No room open at the inn
Lilian McGhee was baffled when she couldn’t get access to the accommodation she had booked and paid for on a trip to Northern Ireland.
McGhee had paid about £85 via Booking.com for a room that turned out to be sited above a busy pub in Ballymena, County Antrim.
But when she went into the bar to pick up the keys, the holidaymaker ran into difficulties.
“I was told we needed a security code for the door, which we did not have,” she said. “In the meantime, we were advised we could bring our bags in via a back entrance.
“We lugged our bags up the stairs where we were then directed through the pub and into another pub. There, the barmaid said the accommodation was part of another business, so she couldn’t give us entry either. It was so confusing.”
McGhee, from Stewarton, East Ayrshire, said she eventually spoke to the owner of the property on the phone but she couldn’t provide her with an entry password either as the accommodation manager had the codes and wasn’t available that day.
“I then cancelled the room,” McGhee said.
However, when she asked Booking.com for her money back she felt like she was getting nowhere, so she contacted Raw Deal.
The good news is that the company moved swiftly to resolve the problem.
Booking.com said: “We will be refunding the customer in full.”
McGhee said she had now received her £85.50 and was grateful to Raw Deal. She added: “Thank you for your intervention.”