There is nothing worse than ruining the perfect vacation day with the finding of bed bugs right at night just before bedtime. Or waking up the following morning only to discover your whole body bitten and bumped by bed bug bites.
Regrettably, if you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to know that there are steps you can take to request a refund from booking.com in response to complications caused by bed bugs.
In the following guide, you’ll discover precisely what actions to take, from gathering evidence to making a formal refund and compensation request.
When utilizing a service such as booking.com, it’s possible to come across accommodations like hotels, apartments, dorm rooms, and others that may not adhere to proper hygiene standards. Therefore, it’s crucial to take action and seek the appropriate resolution.
But don’t worry, we’ll delve into this shortly, so please continue reading for further insights.
Reasons Why You Should You Ask for Bed Bugs Refund From Booking.com
There are many reasons why you should always ask for a refund when finding bed bugs while using a stay from booking.com, but we will state the top 3 most important and concerning ones (they are also the ones who can guarantee full compensation).
1. Bed Bugs Can Cause Serious Health Issues
Bed bugs are a serious health hazard, they can make you seriously ill and can cause long-term problems if you happen to have a severe allergic reaction to them. And although they aren’t known to spread diseases this can lead to severe skin reactions.
They are also known to cause anemia in some people due to loss of blood and others may start developing sleeping complications such as sleep deprivation and ultimately leading to stress and other mental issues.
Their bites quite often require over-the-counter treatment to relieve the itchiness and other physical reactions on the skin. As if bed bug bites weren’t bad enough already, you still need to spend money to treat them.
2. Bed Bugs Can Infest Your Belongings
One thing many people don’t know is the fact that bed bugs can infest all your belongings, this goes from clothing, luggage, and other objects near beds. They can infiltrate your possessions and stay there for as long as they want to (unless you discover them first).
If you are not careful enough, they will surely bite you again the next chance they’ll get. It is important to keep your things far away and safe from bed bugs. Move your stuff away from beds, upholstered furniture, and curtains.
You should check and seal all your belongings upon the discovery of bed bugs in the room you are staying in.
3. Bed Bugs Can Return With You and Infest Your Home
Bed bugs are masters at hiding, if you are not careful enough, you can be taking them back to your place. If that happens they will infest your house as well.
If you happen to find bed bugs while staying in a service provided by booking.com, the first thing you’ll want to do before a check-out is to verify your luggage seams. You need to certify that one of them is not riding with you back home.
Also, make sure to check your pajamas and socks (if you sleep with them), a bed bug female can drop 5-7 eggs per week. If you take one of those homes, in a matter of a couple of months you got yourself a huge infestation at hand.
Double-check your jackets and other objects if you let them in a hanging coat by the room entrance. You really should be meticulous in this process, it is definitely not a great scenario to take one of these pests back with you.
What You Need to Do to Get Bed Bugs Refund From Booking.com
If you have been affected by bed bugs while using booking.com services, there are some things you need to do first in order to organize your refund request. The following points can prepare you for that, be sure to:
Collect Evidence of Bed Bugs
It is very important to take photos of bed bugs and collect as much evidence as possible of their presence. Usually, the photographic record is enough. You don’t need to get bitten by bed bugs to do something about it.
If you find bed bugs in your room, you have to right to get a new one and a refund for the cost of the room (when they cannot present any other options).
Collect Evidence of Bed Bugs Injuries
If you have unfortunately been bitten by bed bugs and are discovering it now, take all the photos you need to record the extensive damage they have done to you. This is all-important to build your refund argument for bed bug infestation in your room. The more evidence you collect the more successful you’ll be in proofing the veracity of the situation.
Seek Medical Attention (Only if Needed)
If you need immediate medical attention seek it and get a medical report on it. Some people might have really bad reactions to bed bug bites, do not underestimate the consequences of that.
Inform the Hotel Staff and Management of Bed Bugs Infestation
After you’ve collected your bed bug piece of evidence, inform the management and/or the staff of the presence of bed bugs. Feel free to collect their names, so you’ll know whom you’ve been talking to.
This will only reinforce your attempts to do things right in order to pursue the refund with the right attitude and the proper steps.
Make a Formal Written Report of the Infestation
Write a consumer complaint detailing every aspect of it, leaving no stone unturned. It is important to register the moment and its unfolding events. If you are unable to write a consumer complaint, call or file a consumer complaint with the local entities. The sooner you do it, the better.
Ask Refund for Bed Bugs Inconvenience
This is the part when every piece of evidence has been presented and you are showing your discontentment with the service itself. Ask for your refund formally and state your reasons for it. If a refund is denied, pay your bill and move on to the next step.
If you refuse to pay you can get in legal trouble, although the service was bad you still need to pay it if you have used it. Otherwise, you can be sued back, be compliant on this one and move along to get the refund by other means.
Pro tip: Depending on your reservation type, you can also request a refund through the Booking.com website. Just go to booking.com and click on the ( ? ) icon in the top menu to get in touch with customer service.
Inform Local Health Department
Presenting a complaint to your local health department is one more piece of proof you can add to your list of evidence while building a strong argument against a refused refund for bed bugs.
Send them your information and fill out your complaint, this will also count as evidence. If possible write down the number of the complaint as you’ll want to keep an eye on its development for the weeks that follow.
Hire Legal Assistance (Only if Needed)
If no development happens in the following weeks after the incident, consider hiring a professional legal assistant. You can always resort to a small claims court, but if you find it faster using the first option, then go ahead and build your case against it.
How Likely Are You to Get Bed Bugs From a Stay With Booking.com?
It should be that hard to get a bed bugs refund from booking.com, if the fault is acknowledged, management usually is prone to do it just to avoid negative reviews. You can ask for a refund by doing the following:
- Get to know the policy on refunds of where you are staying.
- Request politely your refund at the front desk.
- If directed to management, explain the whole situation and show the pieces of evidence you’ve collected.
- If you have resorted to medicine, ask for compensation for that.
- If they are not willing to do it, explain that you have no other but to file a lawsuit.
- Leave the place and contact your bank for a chargeback.
How Can You Prevent Bringing Bed Bugs Home From Booking.com Stay?
One of the best ways to prevent bringing bed bugs with you when checking out is by inspecting meticulously your luggage and your clothing before packing up your bags. Also, make sure to examine your actual clothes for anything suspicious.
Any sign of bed bugs is enough reason to do a full examination of all of your belongings.
Can You Bring Bed Bugs Home on Your Clothes?
Yes, you can definitely bring bed bugs with you home attached to your clothing. Unlike lice, bed bugs don’t travel on people but rather on their clothing. You can without even knowing be infecting other people and places with bed bugs.
How Easy Is It to Bring Bed Bugs Home?
Bed bugs are very easy to bring back home because they are able to hitchhike very fast into your clothing and belongings. Once they arrive at a house, they are able to sprint faster thanks to their agility and fast-moving pace. They do this in order to hide and procreate.
How Likely Are You to Get Bed Bugs From a Hotel?
Unfortunately getting bed bugs from a hotel is one of the top 3 places where professional exterminators report their findings. According to statistics collected from several pest control companies, these are their percentages.
| Places | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Single Family Homes | 91% |
| Apartments / Condominiums | 89% |
| Hotels / Motels | 68% |
| Nursing Homes | 59% |
| Schools / Daycare Centers | 47% |
| Offices | 46% |
| College Dorms | 45% |
| Hospitals | 36% |
| Public Transportation | 19% |
Can I Get My Money Back From a Hotel With Bed Bugs?
Yes, you can, hotels have specific obligations and regulations when it comes to bed bugs. If guests are exposed to bed bug infestations, they need to provide alternatives for it, as well to compensate their guests with a fair refund due to that inconvenience.
Can You Sue a Hotel Because of Bed Bugs?
Yes, you should contact a legal representative to build your case against a hotel when you endure the consequences of a bed bug infestation. From there, you will be able to work your way through and file a lawsuit against the hotel.
How Do I Make Sure My Hotel Doesn’t Have Bed Bugs?
You can do the following steps in order to make sure everything goes accordingly:
- Before making any reservation check bedbugreports.com, you can see if there has any record for bed bug infestation for that specific place.
- Call the reception where you are staying, and enquire them for information about that specific detail.
- On arrival put your luggage and belongings in the bathroom
- Inspect your bedding sheets and blankets, pull them all the way down and check the seams for any bed bug signs (especially on the bed’s head).
- Before checkout closely inspects your luggage and all your belongings, and make sure no bed bug comes along riding your clothes.
Is It a Good Idea to Ask for a Bed Bugs Refund From Booking.com Stay?
Whenever you are faced with a situation with bed bugs, you always have the right to ask for a refund. Bed bugs are a real hazard and you are risking yourself, your family, and your house to bed bug infestation if you let this slip through.
By asking for a refund and doing a consumer complaint, you are obliging services like booking.com to become accountable and strict when it comes to bed bug infestations. Their customers’ safety and well-being should be their number 1 priority.
Conclusion
Bed bugs are terrible pests and should be a real reason for concern. While minimizing the devastating effects of bed bug presence in a booking.com reservation, you are allowed to put yourself at risk the next time you use this kind of service.
Always aim for better quality in these services, it is the only way to guarantee your safety and satisfaction every time you use them.
