavekids · 13/07/2023 19:33

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 13/07/2023 16:55

Incredible.

Show quote history

Sorry, what's incredible about what I said?

viques · 13/07/2023 19:36

Just spotted the OP said they were booked for two nights. What happened to the payment for the second night, if the OP had already paid through the booking portal then the hotel was one night to the good!

SheilaFentiman · 13/07/2023 19:39

I read that as OP prepaid the whole booking via the site and the extra would have been £50 per night which the hotel expected op to settle on checkout.

SheilaFentiman · 13/07/2023 19:40

So OP arrives, let’s say, 10pm Tuesday at the guest house, leaves 5am Thu morning for airport

sunglassesonthetable · 13/07/2023 19:42

I'd like to read that contract because I bet there is language in it that absolves the hotel in this scenario. I wonder if the OP read every word of what she was agreeing to when she made the booking.

Clearly you haven't heard of "unfair contracts", you can't just write any old shite into a contract. It has to be plausible and fair.

This clearly isn't.

finewelshcheese · 13/07/2023 19:42

mondaytosunday · 13/07/2023 10:06

While I agree they should have upgraded you without charge, did you actually agree to paying the extra? In that case you should have paid it, or made your position clear upon arrival. There must be something about verbally agreeing and then availing yourself of the service means you have accepted the new terms.
And you should have responded to the emails stating your position rather than ignoring them.

What else could they do? They had no other options and the hotel would've chucked them out otherwise.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 13/07/2023 19:45

Did you pre-pay for the lower priced room then? Your word suggests you did - you say that you checked out at 5am and did not pay the extra £100?

If you prepaid they were even more in the wrong. You've paid for something you didn't get on arrival. I would have gone ballistic at being told they'd overbooked, if they'd taken my money and weren't going to give me a room. Sometimes a refund doesn't always go back on a card immediately to be used as cleared funds. If I'd been skint like I was when young, I literally would have had no money to pay the extra 100 and wouldn't have had any funds to book a room somewhere else while waiting for a refund on the overbooked room to clear.

Their problem, their loss. They should have given you the free upgrade for the price you had paid, or even just agreed to (if it wasn't prepaid)

sunglassesonthetable · 13/07/2023 19:46

@ZeldaWillTellYourFortune

I'm kind of getting that you would be paying the scammers what they wanted OR sleeping on the pavement.

🤷‍♀️

daisychain01 · 13/07/2023 19:49

How did you manage to avoid paying, surely they had your card details so would just take the £100 that you implicitly agreed to pay by staying and not leaving at checkin.

WomanStanleyWoman2 · 13/07/2023 19:59

No need - give it half an hour or so and they'll have lifted it from here automatically.

Yes, but if the OP gets in touch with the press directly she gets paid - AND can name and shame Hopeless Hotel.

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 13/07/2023 20:07

I'd like to read that contract because I bet there is language in it that absolves the hotel in this scenario.

I bet there isn't if it's a tiny place. The big boys all have their legal departments, but a minnow won't. Unless they carefully ensured that it was added, as they need to rely on it frequently if they regularly pull the bait & switch scam.

Yes, but if the OP gets in touch with the press directly she gets paid - AND can name and shame Hopeless Hotel.

Ah, yes - I like your thinking!

OldBeller · 13/07/2023 20:11

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 13/07/2023 19:07

I'd like to read that contract because I bet there is language in it that absolves the hotel in this scenario. I wonder if the OP read every word of what she was agreeing to when she made the booking.

It will be interesting to see if the lodging pursues this.

Show quote history

The only way that would work is if there was no contract. If the OP had seen a price online, turned up on the day, and then the hotel said sorry we've sold out of those, but we have more expensive rooms available, that would be absolutely fine.

Once the OP agrees a price, the price can't change because of availability. She has a booking, which is an agreement, a contract. It's always a free upgrade. Or if the hotel can't fulfill it, they then finds themselves liable for her financial losses. If she has to book a more expensive room somewhere else, she can claim that money from the hotel.

Would you respond to abusive email from hotel?
OhcantthInkofaname · 13/07/2023 20:21

This maybe the standard practice. To offer A room for one price and say its unavailable when you get there. In the US we call this bait and switch- and it's illegal.

viques · 13/07/2023 20:32

SheilaFentiman · 13/07/2023 19:40

So OP arrives, let’s say, 10pm Tuesday at the guest house, leaves 5am Thu morning for airport

Oh yes! For absolutely no reason at all apart from my overactive imagination I thought they only stayed one night.

SamW98 · 13/07/2023 20:48

daisychain01 · 13/07/2023 19:49

How did you manage to avoid paying, surely they had your card details so would just take the £100 that you implicitly agreed to pay by staying and not leaving at checkin.

If it was booked through a 3rd party agent then they would deal with the payment.
The hotel would get the money from the booking agent not the customer .

SamW98 · 13/07/2023 20:50

OldBeller · 13/07/2023 20:11

The only way that would work is if there was no contract. If the OP had seen a price online, turned up on the day, and then the hotel said sorry we've sold out of those, but we have more expensive rooms available, that would be absolutely fine.

Once the OP agrees a price, the price can't change because of availability. She has a booking, which is an agreement, a contract. It's always a free upgrade. Or if the hotel can't fulfill it, they then finds themselves liable for her financial losses. If she has to book a more expensive room somewhere else, she can claim that money from the hotel.

Show quote history

Absolutely this. Anyone on here saying they would have paid out of moral duty needs to understand this and know why they are being scammed.