Refund for home that had no hot water.

[Adam1427]

Hi all, just looking for opinions on refund amount. Maybe you can give some insight and advice.

We booked a place in Bristol that had great reviews so we booked it for 4 nights.

We were due to arrive at 8pm but got an email at 7pm from the agent who overlooks the property (not the owners) saying that the hot water was not working (shower was though).

They apologised.

I said it was quite unfortunate and did they offer any suggestions to remedy it?

They replied that if we needed hot water we should just boil a kettle. But if we wanted to we could request a refund from the owners.

After the stay, we requested a refund as not having hot water was not ideal for a 4-day city break.

I requested for a full days refund.

But then looking back in the reviews, I saw that 3 months prior, someone else also had the same issue and they received a 15% discount.

also a tad annoyed that this is a recurring issue

Today I got a message saying they have refunded half a day's accommodation cost, which is only about 11% of the total amount we paid.

I'm just trying to work out if I am being a grump here expecting better, or should i just suck it up?

Thanks in advance 🙂

[Johanna394]

I am no host/expert, but from what I have read on this forums, it would have been more beneficial if you had raised the issue and refund request more strongly during your stay and not after. Because now, you did end up staying in the property and using it, so asking for refund despite that is a bit... iffy, not likeliest to succeed.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Adam1427 Your choices were to cancel the stay for a full refund at the time you were told the hot water was off or accept the situation. You can't expect a refund after you stayed for your full stay. It would be akin to eating a full meal in a restaurant and then asking for a refund because it was too salty.

[Elaine701]

You're absolutely right, @Mike-And-Jane0 

However, no hot water and no initiative to fix it? That's not right. It's well worth some kind of refund, which apparently @Adam1427  duly received.

But we've had a boiler fail just as a guest arrives, and we didn't waste any time. In fact, we had a brand new one installed before the guest even took their showers. We eventually had the old one repaired, and now we have a spare, just in case it ever happens again (and stuff like this usually happens on a Sunday or holiday, when you can't get it fixed).  Got a 5* review for that one.

The host should have been more diligent in the first place. It's their responsibility. No hot water makes it nearly uninhabitable IMO. 

But you're spot on with that restaurant analogy 😉

[Adam1427]

With all due respect, they said at the time we could ask for a refund and if so they would ask the owners.

We said we would; and thats is what we have done.

At this point in time it is just the negotiation part. 

Im not angry, far from it, just trying to work out if what they offered was reasonable and this forum and elsewhere it is giving some great perspectives for which i am grateful. Thank you.

But, I'd like to amend your food analogy a fraction if I may?

If i went to a meat restaurant and they said, come eat here for 4 days, and then as we signed up and entered they said, by the way its only cold food now as the oven is broken (yet again), but, don't worry if you don't like it you can pay a bit less
I'd probably say, "Ok, cool, i'll try  it out and if its not ideal, I will maybe take you up on your compensation offer and we can chat about it, no biggy."

[Emilia42]

Excuse my ignorance: why would one need hot water in the summertime other than to shower? (which sounds like was working)

[Adam1427]

I don't know about you, but some of us cook when on holiday and we had cooked breakfasts and dinners. And hand washing has been quite a trend this past year too 😉

The offer of a refund was entirely their suggestion.

All I am trying to do is work out wether the offer they just gave is normal/correct or not. Im not angry about the situation, just getting opinions.

[Annie-and-Julian0]

I like hot water for hand and face washing plus washing ones plates etc

[Elaine701]

Oops! I didn't catch the shower thing 😳

Yep, looks like much ado about nothing. 

[Amanda660]

If the shower was working then it was mostly likely an electric one and the issue may have been an immersion failure or the water side of a combi boiler. 

How much of an inconvenience was not having running hot water?  I can’t imagine your group were planning on doing a lot of dishes or mopping floors.

We’re talking 4% here.  Let it go, life is too short.  You chose to stay.

[Anonymous]

@Adam1427   An 11% refund was a very generous offer, if the only inconvenience that you suffered was boiling a kettle to get the water hot for dish washing. 

You have a great reputation as a guest up to this point, and the most expedient way to ruin that would be to demand compensation after a completed stay over an extremely minor issue like this.