I booked a Spanish holiday apartment through Holiday Lettings specifically because it had a pool.
However, when we arrived in April the owner informed us that the pool was closed until the end of May.
I called Holiday Lettings which agreed that the website was misleading but said that, if we spent the first night in the flat, we would be liable for the full week’s rental.
It promised to find alternative accommodation with a pool but the only options were either of a lower standard or unsuitable for children. I heard no more from the company despite promises to call back.
After spending two days seeking an alternative, I realised the only option was keep the apartment and rent a room in a neighbouring hotel for two nights so we could use its pool.
At €80 a head per night, we could only afford to do this for three of our party of five, which meant two of us couldn’t swim at all.
I have asked Holiday Lettings to reimburse us for the hotel costs and phone calls but, after promising a refund, it then referred me to the owner, who declined compensation.
MF London
There’s a serious flaw in the payment protection policy provided by Holiday Lettings, part of TripAdvisor.
It promises a full refund if a property is “substantially” misrepresented, but the offer is invalidated if you spend the first night in it – meaning that, if you arrive late and find you have not got what you paid for, you have a couple of hours, if that, to find an alternative.
The company promised you would not be liable, then changed its mind and, in the event, you had no choice but to put up with the missold apartment.
After The Observer waded in, Holiday Lettings decided that, although you are not entitled to any money because you stayed put, it will reimburse you the cost of the hotel as a “goodwill gesture” and waive the €36 booking fee.
“Our team was in frequent contact with the customer during the holiday,” says a spokesperson.
“We worked hard to find alternative accommodation, but unfortunately local availability was limited and we were unable to find anything she felt was suitable.”
Holiday Lettings congratulates itself on finding a resolution you are happy with – except you are far from happy.
You spent two days of your holiday seeking alternative accommodation and spent five of the seven days without access to a swimming pool.
And although the company tells me that the owner of the apartment has been permanently blacklisted because of your experience, the website resumes advertising the apartment with no mention of pool restrictions.
“Due to the account’s successful history and the fact that we had confirmation that the advert was now correct, we allowed them to return,” explains a spokesperson.
“This decision has now been reversed and the owner has been permanently blacklisted.”
