A FAMILY had to fork out £1,000 after they turned up at Newport on the Isle of Wight for a holiday – only to discover they’d actually booked a stay in Newport in South Wales.
Louise Turner, 37, spent £1,000 on a guesthouse she claims was listed for the island but she and her family were dismayed to realise it was 130 miles away.
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This meant Louise and her husband Jose Pacheco, 46, were forced to stump up £1,000 for somewhere to stay – and are now looking for a refund.
The mum-of-two says the booking site Booking.com made a mistake by incorrectly listing the Welsh city under the Isle of Wight section.
Booking.com said it was sorry to hear of the family’s disappointment, but it “would urge all customers to thoroughly check all details before confirming any reservation”.
Louise, who lives in Norwich, Norfolk with Jose and their two children, said: “I just wish this hadn’t happened to us, it’s not fair.”
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She admitted despite the accommodation mix up and “horrible new hotel”, we still had a nice holiday.
Louise, who does not work due to a disability, is now trying to get the £1,000 refunded, saying it’s money her and her husband don’t have.
She claims the booking site are refusing to pay it back and are now not replying to her.
Louise, who made the booking in the summer of last year, booked a cottage for their first week on the Isle of Wight.
She said she had also secured guesthouse for their second week in Newport – finding both by searching the area on Booking.com.
Leaving their first cottage in the morning of July 31, the family couldn’t book into the guesthouse until 4pm that afternoon – so enjoyed a day walking around the island.
Climbing into their car after a fun day of exploring, Louise entered the postcode from her booking confirmation – and was shocked when it directed her to Wales.
She then called Booking.com to complain, who admitted they’d made an error in their listing by putting it in the wrong Newport area but wouldn’t help the family find somewhere new to stay.
In the end, Louise had to borrow money from her dad book into a hotel which charged them £1,000 to stay for six nights.
“It was disgustingly dirty. There were cobwebs behind the couch, there was rusty cutlery in the drawer, and it smelt so bad that we had to eat out for every meal because we couldn’t eat in there.
“But we were just desperate for somewhere to stay.”
Louise has since been in talks with Booking.com, who she says have since changed the guesthouse to accurately appear in the Newport, Wales section.
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “We have looked into the reservation in question and have checked that all address details in the original listing were correct, including all of the information sent in the customers confirmation email, which confirmed the property details and location via a map.
“Though we were sorry to hear of the customers disappointment, we would urge all customers to thoroughly check all details before confirming any reservation.”
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