Homely Home Guesthouse

FORMAL COMPLAINT – FULL REFUND REQUEST / ACCOMMODATION NOT AS ADVERTISED

I am lodging a formal complaint regarding our recent stay at Homely Homes guesthouse in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, which we booked through Booking.com. We were a group of 5 women and 4 young girls and selected this accommodation based on the photographs, description and reviews presented on Booking.com. We booked in good faith, believing that we were booking clean, safe and suitable accommodation. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we found the property to be completely different from what was advertised. The conditions we encountered included: • Dirty and unhygienic rooms • Mattresses with visible mould • Extremely dirty bar fridges • Bathrooms in a disgusting and unhygienic condition • Televisions that were not working • General cleanliness and maintenance that was completely unacceptable We immediately raised our concerns with the person at the property. Attempts were made to clean and rectify some of the issues, but this did not resolve the situation or make the accommodation acceptable for us to stay in. There was also a serious safety concern. The person dealing with us was a male, and his manner and interaction with our group made us feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy. As five women travelling with four young girls, we did not feel safe remaining at the property. We were also concerned that we could not independently exit the property. We had to rely on the person at the guesthouse to open the property for us when our Uber drivers arrived to collect us. Given how uncomfortable and unsafe we already felt, this added considerably to our concerns. When our Uber drivers arrived, they were surprised that we had stayed at the property and asked us why we had booked it. They told us that they were aware of concerning activities taking place at night in connection with the area/property. We cannot independently verify what the drivers told us, and therefore we are not presenting this as an established fact. However, hearing this from the drivers, combined with our own experience and the restricted ability to leave the property without the host opening it for us, further heightened our safety concerns. We therefore made the decision to leave immediately and arrange alternative accommodation. This was not a matter of minor inconvenience or personal preference. We were presented with an accommodation listing on Booking.com that gave us a reasonable expectation of a clean, properly maintained and safe place to stay. The actual condition and circumstances were completely inconsistent with that expectation. We have photographs documenting the condition of the accommodation, including the mouldy mattresses, dirty bathrooms, dirty bar fridges and other issues mentioned above. We are prepared to provide these photographs to Booking.com as evidence. We are therefore requesting a FULL REFUND of the entire amount paid. We also ask Booking.com to investigate this property and establish whether: 1. The photographs and description on the listing accurately represent the accommodation. 2. The property meets reasonable hygiene and accommodation standards. 3. The access and security arrangements are appropriate and safe for guests. 4. Similar complaints have been received from previous guests. 5. The property should continue to be advertised on the platform in its current condition. We trusted Booking.com when making this reservation and re**** on the information provided on your platform. We paid for accommodation that we ultimately could not use because of the unacceptable hygiene conditions and genuine safety concerns we encountered upon arrival. We left immediately and incurred the additional inconvenience and expense of finding alternative accommodation. We expect Booking.com to take this complaint seriously, investigate the matter and arrange a full refund. We are willing to provide all photographs, booking documentation and any other evidence required.