Room leak refund battle sours 'trip of a lifetime'

Wendy Pinch said she saved for two years to go on the trip across Europe

An Australian tourist has said her trip of a lifetime was "soured" after she was unable to get a refund after her London hotel room flooded during heavy rain.

Wendy Pinch, who was holidaying with two friends at the Hyde Park Boutique Hotel, said water leaked through the ceiling of their ground-floor room on 3 October.

They left shortly before midnight to find another hotel and were told by Booking.com they would receive a refund, which did not arrive during the rest of their trip.

The company later admitted the case "was not handled to the standard we strive for".

Describing how she realised there was a problem in the room, Ms Pinch said she was in the shower and "thought the girls were mucking around and they turned off the lights in the bathroom.

"I came out and there's buckets in the room and I was like, 'what's happening?' Then there's water dripping through the ceiling."

The hotel said it had approved a refund for Ms Pinch and her friends, but was unable to process it because of issues with the payment system at Booking.com.

She said the situation gradually got "worse and worse" with water leaking from more areas.

"All of a sudden I heard these other splashes and so did the other girls and we looked up and it was literally raining through the light switches."

Ms Pinch - who had spent two years saving up for the trip to celebrate her 60th, and the 65th birthdays of her two friends - said the situation became hazardous.

"I was reluctant to even pull my phone charger out of the plug socket. Water and electricity doesn't mix."

The Hyde Park Boutique Hotel said the area experienced exceptionally heavy rainfall and leaves from a neighbouring tree blocked building's drainage.

Ms Pinch praised the efforts of the member of staff working at the hotel that night but added she and her friends "were left cold, wet and tired".

The women were told the hotel was full and advised by Booking.com to find another hotel and pay for it up front, with a refund on their final night at the Hyde Park Boutique Hotel.

She requested £368 from either Booking.com or the hotel, covering the full cost of the unusable final night, the cost of replacement accommodation, and inconvenience compensation for the three travellers.

Ms Pinch praised the member of staff who helped them as their room began to flood

They found a small hotel room near Heathrow Airport after midnight ahead of their flight to Barcelona later that morning.

Attempts to secure the refund consumed time throughout the remainder of their holiday, Ms Pinch said.

"I'm not looking at the beautiful scenery out the window like I should be and enjoying my holiday," she said.

"I'm constantly on the email to Booking.com or to the hotel, trying to sort this out."

Ms Pinch said both the hotel and Booking.com placed responsibility on one another to process the refund.

She added that the weeks of back and forth "soured the rest of the holiday", and her pursuit for compensation continued on her return home to Newcastle in New South Wales.

The hotel manager said they offered a "full refund for the unused final night" but said as the booking was paid via Booking.com, the hotel could not legally process any refund until Booking.com processed their end.

After being contacted by BBC News, Booking.com offered Ms Pinch a refund below the amount she requested.

A spokesperson for the platform said on Tuesday: "While the guest was provided with compensation for the inconvenience caused, we appreciate that this did not equate to the costs incurred.

"We are now processing a refund covering these additional expenses."

Ms Pinch said on Wednesday that the refund has been processed.

"It should not have taken media involvement to get a result for this very dangerous incident and all we went through that night," she said.

"It certainly put a dampener on what was supposed to be a lovely last night in London."