A word of caution to those who might be considering staying at L'Altra Luna, a 3-room B&B in Rome. We had booked a room months in advance, but when we arrived at 3 p.m. on the pre-arranged day in October, there was nobody there! We rang the doorbell marked Altra Luna at the main door of this huge apartment building, repeatedly, but nobody answered. We phoned from the sidewalk, still no answer. Somebody then came out the main door, so we gained access to the inner courtyard, only to find another steel door, with another L'Altra Luna door bell. We rang it repeatedly, still no answer. We asked a couple of people in the courtyard, but they knew nothing about the place. After a frustrating hour+ of ringing doorbells with no results, and tired from our long train ride to Rome, we decided to look for a hotel for the night. Once back home, we got an E-mail from Assunta, the B&B lady, saying she had been there all along, that there was no problem with her doorbells, and suggesting we had not gone to the right address! We replied, reliving our frustrating afternoon, but the worst part was that she then charged us for one one night C$129! As if we had been the non-shows, instead of her being the non-show! The CIBC/Visa card I had used to for the booking was no help, of course. Useless. I had never signed anything, but Visa said it was between me and the merchant! So remember: if planning to deal with L'Altra Luna, which by the way is a long walk from the Termini rail station, through a dodgy area, do so at your own risk.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Guy,, definately post this on tripadvisor.com italy forums,, its very good to know. It does p*ss me off what some places try and get away with!
Where did you hear about this place anyways?
Posted by
OP
edmonton
91 posts
Found it on the WWW.Expedia.ca travel website! And yes, I posted on Trip Advisor as well.
Posted by
Orlando, Florida
676 posts
I would file a written complaint with VISA as to why you refuse to pay the bill.
Posted by
Orlando, Florida
676 posts
I would also send an e-mail to the B&B and state you gave a very poor review on tripadvisor/ricksteves/all your friends but you might reconsider and re-post if they forgive the charges!
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2191 posts
So frustrating and maddening! We once had to find a second place when we couldn't raise anyone at the first place. When we contacted the owner, she couldn't understand why we couldn't find her doorbell (which had been overgrown with about two feet of ivy)!
Posted by
phoenix
52 posts
This sort of thing drives me mad! Let it serve as a cautionary tale to anyone booking B&B's, particularly those booked well in advance and in Italy. Many 'owners/managers' do not live on site (they may be running 2 or 3 B&B's), some will have a cell phone number to call when you arrive...often the smaller, less established and dare I say it, less 'official' businesses. Whenever booking accommodation, tours, transport etc in Italy I would always recommend having some sort of confirmation contact in the week before you are due to arrive.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Sorry to hear about your misadventure, but thanks for posting this warning. You could also go to Frommers.com and post there, as well. Buon viaggio,
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
Guy, this situation came up for me twice last summer - both times with small properties (fewer than 5 rooms). Fortunately, I had used a booking service (booking.com), and used an American Express card to reserve the rooms, so between the two I was never charged. I notified booking.com as soon as the problem arose. The Amex intervention was over a rate dispute. I want to add that I stayed in many small properties and in 10 weeks' time only had two disappointing experiences with unanswered doorbells/proprietor no-shows.
Posted by
TN, USA
2115 posts
I agree with the advice to formally "dispute the charge" with VISA. You may have gotten a misinformed representative when you called VISA/or the bank....get a supervisor or the manager of merchant disputes. VISA will ask that you try to work it out with a merchant first, but since you have done that and to no avail, it is time to do a formal "dispute of charge." During that period, you should not have to pay that amount on your bill (but chances are you have already paid it).....but they should ultimately refund it and charge it back to her. Please keep us all posted on how it is resolved by VISA (or the merchant). Also, I would suggest writing to the Conde Nast travel ombudsman
column if VISA does not see this through for you. That column tends to solve issues nicely (or at least tells the world if vendors are not reasonable). Keep a journal of those with whom you have talked and when. One of the marketed advantages of using VISA is that it provides another layer of buyer protection for issues just like this.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
This is not meant as a criticism of your post, Guy. I hope you win your dispute with the B&B. I just want to mention that when I've stayed at B&Bs in Italy, the owners demanded to know exactly when I would be there, since they do not live at the property. They would meet me there or elsewhere at that appointed time. Three times I've had this experience (successfully). It is very helpful if cellphone numbers are exchanged, in case of a holdup, etc. Sometimes flights or trains are late or early. I was staying at a B&B in Palermo when my host got a phone call from a customer. "I'm at the airport. Come and get me." He explained to her over the phone that their agreement was to meet at a certain time at a train station and that he would not pick her up or even be at the apartment when she arrived. He had sent specific emails to me, and to her, with details about the process.
Posted by
TN, USA
2115 posts
Swan, very good point you make. I re-read the original post, and I don't see mention of a phone call. Since I am a traveler that would not have international cell phone access, I would kindly point to the phone number contact for the B&B and ask a local to make a phone call for me to find out where I should go, etc. People generally want/like to help others. Guy I am so sorry you had the bad experience, but your sharing it does help us all to learn how to (possibly) prevent similar things from happening in the future. I sincerely hope this is resolved to your satisfaction. ..........and oddly, my door bell was not working off and on during the last month...sometimes it would work...sometimes it would not. When I would test it when others told me it wasn't working, it would work right at that moment.....but the electrical connection had to be reseated for a permanent fix. The B&B may have a similar issue.