isabel

What was the total cost of the apartment? If what you paid for deposit was half, then it works out to around 40£ a night. And you said you are going in six months - so late Feb/early March? There are actually a few hotels that aren't that bad for around that price in low season for a single. I stayed at the Craven Gardens hotel in Bayswater and it was OK. I just checked it for my upcoming trip in Nov and it was around that price. This trip I need a double, and want to be close to Victoria Station so I didn't book it but I did think it was a decent hotel. There are a lot of hotels in the Bayswater area that aren't too horrible. The price does seem to vary greatly depending on dates. London as you have discovered is quite expensive.

Will you be solo on this trip? For a single I rarely find an apartment as good a deal as a hotel. I've only found it worth the trouble (and risk) to rent an apartment for 3 or more people. At least with a hotel you can check Trip Advisor. Even though some reviews are great and others bad for the same hotel, if there are several reviews you can get a really good idea of a place. I no longer book anything I can't check on Trip Advisor. And of course, now you have learned, never book anything without checking google maps.

alihutch

"At least with a hotel you can check Trip Advisor."

Apartments get reviews on TA and many other sites

suze

Because of the greater number of people who pass thru various hotels, you're more *likely* to find Trip Advisor reviews on them, rather than a particular single apartment rental in all of greater London.

suze

KayDoll, Well I know you've already figured this out, and perhaps learned this lesson the hard (expensive) way, but I'd never send money to a place without some kind of secondary confirmation they are legit. Be it a review, a personal suggestion here on Fodor's, seeing the place on a Google Earth map, reviews on Trip Advisor. Something.

KayDoll

*sigh* yes, i have indeed learned my lesson. =( Owner just replied and is still adamant about not refunding me. Can't dispute as he did send me the address and I can't check the site anymore since it's not up. PP doesn't care as long as someone pays somebody and they get their money. blah. I just really want to be down with this and have just decided to no longer dispute. it's just money, it can be made. obviously if he wants to hold onto it so badly he needs it more than 1. =/ I have to get on with the rest of my trip planning and cannot be worried about this situation any longer. thanks so much for all of the concerns and well wishes. i hope you all will stick around to help me plan the rest of my !!!GOING TO BE FRICKIN' AWESOME" trip. =D


isabel:: i'm starting my trip in london and will be there 03/24/2011 - 03/31/2011. it will be my b/f and me. the apartment was for 420 pounds and the deposit was for 1/3 of the 420pounds. that would be 60pounds a night. i am currently working with Chris as he was highly referred by many fodorites. i hope he's able to find me something. so far he's been very helpful.

I've increased my budget in London to max $135/night in hopes of finding a better hotel/apartment in a much better location. walking distance to major sites. hopefully this all pans out well. will you everyone updated.

KayDoll

I meant done** not down. hehe

sam86

I'm sorry = ( But I understand that you want to just put it behind you. So let's get you excited about some other aspect of the planning = )

KayDoll

=D pls don't be sorry because it's definitely not your fault. i sincerely accept it as a fault upon both parties (mine as well as theirs) I certainly won't be so hasty next time and definitely will ask for and check all policies before departing with my money so easily. i hope i helped someone else out there so that they won't be as silly as i was.

i will be opening some new threads soon as i'm trying to plan the transport/accomodations part of my trip and so i hope to be hearing from everyone soon!!! =D

stokebailey

KayDoll,

I like to think that people like that 'agent' will pay dearly sooner or later, preferably in this lifetime.

I've good luck with both Hotwire and Priceline in London (and recently a really nice Priceline Seattle stay). If you search this board you'll get some tips about areas, and a short time on betterbidding.com will help you get started.

Is there a such thing as an easy drive in London area?

BigRuss

I think you should post all the available information you have on the renter on this forum and on the Trip Advisor forum -- name, business address, etc. Make it the most costly $223 he has ever made.

Of course, considering the preposterous English libel laws, you should do this after you leave the UK.

willit

KayDoll - I suggest you do contact bookchick (see earlier in thread) as there is a tacit offer to help there, I strongly suspect from somebody who really might be able to help you get your money back (or at least stop other people being similarly ripped off.)

KayDoll

i've contacted bookchick as suggested although i really don't know what can be done. i mean it's such meager (to them not me) amount of money that i don't think any legal action would even be allowed in court. and i'm still debating whether or not i'll be posting his info. (i'm very scared of karma) although if any fodorites or trip advisor members want his information just email me and i will provide the info.

willit

"I really don't know what can be done"

Maybe nothing, but say you lived in an apartment and were misrepresenting it, taking deposits etc.
And say a large member of the police force happened to be passing, knocked on your door, and suggested that you might wish to stop? OR treading standards started asking awkward questions?

Obviously I am not suggesting such things might occur - in fact it is probably just purest fantasy. However, I seem to recall bookchick might know of somebody living near Greenwich.

KayDoll

hehe that's a good fantasy. like something out of the movies. *ahhh...if only* =D

suze

Personally I'm not into pursuig vendettas. KayDoll realizes she is at least in part at fault here for jumping the gun and sending a deposit without fully researching the property/owner. I'd just leave it at that. Big lesson learned on trip planning for a couple hundred bucks lost.

LoveItaly

Willit..our minds work the same, lol! Hi Bookchick!

BigRuss

Not a vendetta. The s.o.b. should be affirmatively misrepresenting where his apartment is. Simple as that.

The caveat emptor rule of life doesn't apply without qualification. Every state in the US has some manner of consumer protection law governing this type of transaction and the UK laws are even more stringent.

Even better would be someone like Vinnie Jones (google him) knocking on the lessor's door with a message . . .

Christina

It clearly sounds like it was misrepresented by the five minute thing and the location, but I think this is an indication of why people who don't know a lot about an area and have never rented a holiday apartment need to be more careful and take some responsiblity for what they do. If you had the address, you should check it, not just take somebody's word (particularly the "minutes" thing, as a lot of landlords exaggerate how many minutes it is from something). If it said five minutes, it usually is about 15. Granted, if yours is 45, that's different.

Also, why would you even pay someone money without getting a contract and then blame them for not giving you one when you enver asked for one? YOu need to ask for one and if you don't get one, you don't do business with such people.

I'm not sure the lesson was learned that you need to be more careful, you shouldn't rent from total strangers off the internet and send them money, if you want a contract, you have to obviously ask about that first thing and if that is important, don't go ahead without one and then when you have problems, blame others for not giving you one when you never asked or insisted on one.

BigRuss

Hmm. Should have said "the s.o.b. should NOT be affirmatively misrepresenting where his apartment is."

tuscanlifeedit

I suspect that most of us will never understand this situation. I doubt if I will. There is one reference above to Greenwich (village) that just left my head spinning.

And absolutely no suspicion that maybe Big Ben and Greenwich weren't BOTH in central London? No willingness to jump at a carefully put offer of real help, but all the willingness in the world to send money via Paypal to an advertiser with no investigation into said apartment?

Very odd.

I'm also further puzzled by the oh-well-water-over-the-dam attitude. Me, I would be seriously considering how the loss will affect the rest of my trip, and how I can a) get my money back, b) vet all future lodging options, and c) help others from falling for this trap.

Just because the flat owner removed his ad from one site, doesn't mean that he isn't likely to still be advertising.

Also, isn't it very very very very odd that TWO people are falsely advertising apartments on the SAME STREET, on the same site, with same lies about distances?

This all doesn't ring true for me.

If we are, however, dealing with simple naivete and difficulty communicating, then the OP ought to carefully read Paypal's dispute pages. They do describe how to file a dispute.

But wait, I'm further confused: why go to the bank to stop payment on a Paypal payment? Why not file the dispute with Paypal immediately, from the comfort of home? So confusing.