Wānaka Backpackers Bothy — Hotel in South Island

Went there on a weekend in june. 2 persons. That time was really cold and cloudy in wanaka and they accomodate us in the room no. 8 which apparently is the only one that is located outside the main building. It was 4 bed dorm in a small hut. The room was smelly and the beds were full of dirt, which as a backpacker I usually don’t mind, in the end I just need to sleep there. But one thing that I couldn’t tolerate was the fact that the room was FREEZING cokd, not well isolated and without any heating system. The only way to warm up the place was a small electric heater that couldn’t do much to make the room temperature better. The girl at the front desk was actually nice, was trying to find a solution for us by offering us any other tools to heat up the room, but the place was simply full of small gaps with cold air that came inside. And besides, even if we stayed there we would have needed to go outside in the cold to do anything else, to go to the kitchen (which was dirty and messy), to shower or even to use the bathroom. I really couldn’t understand why they rented such thing in winter. Since we had two very important hikes and we needed some good sleep, we left the place and incredibly we found a last minute FAMILY ROOM with private bathroom in a lodge for THE SAME EXACT PRICE OF THE HOSTEL just 3 minutes away, which convinced us to leave immediately the place. We left a note to the receptionist saying that if she could ask the manager to AT LEAST refund us the second night (since we didn’t sleep there), but what we received was just a brief email saying that since we booked a 48-hours prior arrival booking they can’t refund us.

I totally get it, is their choice, but as the way I see it (i also own a bed and breakfast) I rather give the money back to a guest and keep him happy than fight for just...

I said I wouldn’t leave a bad review, but the manager also said he would give me a refund which has not happened. I cancelled last minute as they weren’t able to offer me luggage storage, which is silly but I had no other option. (of course it was my fault, as I was condescendingly told some planning would’ve helped me avoid my situation…where do you ever have to pre book luggage storage at a hostel? Lol) I had another night booked that I was not planning on cancelling, until the owner basically me not to come. I asked, so you’re saying I shouldn’t come AND not offering me a refund? He said he’d give me a refund for the second night which I appreciated. Later via email I was told he’d refund me 50% of both nights (aka less money for me) after some other passive aggressive complaints (“I even fulfilled your request of an all girls room which was now a waste of time.”) Which I was still okay with. After proving my refund info I got no response. After reading the other 1 star reviews they all seem to be from Canadian girls as well, which is quite ironic. I’m sure the hostel is lovely, but god forbid you have an issue as the owner has major angry German energy. Note that the website says “Any change of plan or refunds will be dealt with directly” which means you’d better hope you need neither because we don’t do anything to help you. I was stoked to book as the website mentioned how the $ will be going to help a local business, but after chatting with the owner I now understand the underlying ego and entitlement. I am expecting a long winded passive reply to this as per all the other negative reviews which I will not be reading. Keep my...

Extremely bad customer services. Zero empathy from the manager, my reservation was cancelled without any warning, and my questions were ignored. On top of this all, the manager was threatening and blackmailing me, saying he will tell all other accommodations in the area know about me so I won't be able to find a place to stay..crazy, right? See the whole story below||I initially booked a dorm bed to come on my own, but life changes, and childcare arrangements fell through. I called Bothy and spoke to 2 different receptionists who were very positive about accommodating me and my son. They said they will ask their manager and call me back. This did not happen.||I decided to send an email trusting there will be some notes about my request following two phone conversations, so I went straight to the point and asked what options are there for us. The manager had no idea of what I was talking about and went straight into accusing me of booking the cheapest room and that he would prefer people who stays for the whole conference instead of only 3 nights. He immediately cancelled my booking. I felt discriminated and my request for upgrades were ignored.||I still haven't received a refund for the full payment I made and continue to receive emails from this crazy person threatening about all the things he will do against me.|His name is...