Nul points for the Eurovision ripoffs
I HAVE been inundated with complaints from readers caught up in the Eurovision accommodation scandal.
People who booked rooms in Liverpool for May have had them cancelled since the city was announced as the host of next year’s song contest.
In many cases, the same rooms have been readvertised for up to 10 times the original price to take advantage of the shortage of beds in the city.
The culprits include hotels and hosts on Airbnb and Booking.com.
Some hosts are now offering accommodation for more than £10,000, while hotels are asking up to £2,000 per night.
One reader, Kevin, booked accommodation three months ago for next May via Airbnb at a cost of £159.
Refund
Last week he received an email from Airbnb telling him that his booking needed to be cancelled “for unforeseen reasons” and asking him to accept the cancellation to receive a full refund.
He then discovered that the accommodation was back on the Airbnb website and showing as available – but the cost had increased from £159 to £800.
Another reader, Margaret, had a hotel room in Liverpool booked from May 11-13 for her wedding anniversary.
Like Kevin she has now received an email cancelling her booking without any plausible explanation.
She complained to the hotel who told her that she could rebook the room but it would be four times dearer.
Countless consumers have now found themselves in the same situation. And people who booked to stay in surrounding areas like Wirral have told similar stories.
Here are your consumer rights if you are caught up in what can only be phrased as a holiday scandal in Merseyside.
CAN THE HOST OR HOTEL CANCEL MY BOOKING?
If you’ve booked the accommodation but not yet paid for it, the answer is yes and this is because a legally binding contract will not have been formed.
If you have paid for the booking a contract will have been formed meaning that it will technically be a breach of contract if the accommodation owner cancels.
However, you will need to check the other terms of the contract, specifically if it contains a cancellation clause which provides the owner with the right to cancel.
CAN I CLAIM COMPENSATION?
If you have a contract which has no cancellation right on the part of the owner, you may be entitled to compensation as well as a refund if your accommodation is cancelled.
The value of the compensation will typically be the difference between the cost of any new booking and the cancelled booking.
So if your original booking cost £100 and the only alternative accommodation you can find after a cancellation costs £200, you will be entitled to your £100 refund and £100 compensation.
AIRBNB AND BOOKING.COM
These are merely booking platforms. Your actual contract is not with them but with the owner or host of the property. You therefore need to check their detailed terms and conditions to find out your entitlement.