A woman who traveled to Liverpool to celebrate her 60th birthday claims she was forced to abandon an Airbnb after discovering filthy conditions on arrival. Carol Stanfield, 60, traveled from Cardiff with her husband to attend the Fields of Eire Irish community festival on June 5 and 6.
She was joined by her cousin and her cousin's husband, who had traveled from Ireland for the celebrations. The group paid £372 for a two-night stay at an apartment in King's Dock Mill on Tabley Street, which was advertised on Booking.com.
However, Carol claims they left the property shortly after arriving due to concerns about its cleanliness and have since spent weeks trying to secure a refund. After being approached by the ECHO for comment, Booking.com said it would refund Carol as a gesture of goodwill.
Health Concerns
Carol, who has coeliac disease, said finding accommodation with cooking facilities was particularly important after she suffered a severe reaction to gluten while on holiday in Italy. She said she was petrified of eating out following the incident, which left her seriously unwell. As a result, she brought her own food to Liverpool and planned to cook during her stay.
Immediate Problems
But Carol claimed she was confronted with a number of problems as soon as they entered the apartment. She said: 'We walked in and straight away, it was filthy. We went into the kitchen and I went to put my stuff in the freezer, but the door wouldn't shut - it was broken. When we saw the dish sponge we thought, you're having a laugh. I opened the oven and there was no way I could cook in there. It was absolutely filthy and thick with grease.'
'The mattresses were stained and dirty. The toilet seat was filthy, I couldn't use it.'
The apartment currently holds an overall rating of 4.3 out of 10 from 46 reviews on Booking.com. Some guests praised its central location and quiet surroundings, while negative reviews referenced issues including cleanliness, stained furnishings and missing blinds.
Attempts to Resolve
She said: 'We'd seen the reviews and thought we could cope if it was just a bit messy. The pictures online looked okay. But it wasn't just a little bit dirty. The whole place was a health hazard.'
According to Carol, the group immediately contacted the property owner and asked him to visit the apartment to inspect the issues. She said: 'We phoned the owner and asked him to come and see it for himself. He said he'd speak to the cleaner and call us back within 10 minutes. After that, whenever we tried to get hold of him, he just kept putting the phone down.'
Carol alleged the owner later informed Booking.com that cleaners would be sent to address the concerns, but claimed no one arrived. She said: 'He told Booking.com he was sending cleaners to resolve the issue, but nobody came. We waited for two hours.'
Alternative Accommodation
The group eventually decided to leave and booked alternative accommodation at an additional cost of £272. She said: 'I was fuming. I was crying and I just wanted to go home. My cousin felt terrible because she was the one who booked the apartment. Booking.com should be fighting this on our behalf. We booked through them and paid through them. We're just banging our heads against a brick wall.'
According to Carol, she later received a message indicating a refund process had been started and advising her to make contact if she had not received an update within 48 hours. However, she says she was subsequently informed a refund would not be issued because the property owner had declined to authorize it. Instead, she claims she was offered travel credits worth around £33 - roughly 10% of the original booking cost.
Booking.com Response
A Booking.com spokesperson said: 'We offer stays for every budget, and to help customers find the right place we provide guest reviews and property scores based on real feedback. This property currently has a score of 4.2 out of 10 from nearly 50 reviews. While the property is responsible for ensuring the stay meets expectations, we're sorry for this customer's experience and will be processing a refund for the original stay as a gesture of goodwill. As the second property was a lower cost than the original, there is no price difference to refund. The customer's review, including imagery, remains visible on the listing.'
The property owner declined to comment when approached by the ECHO.
