Greens End House

I lost the money, and they seemed perfectly happy to keep it without caring. I couldn't stay because of unforeseen circumstances, so I understand being charged the full cancellation fee. Still, a bit of goodwill would've been appreciated. The staff were completely unreasonable and the customer service was poor. Another hotel once refunded me when I couldn't stay, despite its cancellation fee, which had made me think hotels handled things professionally. Clearly not all of them do. If I could give zero stars, I would.

The room itself was lovely, but I felt uncomfortable the whole time and couldn't relax. We were anxious whenever we passed the front desk or came back, and worried enough about our belongings that we left them in a particular arrangement and photographed them. We were made to feel like second class citizens. The property was still being renovated. There were WiFi routers around the building, paint smell, and DIY noise in the mornings. The bedroom TV wasn't connected to an aerial, so it was useless despite being listed as a facility. There was a skylight, but it was out of reach, so I couldn't open it or see the view. Finding the place was confusing. I contacted staff and Azizur met us, saying the property had moved and leading us around the corner. It was labelled “the apartments,” not Greens End house, where I'd booked. At check-in he asked whether I'd pay by cash or card. I chose card, but he said his colleague had the machine and cash was preferred. I went upstairs, then came down about 10 minutes later with cash. When I asked for a receipt at the time, because I was handing over a lot of money and wanted proof, Azizur said he'd leave one on my bed later. He held on to the cash, became confrontational, and said he wouldn't ask me for it again. I reminded him I'd wanted to pay by card. He reluctantly returned the money and said his colleague would arrive with the machine in about 15 minutes. About 20 minutes later I came down with my partner. The colleague still hadn't arrived, and Azizur was typing a receipt. I asked about WiFi. He said there wasn't any. I showed him the website saying it was available on request, but he argued that we'd requested it and been told no. He raised his voice, said the WiFi hadn't been set up because the property was new, and became argumentative and unprofessional. I also said nobody had told me the location had changed and I would've appreciated being notified. He said he didn't have time to contact customers and cancel bookings because he was busy, “works from 9 to 12.” He claimed he never got complaints and we were the first, then told me to leave the keys on the bed and go. When I asked if he was kicking us out, he said yes, “because you are not good people.” I said the room was lovely, but I was allowed to ask questions and give feedback about a service. He kept raising his voice and wouldn't let us speak. My partner said he was calling the police. While he was on hold to the metropolitan police, Azizur made a call and spoke in another language. He then printed my receipt and took the cash. We checked that everything was okay; he nodded and wouldn't speak to us. The receipt called it a deposit, so he printed another marked payment. Azizur was unprofessional, intimidating, and childish. The worst customer service I've ever received.

The rooms can get a bit stuffy in the summer holidays, though there's a perfectly good fan that moves the air around. Air conditioning would be nice, but I imagine it costs quite a lot. As for the place itself, don't believe every review. It's clean, tidy, modern-looking, and friendly. Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is a three-minute walk, and the bus stop is about five minutes away. There's also a smashing High Street with loads of shops and cracking market stalls.

I was about £100 out of pocket and ended up sleeping on the street, even though I'd paid for a hotel. The Premier Inn tried to help, but was fully booked. My train from Yorkshire was delayed, so I arrived late for check-in. I called the desk and was told I couldn't check in. When I pointed out that I'd already paid for the night, the person on the phone hung up and wouldn't answer when I called back. This is a shambles, nothing more than robbery. He was too lazy to wake up and give me my key card.