PARTY FIRM’S COLLAPSE LEAVES TRACY AND PALS OUT OF POCKET
Company hit by ‘covid and energy crisis’
PARTY-GOERS have been left furious and out of pocket – after the collapse of a Stoke-on-trent events firm.
Tracy Bates is one of many customers left in the lurch after booking trips with Stag and Hen City.
She had booked a weekend away in Blackpool to celebrate her 50th birthday back in 2020, which had been postponed until this month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tracy and 10 of her friends – most of whom work as carers – had booked a £99-a-head accommodation and entertainment package through Stoke-based Stag and Hen City.
But Tracy, of Blurton, was horrified when – just days before the trip – she contacted the hotel to confirm the rooms, and was told that the accommodation had not been paid for and the rooms had been allocated to other guests.
She said: “We booked with Stag and Hen City because I had my hen do with them a few years ago and it was fantastic. They have been a reputable company.
“The week we were due to go I emailed the hotel in Blackpool to see what the room situation was. They rang me to say they hadn’t been paid by Stag and Hen City so they had let the rooms go.
“The package also involved Adonis Cabaret club, and when I contacted them they hadn’t been paid either. I went to the Stag and Hen office but no one was there. I messaged them on Facebook and they said they would look into it.”
Tracy then received a text from Stag and Hen City which read, ‘Unfortunately we regret to inform you that your event will not go ahead as planned.’
She added: “There was nothing about a refund. I was so angry. The only way I could communicate with them was by Facebook Messenger. If they had been upfront we could have had time to organise something else.”
Instead, Tracy and her pals were left trying to find last-minute hotel rooms for a Bank Holiday weekend. Fortunately, they managed to book somewhere and their trip went ahead, but they lost out on their club entry and had to pay an extra £45 each for the accommodation.
A company spokesman said: “Every effort has been made to keep the business viable and fulfil all customer bookings, but the hugely testing economic environment presented by the covid pandemic, followed so quickly by the energy crisis, meant that the business was faced with multiple customer cancellations, rising costs, and restricted bank lending facilities. We will be contacting all customers who have package bookings and will work with the company’s insurers to see what costs, if any, can be recovered regarding booking cancellations.”