Email 1 — From Maya to Harbour View Guesthouse
I arrived at your guesthouse on Saturday evening with a confirmed booking for two nights, made three weeks earlier through your website. However, the receptionist told me there was no room available in my name. I showed the confirmation email, which clearly listed my booking number and the correct dates, but I was informed that the room had been given to another guest because the system showed an unpaid reservation. This was surprising because payment had already been taken from my bank account. As a result, I had to find another place to stay at short notice, and the only available hotel nearby was considerably more expensive.
Email 2 — From Daniel, Guesthouse Manager
Thank you for contacting us, and I am very sorry about the inconvenience you experienced. I have checked the booking record and can see that your reservation was created correctly. Unfortunately, there appears to have been a technical problem when the payment information moved from our website to our internal system. Because of this error, your booking was wrongly marked as incomplete. This should not have happened, and I understand why you were frustrated after travelling all day and then being told that no room was available.
Email 3 — From Maya
Thank you for your quick reply. I appreciate the explanation, but the situation caused more than simple inconvenience. I spent almost an hour looking for another room, paid much more than I had planned, and missed dinner with friends because I arrived so late. I understand that technical problems can happen, but I would like to know what your guesthouse can do to deal with the extra costs I faced because of the mistake.
Email 4 — From Daniel
You are right to expect a fair response. Although our policy does not usually cover the full cost of another hotel, this case is clearly different because the error was on our side. We can refund the full amount you paid us, offer an additional payment towards the higher hotel bill, and provide a discount on any future stay with us. I realise this does not completely remove the stress you experienced, but I hope it shows that we are taking responsibility for what happened.
Email 5 — From Maya
That seems like a reasonable solution. If you can confirm the refund and the extra payment in writing, I will consider the matter settled. I was disappointed by the experience, but I appreciate the fact that you investigated the problem and responded professionally.