B&B - without breakfast

scliffy

Hi,

I stayed recently in Lighthouse B&B in Galway
For a B&B in Galway priced at €69 for a double room, I thought this was reasonable.
I was shocked the next morning to discover that the breakfast wasnt included in the price.

The worker said that that is there new policy for charging extra for breakfast, if this is the case shouldnt the name outside be changed from B&B to a hostel or lodgings or something to reflect the setup inside. It was never clarified that the breakfast wasnt included in the price.

I will never stay in this "B&B" again and will definately not recommend this to any of my colleagues.

Yours,
scliffy

MarkR

Ouch. Are they registered with (I dunno?) Bord Failte or something? I'd mention it on trip advisor if they are on it.

Sponge Bob

Jeez, a B&B with only one B, how miserable

Vote 4 Pedro

That's disgusting, how could they get away with that.

fishy fishy

report them. Tell them you want a refund. If they refuse, make sure you tell them you are going to highlight it with the media. a b and b is A bed AND BREAKFAST. EVERYONE takes it as you are going to get your breakfast.

get back to them and demand a refund

I hate the greed instinct. Why do people think they can fleece others and not even have a twinge of guilt about it - don't let them away with that.

ronnie3585

Have you notified the Gardai?

Mrs OBumble

Sure'n I thought that "B'&B" stood for bar and brothel!





Seriously, though, did you ask what time breakfast was when you were checking in? I'd have expected them to mention the issue then, at least to give you the choice of how expensive you wanted your breakfast to be. Did you notice if they're affiliated to anyone who you could report them to? Did you contact the manager to discuss this policy? (could just have been a lazy worker one day when the boss was away)

ben.schlomo

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Have you notified the Gardai?

Why would you alert the Gardai? Its a dispute between a customer and business?

Seems like you were done though, get on to these sites as the Lighthouse can be booked through a site saying they are approved by both bodies. They are normally very helpful and only want to improve the tourism product which is available here.

http://www.tourismireland.com/

http://www.discoverireland.ie/places-to-go

sgthighway

I just googled them and came up with this:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/the-light-house.html

I picked a room and the terms and conditions clearly state the Breakfast is not included.

Maybe you missed a sign or something?

ronnie3585

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Why would you alert the Gardai? Its a dispute between a customer and business?

beardybrewer

sgthighway wrote: »

I just googled them and came up with this:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/the-light-house.html

I picked a room and the terms and conditions clearly state the Breakfast is not included.

Maybe you missed a sign or something?

I tried that too, it's not that obvious. You have to hover over the little info icon. It should be stated more clearly.

biko

Galway -> Consumer issues

In fairness, B&B should always include breakfast. That's the whole point by the name isn't it.

ejmaztec

They should really get rid of the B&B description, or pretty soon they'll just be left with the "&", and a lot of pissed off ex-customers.

wyndham

scliffy wrote: »

I was shocked the next morning to discover that the breakfast wasnt included in the price.

How did you book?

This will become more and more common in the sector as downward pressure on rates forces owners to strip out any 'extras' that could be priced separately just to get the headline room rate down. Parking and other items also will soon be extras at your local B&B.

The term BnB or B&B has no meaning legally and is just an indication of what is on offer. After all what, what legally constitutes a breakfast?

wmpdd3

I noticed this with last years B&B and farmhouse book, I cant remember which one. Some places had a room rate which did seem a bit low, but I did presume the B&B room rate included a breakfast while I presumed the Farmhouse rate didnt.

I stopped using Hotel.com and booking.com because breakfast is the bast part of going away for the night. Most room rates on those sites dont include breakfast or even have an option to add it.

Del2005

wyndham wrote: »

How did you book?

This will become more and more common in the sector as downward pressure on rates forces owners to strip out any 'extras' that could be priced separately just to get the headline room rate down. Parking and other items also will soon be extras at your local B&B.

If B&Bs are removing the breakfast element then they'll be totally killed off by hotels. For the price the OP paid you'd get a decent hotel with a bar.

wyndham wrote: »

The term BnB or B&B has no meaning legally and is just an indication of what is on offer.

While B&B has no legal meaning everyone and their mother knows it stands for Bed and Breakfast. This will be the final nail in the coffin for B&B's as they'll just be B&. Will they start removing the bed and then tell you it's an extra charge not to sleep on the floor.

wyndham wrote: »

After all what, what legally constitutes a breakfast?

Breakfast is the 1st meal of the day. So any food provided after waking up is breakfast.

wyndham

fishy fishy wrote: »

report them. Tell them you want a refund. If they refuse, make sure you tell them you are going to highlight it with the media. a b and b is A bed AND BREAKFAST. EVERYONE takes it as you are going to get your breakfast.

get back to them and demand a refund

I hate the greed instinct. Why do people think they can fleece others and not even have a twinge of guilt about it - don't let them away with that.

Report them to whom exactly? This post & this thread is utter nonsense. The OP did not read the terms of their reservation and was mistaken. Many, many B&B's and guesthouses no longer include breakfast as standard.

HarryPotter41

wyndham wrote: »

Report them to whom exactly? This post & this thread is utter nonsense. The OP did not read the terms of their reservation and was mistaken. Many, many B&B's and guesthouses no longer include breakfast as standard.

Then they should not describe themselves as a B and B, the word is in the title of the product. They should state they are a guesthouse as they certainly are not a B and B.

P. Breathnach

B&Bs are a major component of our tourism industry. I have an impression that they are more important to overseas visitors than they are to Irish residents.

A "breakfast extra" pricing structure breaks with established norms and with reasonable expectations, and that fact that people who are vigilant might notice the practice does not mean that it is fair and reasonable. Let's be honest: it is a trap for the unwary.

Expect an increasing volume of complaints from foreign tourists who feel that they have been ripped off. The ultimate result will be some damage to our tourist industry.

I conducted a small exercise, using booking.com. Several Galway B&Bs charge extra for breakfast. They do not all say what the charge for breakfast is.

[Herself recently had occasion to stay in a B&B. She was given a price, and was told that if she did not want breakfast, there would be a reduction. That's the way to do it.]

but43r

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

Then they should not describe themselves as a B and B, the word is in the title of the product. They should state they are a guesthouse as they certainly are not a B and B.

Why wouldn't they describe themselves as B&B? They are still offering breakfast - it costs extra but you can still get breakfast there.

P. Breathnach wrote: »

[Herself recently had occasion to stay in a B&B. She was given a price, and was told that if she did not want breakfast, there would be a reduction. That's the way to do it.]

This would be the right way to do it.
Essentially it's the same idea - customer pays extra for breakfast BUT it doesn't make B&B look greedy.

P. Breathnach

but43r wrote: »

Why wouldn't they describe themselves as B&B? They are still offering breakfast - it costs extra but you can still get breakfast there....

I gave you the reason: a "breakfast extra" pricing structure breaks with established norms and with reasonable expectations. If they want to adopt such a business model, they would be less likely to create confusion and ill-will (for the entire B&B sector) if they described themselves in other language.

HarryPotter41

but43r wrote: »

Why wouldn't they describe themselves as B&B? They are still offering breakfast - it costs extra but you can still get breakfast there.

By the very virtue of what they are called it is a natural assumption that when you book it will be supplying Bed and Breakfast when you purchase their product. Why not call themselves Bed and Breakfast if you pay extra?

TheDriver

wmpdd3 wrote: »

breakfast is the bast part of going away for the night.

I usually find other reasons are the best part of going away for a night

ejmaztec

TheDriver wrote: »

I usually find other reasons are the best part of going away for a night

Even when living on the fruits of life, you still need a good breakfast.:P

P. Breathnach

ejmaztec wrote: »

Even when living on the fruits of life, you still need a good breakfast.:P

Especially!