Fined for giving a bad review
 

I just thought you would like to see how one hotel has resolved its quality issues

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30100973

Goodness me. No sand in the bedrooms, and extra for use of cruet, eh?

Lucky we have such strict gun laws, or they'd have shot both their feet off long ago.

Bad review or not, I can't imagine many people wanting to stay after this! Spread the word...

Interesting. Doubt they will get away with it, and even if they do it is certainly generating lots of the wrong kind of publicity! Would not be surprised if TA pulled the listing.

I think I saw something similar to this situation on Fodor's in the recent past, but I can't find it. As I recall, a regular Fodorite who worked for an airline had a bad experience at a hotel, made note of it on TA, and got in a heap of trouble. Maybe someone else remembers? My recollection of the lesson learned was that we all need to be VERY careful about how we phrase our less than fully positive comments. I could be wrong....

That would have been a post by dutyfree kja. She was staying in a hotel provided by her employer, but IMO that doesn't mean she's not entitled to her opinion.

I adamantly disagree that one must walk on eggshells when posting a review...otherwise what the heck is the point?

Yes, there's a distinct difference between being inflammatory and fair, but I feel the average reader can tell the difference. The fact that this establishment feels it necessary to impose a fine for bad reviews speaks volumes about the place in question. That alone would make me avoid it.

Is the proprietor called Basil, by any chance?

That's it, Melnq8 -- thanks! I still can'f find the link to dutyfree's thread; if anyone else knows of it, it might be worth posting the link.

I certainly did NOT mean to question dutyfree's opinion <b>or</b> her right to express it. My sincere apologies if that's what anyone thought!

I also didn't mean to suggest that people should not be honest in their reviews. I just remember thinking that that thread gave some very useful suggestions about how to express negative views without placing oneself in legal jeopardy -- for example, ways to use passive voice and / or hypotheticals to clearly communicate problems without incurring legal culpability for "defamation" or other allegations -- ways to express honest criticisms without legal culpability. Maybe I'm mistaken, but that's what I remember and why I brought that thread up. :-)

I've looked for the link, but can't find it kja, Fodor's search function is pretty worthless.

@ Melnq8 -- isn't that frustrating? For some time now, I have had better success searching Fodors by using google, but that often leads to a MASS of listings. I so wish that Fodors would fix it's search feature!!!

I look forward to learning more about your next foray into winter's wonderland. Have you already seen the awesome murals in Lavin's parish church? Might be worth considering....

Here's dutyfree's thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...m#last-comment

That's the one kja, well done.

Murals? I absolutely want to hear about those...very much looking forward to our trip to Europe, especially as it heats up and the files make me crazy here in Perth. I'm much looking forward to warm gluhwein, bratwurst and cold temps!

Oh bugger I was going to post this :-P

Somehow I think their booking diary may not be exactly replete going forwards....

Local paper's report with video clip showing the room the reviewer stayed in:
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/ne...view-1-6960026

It looks as though the hotel has had a talk with Fair Trading and is having second thoughts about the policy:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30111525

Now they need to have a talk with all the hotels (and other services) that reward people for good reviews.

"Somehow I think their booking diary may not be exactly replete going forwards...."

The TripAdvisor reviews before (going back to 2008!) were truly, truly, diabolic - and it's not clear who shot the film the local paper's got on its site. In the BBC interview, the complainants make no mention of this film.

I'm not accusing anyone of faking anything - but it's clear that there's either a massive conspiracy against the owners, or they're simply incapable of acting on years of terrible reviews.

Either way, it's understandable that they very may well believe there's a conspiracy against them, and that they need to fight back against it.

It's not an unusual attitude among a certain kind of British small businessman: I've found it in newsagents, pub landlords, garage proprietors and sub-postmasters (independent holders of franchises to run the privately managed businesses that make up 95% of all post offices in Britain.)

Threats of losing business have no effect. The owners probably believe customers are taking liberties, and probably think they're doing their peers a public service by standing up to bullying.

Mind, the reviewer paid £38 for a double room for two with full breakfast and parking, which is bargain-basement rate even for Blackpool.

"It's not an unusual attitude among a certain kind of British small businessman: I've found it in newsagents, pub landlords, garage proprietors and sub-postmasters"

They are usually described as "characters".

"They are usually described as "characters"."

Or arseholes. Less often, oddly, by customers than by their fellow-small businesspeople, who see them much as ordinary decent kleptocrat dictators see North Korea's Kim dynasty.

Bringing honest ripoff merchants into disrepute.

I have no problem with hoteliers replying to customer gripes (I have seen it done tactfully and appropriately when customers at a particular hotel complained that they had got a parking ticket because their free parking pass issued by the hotel for a public carpark had expired and they had chanced their luck overstaying).

But I think the fine is a step too far and it has garnered them massive adverse publicity. I wouldn't expect a palace for £36. But I would still expect the room to be clean, not have peeling wallpaper or broken bedsprings. If they felt the review was unfair they should have posted along the lines 'we are sorry you did not enjoy your stay, we are taking note of your concerns etc etc' If the review was truly unfair and they had, as they said, many other happy guests then that surely would have been evident from the other reviews.

Given the number of bad reviews this hotel has, the £100 fines must be an important revenue stream.

I heard that the hotel have been told to stop charging this "fine" by Trading Standards and they have agreed to refund the couple involved.

Thinking about it, £38prpn with two breakfasts doesn't leave much room for profit. Do they wash the bedding after each guest leaves ready for the next one?

Refunded.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/..._campaign=1490

No such thing as bad publicity, I think it may lead to a cult following. I am thinking of taking Mrs Lyon there for her birthday as opposed to Thailand. They are sitting on a goldmine if they can charge £100 plus normal usual fee.

kja - more info please. Are we talking about Switzerland or Germany for the murals in Lavin's parish church?

@ Melnq8 -- Lavin is in the Lower Engadine, and sorry, I should have said frescoes, not murals. I learned about it from one of Ingo's virtual tourist pages:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...ol-TG-C-1.html
I was glad to have seen this place, and since you'll be so close...!

Excellent, thank you kja.