KayDoll

to answer a bit of the questions:

Christina: i already admitted that the fault was partially mine. in my haste, i failed to ask for a contract and just sent the money with a lot of expectations. also, i should have checked the area and information more thoroughly instead of putting blind faith into a person i don't know. lesson learned. please don't criticize me because i was excited and in doing so made a mistake. the fault however, also lies with the owner/agent because they failed to respond to my many messages and they severely misrepresented the location.

tuscanlifeedit: the apartment is indeed in the same location of charlesmere gardens but it is not the same pictures which is why i said that the apartments are not the same. it also is not the name of the person i was corresponding with. please don't think that i am taking a blase attitude towards this because i am not. i am in active communication with paypal in regards to recovering my funds and i did not go through them at first because i really didn't know that i could. i thought that going to my bank would reverse the transaction from the owner's account and then i would be done with it. as of right now i have filed 2 disputes with paypal and still waiting for them to be resolved.

i'm still fighting this and doing so to the most of my abilities but at the end of the day after i've done what i can and still don't win at the very least i know i've tried. like i said before money is just money. it can be made. i will take bookchick's offer of help when the situation has been resolved but i just wanted to avoid prolonging this problem any further. i really don't know how many more times i can say that i have honestly learned my lesson and i would just very much like to move on.

tuscanlifeedit

OK, I get carried away with being cranky sometimes, and I apologize.

stormbird

Poor KayDoll - sympathies to you. I know from the other apartment thread that you are back on track and learning fast as you go. This whole travel business can be very daunting.

Anyway, Kay you've copped a lot of criticism but everyone makes mistakes and I love the saying 'He who makes no mistakes makes nothing'.

We're all here to help Kay - so keep those questions coming - I'm keen to see where you end up staying and hearing all about your trip.

KayDoll

Thanks everyone. No need to apologize it's been a crazy situation but onward I go with my trip planning and having a good time is all that matters.

taggie

I think it's great that bookchic's friend is offering to help out.
Especially in light of the controversial panda thing. Shows you that the helping spirit that brings people here can't be snuffed out by multiple bannings.

I may be off base but I'd bet the two apartments are being offered by the same person, even though the names are different. Too many similarities in the "blurbs" about the location, etc. Not out of the realm of possibility that this is a bit of a scam by someone who owns a couple of flats.

KayDoll, not sure what your budget is (sorry, haven't read all your details) but there's a Holiday Inn Express in Earl's Court that you should look into - you can probably get it on Priceline or Hotwire, but the price isn't too bad through other, more transparent, sites. It gets decent reviews, is reasonably well located and includes breakfast. Pretty good for a budget hotel. If not there, then you can likely get a four star place in Kensington for under $100 night on PL.

KayDoll

Taggie:: thank you for the suggestion. I plan on contacting book chicks friend as soon as I get this mess figured out. And I will check out the hotel.