Good afternoon!
I contacted you many times but you didn't resolve the problem. You only wanted to have the same information over and over again.
When we booked two beds in the hostel, unfortunately we didn't see the age limit written at the bottom of the page because the information was apparently written after the suggestions of booking.com for other accommodation. We also had a technical problem with our laptop which was freezing and rebooting often. I have a physical disability and suffered some strokes in the past and every now and then need the help of my travel mate (my son). Staff informed me that I wouldn't be allowed to stay at the hostel because of my age. They wanted me to pay the whole sum anyway because it was my fault that I didn't read the small print and booked with them. They offered me to book an apartment instead for a higher price (50 Euros a night which they reduced to 90 Euros for 2 nights). I accepted only because I couldn't afford to loose all that money (around 74 Euros) and pay for another hostel. I felt blackmailed by the hostel staff. We really wanted to stay in a hostel and not in an apartment on our own because we like to get to know other people from around the world. I want the money back that they made me pay in addition to the price of the 2 hostel beds. We tried to contact booking.com right away (before traveling to Zadar) but only found out later that the messages hadn’t been sent and we had to send them from another page again. booking.com only answers that we could write a reference. We won’t get any money back. That’s not OK. As far as I know the host have had to find alternative accommodation for us and pay for it when he didn't host us. For us it would have been OK if the host had cancelled the booking free of charge. That didn't happen. Worse: the host asked us to pay a higher price for a worse accommodation or loose the money we were supposed to pay for the originally booked accommodation.
Passing by the hostel we saw that the staircase is narrow and kind of round. That's not written in the description on booking.com. I wouldn't have been able to do those stairs due to my disability.
Internet didn't work when we arrived in the apartment and the connection we got to use later was very slow and didn’t always work because it came from another room (that’s what the guy from the agency told us). Netflix didn't work either. There were only Croatian channels on TV. The lock of the main door has a problem and in the morning we couldn't get out. My son climbed out of the window and went to the agency to ask for help but nobody was there. Fortunately he got to open the door from the outside with the key. I have a problem with my legs and couldn't climb out of window myself. When we both took a shower in the evening, the water had a problem to go away and the bathroom got flooded. Even though we tried to dry it up with the towels, it was still wet in the morning so that I couldn't use the toilet without getting wet feet. At the end I peed into the shower holding onto the wall at the back of the shower (I have a stiff hip). I tried to take a picture of the situation but the problem was not visible on it so I deleted the photo.
The cutlery is placed under the sink (where the dirty water discharge is).
There is loud music in the evening. Somebody tried to enter the apartment in the evening a few times.
Before our arrival we got 2 different addresses where to get the keys for the apartment. They also sent us information about trips… they offer.
I was told from staff that we didn't have to pay any taxes but when I checked the receipt the taxes were stated clearly.
It's not OK that I have to pay for a non refundable booking when the host refuses to host me in my booked accommodation. Booking had my card details and could take my money at any time. Otherwise we would have booked a different hostel and not paid Tequilia Hostels for a service that they didn’t want to offer me anyway.
Booking.com did not let me write a review of the apartment but only for the hostel were we didn‘t stay.
I am requesting a refund for the extra amount I paid and compensation because the internet connection (which we needed) did not work most of the time, Netflix didn’t work, the bathroom was not usable as it should have been, people tried to get into the apartment, the cutlery is collocated under the sink, there was loud music in the evening, the front door of the apartment was difficult to open, we got two different adresses where to collect the keys, the staircase at the hostel was not indicated in the description on booking.com, and for the damage from a ruined vacation. We complained to the agency when we left and later we saw that other clients of the apartment wrote the same things in their reviews.
I want to remind you that I’m a Genius Level 2 member but after the way you dealed with my complains I won’t use your site again because I can’t be sure that the description of the accommodation is accurate and the accommodation is made in a way one would expect from such a structure.
Kind regards,
C. – Manuela Sbriglione
