Kelly’s gang left in lurch
Booking backflip blow
THE father of one of Geelong’s top athletes is furious his accommodation booking for the Commonwealth Games was cancelled without notice.
Bill Cartwright booked two nights’ accommodation on the Gold Coast on Airbnb so he could watch daughter Kelly — a champion Paralympian — compete in the weightlifting.
He only discovered the booking had been cancelled after noticing a refund in his bank account.
He said there was no correspondence from the homestay operator, and he could have been left high and dry had he arrived on the Gold Coast with no plan B.
He has since been able to book alternative accommodation.
“I received no correspondence from them to tell me it had been cancelled,” he said. “I could have just assumed everything was fine and turned up there on the day.
“What would have happened then if everything else had been booked out?
“Thankfully, we found somewhere else and we’re looking forward to getting up there, but it’s still not right.”
“I received no correspondence from them to tell me it had been cancelled. What would have happened then if everything else had been booked out?” BILL CARTWRIGHT
It’s not the first time Airbnb has been slammed over the cancellation of Gold Coast accommodation in the lead-up to the Games.
Previously, Airbnb has said pricings and cancellations were a matter for individual operators.
Cartwright is a world champion 100m T42 sprinter, a Paralympic gold medallist long jumper and a world record holder.
The mother of one has returned to elite sport and is looking to add Commonwealth gold in para powerlifting to her name.