Hi there
My name is Christina and I stayed at Travelodge Croydon Central from 14-15 June 2009. Upon returning, realized that I was charged twice for the same stay. What happened was, when I booked my stay online, after I keyed in the credit card details and clicked on the submit button, the process went on for a while and then came up with a message that says the transactions again as the credit card details were not there the 2nd time around. The 2nd transaction went through without a hitch. But, I did receive 2 confirmation numbers in my email and they were 148197081 and 149265187.
I would appreciate if could be so kind to refund the excess of GBP46.50 to my credit card asap.
Thank you for your cooperation and if you need further details with regards this issue, please do not hesitate to liaise with me.
Regards
Christina Goh
And, their reply:
Dear Miss Goh
I am sorry to learn that at the point of making a reservation via our website that you have by mistake reserved two rooms when only one is required.
As the reservation made is subject to our flexible terms and conditions, being non-amendable and non-refundable after 12 noon on the date of arrival.
As you have agreed to our terms and conditions and you have not informed us of this duplicate booking in a timely manner, I am unfortunately, unable to meet with your request for a refund on this occasion.
Kind regards
Leah Gutheridge
Quality Management Team
Travelodge Hotels Ltd
And, my reply to them:
Hi there
Thank you for your prompt reply. I would like to clarify herewith that I DID NOT MAKE A MISTAKE when making the reservation. I keyed in all the details and clicked on submit after I've filled in all my credit card details and YOUR SERVER timed out on me and came back with a message indicating that my reservation DID NOT GO THROUGH and I should try again. And, that was exactly what I DID. When the page was refreshed, it didn't have any of my credit card details anymore and I had to key it in all over again. This time, I clicked submit and everything went through. I wasn't aware that I have been charged twice until I came home and checked my credit card statement. In all matter of fairness, it was your computer system that caused this discrepancy and it is unfair to pin it on your customer under "terms and conditions". In all honesty, why was I not asked about my double room booking when I checked into your hotel when I only clearly stayed in 1 room and not 2? Just because the customer doesn't have any "terms and conditions" to lay on the hotel doesn't mean you can abuse it and reverse it to your customers.
I am therefore, asking you that you be fair on your part as a representative of Travelodge and look into this matter again. Appreciate it.
Thank
And, their reply:
Dear Miss Goh
Thank you for your recent e-mails into Customer Services and our Press Office.
I am sorry to hear that you have not been entirely happy with the level of correspondence received so far. When making a reservation via our website you are asked to confirm that all details are correct. The number of rooms, hotel, date of stay, etc, are all displayed on the payment page. We display these details on this page as it allows our customers to make any necessary amendments.
Once payment details have been entered and the terms and conditions agreed to, a contract is created between us and the customer. This contract does include our relatively strict terms which means that the booking is non-refundable and non-amendable after 12 noon on the date of arrival.
We do operate a cooling off period of 24 hours, whereby we need contact within 24 hours of the booking being made and we can then issue eVouchers as a gesture of goodwill. Unfortunately as we have not received contact within 24 hours of the booking being made it is very difficult for us to offer anything outside of company policy.
I apologise that we are unable to assist you on this occasion.
Kind regards
Paul Austin
Quality Management Team
Travelodge Hotels Ltd
And, my final reply to them:
Hi there
I believed with all my heart that you've never had an ounce of goodwill in the first place. Yes, I agree that the page shows the number of rooms but it doesn't show the total number of rooms booked under my name as each reservation is treated as one individual reservation. I really don't know how else to explain to you except that by cheating me of GBP46.50, you will get pass this but not anymore in the future as I will make sure I tell all my family and friends and spread the word around what a crummy hotel Travelodge Croydon is that you are all a bunch of cheater bugs. That kind of advertisement is something that will, I trust, not want on your resume anytime in the future. Well, you can take that GBP46.50 as my donation to your Travelodge and you can suck it up your ass....
Well, that was the last straw coz I had already spent enough money and time on them trying to explain my side of the story but, they won't listen. T4, I am pleading to all of you out there: DO NOT EVER STAY AT ANY TRAVELODGE ever again. Do not hesitate to pass the word around to all your friends and families coz I want them all to be aware and not be cheated the way I was. I've learnt my lesson and hope all of you will learn too b4 it is too late.
Anyway, now that we've got the unhappiness part out of the way, as you can see, I've just changed the color of my font thus, my mood has changed for the better and I've gotten the Travelodge incident off my chest. Shall I continue with my story then? Oh, b4 I forget, we had to pay GBP7.00 for the stupid parking. It's not even free for hotel guests. Stupid, crummy hotel and cheater bugs....
We went out this morning to get some breakfasts to eat in the car as we have a long way to drive to Wales today. The trip should take us about 4-6 hours and, we intend to stop along the way and visit the several wonders of Wales (if only we knew better, hahaha - will tell you all in a bit). Anyway, just for information sake, the seven wonders of Wales are:
1. Llangolen Bridge
2. Overton Yew Trees
3. Wrexham Steeple
4. All Saints Church
5. St Winefrides Well
6. Pistyll Rhaeadr
7. Gresford Bell
Our 1st stop was at the Llangolen Bridge and we stopped at a nearby hotel to ask for directions and she was very friendly and told us exactly where to go. This shop somewhat amazes me - read on:
If you look closely at the signage outside this shop, there's no comma and full stop to its name. This is the longest word I've ever seen. Try pronouncing it in one breath!
This is the 1st wonder of Wales - the LLANGOLEN BRIDGE. Can you believe it that for being one of the seven wonders of Wales, there was not a single signage that says it is the Llangolen Bridge. It's said this was the site of the first stone bridge over the River Dee. The bridge was built in 1345 by Bishop of St Asaph John Trevor I, before being rebuilt during the Elizabethan period. It's said that the structure remains the same today.
Our 2nd stop was a visit to the Overton Yew Trees. Here's the background story to the trees:
Some of the 21 famous yew trees at St Mary's Church, Overton, date to the 12th century, when the first stone church is said to have been erected. According to research by Clwyd Family History Society, the earliest reference to the church is found in Public Records from 1402, in which Overton was declared to be a chapelry of the parish of Bangor-on-Dee. The yew trees themselves date back to medieval times. In 1992 the Queen planted a young yew tree in the churchyard, to commemorate her visit to Overton as part of 700th anniversary celebrations. Can't really see what Yew trees actually look like but that is St Mary's Church in the background. After being so disappointed with 2 of the "wonders of Wales", both of us wondered if it's worth to go on to the other 5 coz the 1st two was quite a let down. Ed then decided to skip the rest and drive to our B&B place called Bryn Holcombe which is located at Colwyn Bay, a seaside town. With the help of the handheld Garmin GPS, we made our way there in good time and checked in and the proprietor was most friendly and welcoming and the room was so spacious and the bathroom was huge. Here are some pics of the hotel and the room. And for GBP60 a night, this bed and breakfast place beats Travelodge hands down and Welsh breakfast is even included. What more can I ask for? Was most happy with the service provided and the room was clean and the owner friendly and welcoming. We put away our stuff and asked the owner where we should explore and she suggests we visit Llandudno and so, we drove a short distance away to this seaside town and it was very quaint, tranquil and pretty. Somehow, the only thing lacking in this town is absence of people as most of the shops are closed as the time was about after 5pm. We walked around the town area but it somehow reminded us of Twilight Zone. We then decided to drive up to this Ski & Snowboard Center as it has a picturesque view of the Colwyn Bay and its surroundings. After that, our empty stomach beckons and we went back to town to look for food and lo and behold, found a cafe that was opened and though the food wasn't great, it filled our stomachs. Here's me in our little Twilight Zone town called Llandudno. After dinner, we drove to to Conwy Castle and walk around the area and perhaps see the castle when it is lighted up beautifully at night. We were way early and explored the grounds on foot and just enjoy the quietnes of its surroundings. Conwy castle standing tall as we enter the town and the many faces of its splendor. One of the buildings in the town centre within the walls of Conwy Castle. The interior part of Conwy Castle. A little history lesson here:
Conwy is by any standards one of the great fortresses of medieval Europe. First impressions are of tremendous military strength, a dominating position and a unity and compactness of design. The eight mighty towers seem to spring from the very rock which dictated the castle's eventual layout. As with Edward I's other great castles in north Wales, the design and building operations were in the hands of James of St. George, who eventually held the title of Master of the Kings Works in Wales. At Conwy, however, he somehow created a building which, more than any other, demonstrates his brilliant understanding of military architecture.
It was during his second campaign in Wales that King Edward gained control of the Conwy valley in March 1283. He began work on the new fortress almost immediately, the natural advantages of the site being so far superior to those of the older castle at Deganwy on the opposite side of the estuary. Moreover, plans were laid for an accompanying garrison town, itself to be defended by a complete circuit of walls and towers. Castle and town walls were all built in a frenzied period of activity between 1283-87, a tremendous achievement in which up to 1,500 craftsmen and laborers were involved during peak periods.
Conwy in its glamor of lights at night and the capture of sunset off the little estuary that runs through the town of Conwy.
Soon after, we drove back to Colwyn Bay and had a restful night's sleep in a nice warm bed. Ah...at least I won't wake up with a backache tomorrow, hahaha.
Rise and shine and off we go to another new destination. Today, we will visit another castle. This is called Caernarfon and is the most impressive of all castles in Wales. It was intended as a seat of power by King Edward I in the 13th centure and as a symbol of English dominance over the the subdued Welsh. It is located at the southern end of the Menai Strait (which allowed speedy access between the north Welsh coast and the western coast between north Wales) and Anglesey which was referred to as the garden of Wales.
The town center of Caernarfon in the background. I love the clouds above. Makes this picture look like a postcard doesn't it?
Caernarfon Castle as it stands today. The birth of his son, the first English Prince of Wales, in the castle in 1284, was a perfect device to stamp his supremacy. In 1969 the current Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles’s investiture took place here. Thus, the disc in the center of the field where the throne sits for the investiture ceremony.
From Caernarfon, we drove on to Llanberis where we went on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Again, God has been really good to us as the day was full of sunshine and there was no interruption to the rail services. If the weather is bad, the rail doesn't run.
Majestic Mount Snowdon dominates the glorious, ancient landscape of North Wales. At 3,560ft (1,085m), it is the highest peak in Wales. On a clear day like this at the summit, we could see as far as the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland and the Isle of Man. It was indeed a breathtaking view as I stand literally, on top of the world, looking down and enjoying the spectacular sceneries, lakes beneath and waterfalls cascading through the ancient oak forest on the way up. Whoever built this railway is brilliant.
The first sod was cut at Llanberis station in December 1894. The railway was due to be ready for summer 1895 however, the harsh winter of 1894 was one of the worst in living memory, and the construction of the two large viaducts between Llanberis and the waterfall took much longer than expected and they were not completed until August 1895. Once the viaducts were completed the remaining track to the Summit was laid in a remarkable 72 days and the first train reached the summit in January 1896. With the remaining work on fencing and signals then being finished the railway was ready to open to the public at Easter 1896.
Me posing with the train before we boarded it and the cascading waterfall we saw along the way up to Snowdon.
This is the view from the top of Snowdon Mountain. It is so breathtakingly beautiful don't you agree? If you ever have a chance to go to Wales, do not miss this. This is by far the best mountain peak I've been and you know what's the best thing? You don't have to hike to reach the top, hahaha. Lazy person in me talking....
The other picture is the gift shop cum cafe in the background. Unique looking building isn't it? I loved the shape of it....
After the trip to Snowdon Mountain, we drove on from Wales to Shrewsbury in England, which will be our place of rest tonight. Ed has booked another B&B but this place is nothing compared to Bryn Holcombe at Colwyn Bay. This is a very small and contained hotel room with very limited walking space within the room. But, it's only for 1 night so, que sera sera.
This is the photo of Shrewsbury Abbey. Apparently, the relics of the Welsh Saint, Winefride were brought to the Abbey in 1147 and the building became an important center of pilgrimage after that. Notice the architecture of the arch leading to the doorway which is made of red sandstone and is reminiscent of Gothic artistry. Beautiful, I tell you, beautiful....
After photo session, we walked around the town center and as usual, most shops were closed and so, we decided to go eat at a restaurant nearby our hotel. Food was nothing great, edible kind and filling. Gotta get a good night's sleep as it's another long drive tomorrow to Stonehenge, yay!
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