hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

[jstimmo]

my son stayed in the star hotel in southampton for 1 night a couple of weeks ago. He stayed in the room with his partner and received a phone call the following day from the landlord claiming that the carpet was stained and his card had been charged £200.00 to replace the carpet.he is adamant that he did not damage the carpet and phoned his bank to stop the payment but was told that this had already been transferred.

we have since contacted the hotel requesting to view the replaced carpet but they are refusing to allow this.
we have requested a copy of the invoice which arrived today but does not look too convincing and looks like it could be a fake. the timimg and costs mentioned to both my son and wife do not seem to tie up, they were informed tha the carpet was circa £300.00 but they would allow for some wear & tear and as such would only charge £200

we have received photo's of a dirty mark on a carpet but no evidence as to what room.

i think this is possibly a scam and would appreciate any help and advice as to whether there would be any substance in taking this matter further.

kind regards

John

[des8]

Re: hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

There is a report on Tripadvisor of a similar instance..... seems they are updating their premises piecemeal at expense of their guests.

As the charge was made against a debit card has your son requested a chargeback via the bank? (or was it a credit card?)

[jstimmo]

Re: hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

Yes he has spoken to the bank (it was a debit card), who are sending him a form to complete, however, they have advised him that as he signed the hotels terms and conditions agreement, it is unlikely to go in his favour and is between my son and the hotel. The invoice for the carpet is very basic, no room dimensions, style, colour etc. just carpet fitted to room 1. The address box is empty (apart from the hotel name) and the ref. number is blank.

[des8]

Re: hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

Certainly the hotel can charge for damage (depending on T&Cs), but as the carpet was allegedly stained why did they not have it professionally cleaned?

Whilst your son should write denying responsibility, he should in any case challenge their action in replacing the carpet.
Request they retain the evidence, and supply a true receipt for the replacement.
If they fail to do either he may want to initiate court action, but probably not worthwhile.

Best action is to learn from it, and in future before checking out photograph the room or have it checked by staff.

[jstimmo]

Re: hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

The hotel have given a receipt for the carpet which has no details other than carpet £200. Photos of a stained carpet have been sent to me but these could be for anywhere. I have questioned why the carpet was not professionally cleaned in the first instance. I have requested a true receipt for the replacement carpet as advised but I have heard nothing in almost three weeks. How would I take this matter further and what would I be liable for?

Thank you.

[des8]

Re: hotel overcharge for 'damaged' carpet

Your court fee for issuing a claim online, plus the hearing fee, total £50.00.
recoverable IF you win.
If you lose you could have to pay the defendant's reasonable travelling expenses (including overnight hotel cost if necessary) and possibly loss of income for court day.

Full costs details are set out in CPR 27.14 https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/pr...l/rules/part27

However, taking into account the amout of work involved and not forgetting the accompanying stress in pursuing a case where the outcome is uncertain, IMO court is not a worthwhile option.