Letting firm showed ‘lack of compassion’
AWOMAN forced to cancel a long-haul trip to scatter her mum’s ashes in her home town due to the pandemic has slammed a short stay firm for their “lack of compassion” for refusing to issue a refund.
Lorna Price, who lives in Canada but is originally from Paisley, wanted to fulfil her mother Agnes’ dying wish for her ashes to be interred in the town’s Hawkhead Cemetery.
Agnes, who was known as ‘Nessie’ died in April last year, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. The family emigrated in 1966.
Lorna, 58, who is a retired airline manager for Air Canada, was due to travel to Scotland this month with her brothers Jack and Harry and had booked a short-stay apartment in Edinburgh from May 4-6 for £498.
When the pandemic struck she contacted the owners, Apartments Edinburgh, to cancel.
In an email seen by the Glasgow Times, she was told the firm operates a no-refund policy and she was given 48 hours to reply with an alternative date and told the price might also be higher.
Lorna says she was reluctant to commit to another trip because of fears over a possible second wave of coronavirus as her wife Brent is in remission from lung cancer.
However, she replied suggesting new dates in September. When she did not hear anything back, she cancelled the booking through booking.com.
After being contacted by the
Glasgow Times, the company has now said it will refund the money.
She said: “I was expecting a full refund as this was something out of the ordinary. “What really angers me was their response that it may cost me more money in September. “The fact that they have had no correspondence with me at all, after giving me 48hrs to reply with new dates, which I did.
“The times are so uncertain and a second wave of this pandemic is certain.
“Their lack of compassion and customer service is unacceptable.”
Booking.Com says customers forced to cancel trips due to the pandemic should be entitled to either a refund or given the option to re-schedule.
The company has not breached its guidelines to Booking.com or Lorna but she appealed to the firm to take a compassionate approach.
A spokeswoman for Apartments-Edinburgh said: “”With regards to Lorna Price, a date change was initially agreed by the guest with new dates provided by her relating to later this year.
“The guest then cancelled her reservation through Booking.com.
“Even though the booking was cancelled and no further changes could be made, the guest was again offered the opportunity to use the already monies paid for a future date. However, no reply was received and we awaited her further instruction.
“Given that we have now been informed that Lorna would still like a refund, we are happy to do so and this has now been processed back to the guest.”