Costly cold comfort caravan
THERE was only cold comfort at first for a holiday couple, after they arrived at a caravan they had booked for a shortstay break beside the sea in Somerset.
When Ted Statham and his wife turned on the taps in the caravan, the water was lukewarm at best and stayed that way.
“The shower, hand basin and sink were all the same,” they told Crusader.
Their £300-plus break in February was reserved through Booking.com and on a site with privately-owned caravans near Brean, a village between the resorts of Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea.
“We were only there for three nights, so the clock was ticking to get anything fixed. We reported the problem immediately,” claims Ted.
An engineer arrived the next day to check the gas supply and told the couple that the heater was causing the problem.
But then, Ted claims: “We heard another engineer was coming the next afternoon to service the boiler.
“That was to be the Friday and we were due to leave on Saturday morning, so we would only have one evening with hot water. It just wasn’t good enough.”
Feeling that they had tried their best, the Stathams pulled the plug and returned home, adding: “We accept that we spent some time at the property but the conditions were not as described, so we asked for a refund.”
The couple were extremely disappointed by an offer of £12.50 and then say they heard no more despite trying several times.
Booking.com always maintains its goal is to “enable smooth and enjoyable travel experiences” for those who use its platform.
And this time, once Crusader alerted it, the company took swift action saying: “Booking. com has refunded the customer in full for their stay.”
As is right, the Stathams were informed first and when thanking Crusader, they declared: “This is a great result – we feel vindicated.”