The worst hotel experience of my lifetime, when will it end?
As I left the FIVE LUXE JBR Hotel last Monday morning around 5 am, I believed it was all behind me. Five days of constant mishaps, everything imaginable going wrong, and at last, I could put it all behind me and move forward.
BUT I was wrong, even the check-out didn't go as expected. I had already paid for room 0124 through the booking agency Expedia in advance. During check-in this was confirmed to me and they only held a deposit of 1,000 AED per day for potential additional expenses, amounting to 5,000 AED for the five days from April 3rd to April 8th.
I was quite surprised when, during check-out, I was presented with another pro forma invoice for the rooms totaling 4,131 AED on an iPad, addressed to 'Oliver Pfeiffer United States'. I could not reconcile either the amount or the address. The room rate I paid through Expedia was different/higher, and I am from Germany, not the United States.
Room charges 4.131 AED
Pro-forma iPad bill for room 0124 at check-out addressed to - My Name United States
2x Payments
FiveLuxe used the deposit for the 4.131 AED (1.047€) even I already payed through Expedia upfront
Nevertheless, I pointed out to the staff that my room charges had already been settled upfront through Expedia, as was also confirmed to me during check-in, and that the deposit was only taken to cover any additional costs for example room-service, restaurants or bars. After checking it again this was acknowledged, and apologies were offered for the error and any confusion caused. Furthermore, I was assured that no additional costs had been incurred during my 5-day stay.
I then asked for a final invoice detailing all of this, as I am accustomed to from other hotel stays, where the accommodations and any additional charges are listed on one side, along with the method of payment and the deposit, indicating the amount to be charged, refunded or released. I was informed that I would not receive such an invoice as no additional charges had been incurred directly with the hotel, and the deposit of 5,000 AED would accordingly be released shortly.
Is it over now, or is there anything else that could happen?
NOPE - not only was the deposit from the hotel not released, but the pro forma invoice presented to me at check-out was fully charged within 24 hours, meaning I have now paid twice for the 5 days.
You might think, well, that was probably just another error in the long chain of mistakes and could be rectified with a quick phone call, but you would be mistaken - not so with FIVE LUXE JBR!
Today is Monday, a full week later, and despite over five calls, unmet promises of callbacks, and a discussion with the Front-Desk supervisor, nothing changed. They STILL have my money, and yet another attempt today with a promised callback appears to be failing again!
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What is promised and what to expect
'Embrace pure luxury in our Gorgeous Room. This spacious 80-square-meter retreat boasts breathtaking sea views, with the beauty of the ocean making it the perfect city gateway.'
What we booked
...featuring an expansive private terrace complete with sun loungers
What we experienced
View of the ongoing construction and a huge LED-Screen, active until 10pm every day
No sun loungers at all
Just an empty space and lights, the blind in the bathroom and the phone that were not working
I could now talk about different attempts made to alter the room arrangement, or at the very least, get a sun lounger, yet despite assurances and repeated apologies, nothing changed. And btw it wasn't until the evening of the final day before my departure that the issue with the phone in the room was finally resolved and I would have been able to oder some room service. Maybe I will add some more details later.
Ohhh No No No
And finally: This is NOT my Webaccount
Picture this: you log in and find that your email and password are linked to the wrong user, named Radha Jain Ravi. You even stumble upon their phone number, and the system insists it's your account. Thankfully, I didn't have any credit card details stored there; a silver lining, indeed.
