Perceived lack of cleanliness causes guest to walk out
Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:14 pm
Hi. I hope I am not going into useless detail here before I get to my question
I have a studio apartment as well as larger 1 bedroom apartments.
On 22nd August a client who are a company confirmed and paid for a four and a half week stay amounting to 1700 for one of their employees.
He actually wanted the bigger apartment which at the time wasnt available as it also had a corporate client from another company staying there. So the booking was actually for the studio.
However come arrival day which was yesterday the larger apartment was available so when my customer arrived at the studio I offered him his preferred choice. However he preferred the location of the studio so I agreed he could as originally booked stay there.
He seemed fine with it and I left. I hadnt even made the 15 minute journey home before he called me to complain about some cleanliness issues. The apartment had just been cleaned that morning so I didnt agree that he had any issue though I didnt say so to him. Instead I listened and said I would replace some of the items he deemed weren't clean enough and that I would organise a professional cleaning agency to come in and give it a thorough clean (my cleaner had just gone on holiday)
He seemed ok with this.
However a few hours later I received an email saying that things had got worse and that he had found excrement at the bottom of the WC bowl and a few what he called pubic hairs on a placemat on a bedside table. As a result he decided to leave and left the keys in accordance with my departure instructions. He sent photos of the WC and placemat and instructed me to liaise with his company to arrange a full refund as he wouldnt be staying there.
I countered by email that the WC was just a stain due to hard water build up and that the hairs were unfortunate but certainly not pubic (curlies get everythere - you just need to see 3 in a bed to know that!)
I again offered further cleaning services but he ignored my email.
Today I have received a mail from the employee who arranged his stay saying that due to cleanliness issues he would not be staying and would I please arrange a full refund.
I have had the apartment blocked off until October 5th from mid August for this stay. I do not believe he was justified in saying there were cleanliness issues and I did offer to rectify any complaint with cleanliness or equipment that he may have had (even if I didnt think they were warranted)
Unfortunately this booking was done by email and I didnt send out any terms for the booking. The co simply paid me by bank transfer.
Am I obliged to refund in full 1700 simply because he thinks the apartment was not clean enough? I have never had complaints from any past customers whether they stayed 2 days or 2 months.
In the time that I had this as provisional and confirmed I turned down other enquiries so I am going to be 1700 down if I give in to his request with little chance now of selling the September dates.
I was thinking of agreeing to a refund in accordance with any bookings I may get between now and the date he was supposed to be there.
Any guidance anyone. My worry is I am up against a company who will likely pursue this one way or another.
Sorry its so long
Thanks
I have a studio apartment as well as larger 1 bedroom apartments.
On 22nd August a client who are a company confirmed and paid for a four and a half week stay amounting to 1700 for one of their employees.
He actually wanted the bigger apartment which at the time wasnt available as it also had a corporate client from another company staying there. So the booking was actually for the studio.
However come arrival day which was yesterday the larger apartment was available so when my customer arrived at the studio I offered him his preferred choice. However he preferred the location of the studio so I agreed he could as originally booked stay there.
He seemed fine with it and I left. I hadnt even made the 15 minute journey home before he called me to complain about some cleanliness issues. The apartment had just been cleaned that morning so I didnt agree that he had any issue though I didnt say so to him. Instead I listened and said I would replace some of the items he deemed weren't clean enough and that I would organise a professional cleaning agency to come in and give it a thorough clean (my cleaner had just gone on holiday)
He seemed ok with this.
However a few hours later I received an email saying that things had got worse and that he had found excrement at the bottom of the WC bowl and a few what he called pubic hairs on a placemat on a bedside table. As a result he decided to leave and left the keys in accordance with my departure instructions. He sent photos of the WC and placemat and instructed me to liaise with his company to arrange a full refund as he wouldnt be staying there.
I countered by email that the WC was just a stain due to hard water build up and that the hairs were unfortunate but certainly not pubic (curlies get everythere - you just need to see 3 in a bed to know that!)
I again offered further cleaning services but he ignored my email.
Today I have received a mail from the employee who arranged his stay saying that due to cleanliness issues he would not be staying and would I please arrange a full refund.
I have had the apartment blocked off until October 5th from mid August for this stay. I do not believe he was justified in saying there were cleanliness issues and I did offer to rectify any complaint with cleanliness or equipment that he may have had (even if I didnt think they were warranted)
Unfortunately this booking was done by email and I didnt send out any terms for the booking. The co simply paid me by bank transfer.
Am I obliged to refund in full 1700 simply because he thinks the apartment was not clean enough? I have never had complaints from any past customers whether they stayed 2 days or 2 months.
In the time that I had this as provisional and confirmed I turned down other enquiries so I am going to be 1700 down if I give in to his request with little chance now of selling the September dates.
I was thinking of agreeing to a refund in accordance with any bookings I may get between now and the date he was supposed to be there.
Any guidance anyone. My worry is I am up against a company who will likely pursue this one way or another.
Sorry its so long
Thanks