Public Defender: couple’s six-month wait for refund after $1000 holiday booking goes astray

PUBLIC DEFENDER: YOUR chances of getting a refund are greatly improved if you keep good records. VIDEO

YOUR chances of getting a refund are greatly improved if you keep good records.

But some companies won’t budge — even when presented with irrefutable proof.

In May last year Stephen Parry and Tracy Galvin paid more than $1000 for three nights’ accommodation at the Mercure in London.

They received an email confirmation shortly after.

Fifteen ­minutes later they received ­another email — this one said “due to a technical issue ... your reservation could not be processed and no bank transaction has been carried out”.

So they paid again. And the same thing happened.

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They rang the hotel to be told that only one booking had been confirmed and charged.

However, their credit card statement showed otherwise — they’d been slugged twice.

The couple say that Mercure initially promised a refund but failed to deliver it.

Then the hotel’s operator, the London Town Group (LTG), decided to blame the couple, relying on information from Mercure's parent company Accor.

HOW TO COMPLAIN: GET THE ACCC TEMPLATE LETTER HERE

News_Image_File: Stephen Parry and Tracy Galvin in front of Tower Bridge in London / Supplied

Accor “are clearly saying that they did not had (sic) any technical problems and that the error was from your side,” an LTG “customer care” representative said in an email to the couple.

Exasperated, Mr Parry and Ms Galvin turned to Public Defender.

“This is a clear accounting error that could and should have been rectified in a matter of days,” Ms Galvin said.

“We have not heard from anyone at the Mercure Group or Accor Group in the past six months. I am assuming these organisations are hoping we will just give up, however, we are determined to have this blatant and obvious error corrected in our favour.”

Following Public Defender’s ­intervention, Mr Parry and Ms Galvin received a full refund.

My job was made all that much easier because the couple had meticulous records of payments, email confirmations and credit-card statements.

The couple had ­already provided this to the hotel, of course.

While Accor have admitted they did the wrong thing, in their admission they imply they were always planning on getting around to issuing a refund.

“From an Accor point of view, in this instance we took too long and there is no excuse,” Accor Pacific chief operating officer Simon McGrath said.

“In this particular case we have let this guest down.”

Mr Parry said: “Thank you for all assistance provided. Without your input we are certain we would have never had the error corrected.’’

TWIST IN THE TALE FOR POWER PLAYER

BRENDAN Twist is having a run of bad luck, the latest being his decision to push the $2000 Earthwise Power Saver unit, which actually increases consumption.

News_Image_File: Brendan Twist / Picture: SuppliedMr Twist has just had to sign an “enforceable undertaking” with NSW Fair Trading to refund anyone who bought a Power Saver — sold for up to $2000 a pop. The device was supposed to cut home electricity use by 25 per cent — instead it raised consumption.

“If I had known what I know now ... I would never have taken the things on,” Mr Twist said.

He bought Power Savers wholesale after the collapse of his PV panel business, Do My Solar.

Not that he made any money: “I didn’t get paid by the distributors.”

Those distributors had worked for Do My Solar, which pitched to clients: “Act now to receive up to $10,000 in government incentives.”

Mr Twist got in to PV after getting out of pink batts. In 2010, Mr Twist was marketing ceiling insulation for Home Improve.com, deregistered by the federal government for breaching obligations under the now-infamous stimulus scheme.

A customer complained his downlights were smouldering after Home Improve laid batts. Mr Twist was not involved in the installation.

“I’ve really got the raw end of the stick,” Mr Twist said.

News_Rich_Media: Earthwise Power Savers fail laboratory test