CLEVELAND — With so many homes not having electricity after the storms, tons of people were looking for alternate places to stay. Some turned to hotels, but there were customers who found themselves with even more problems.
“I was sitting there on my patio watching it,” said Patricia Cannon. She lives in The Meridian in Lakewood.
She saw the storm coming in earlier this week and then after the electricity was out, she saw major issues with her sleep. She needs her CPAP machine that plugs in.
“If I try to fall asleep on the couch, within 15 minutes I’m choking,” said Cannon.
Her son and daughter tried to find a hotel for Cannon. They said two hotels took their reservations, but when they got there, they found out the buildings didn’t have power.
Her daughter Maya Rucker told us she called a third hotel in Independence.
“They said, ‘Yeah we’re open. There’s no problems. I don’t have any notes of it not being open,” said Rucker.
However, they said when they got there, once again there were issues. “The hotel was pitch dark,” said Rucker.
“Even though you had called ahead,” we asked.
“Called ahead, yes…that really ticked me off,” she told us.
“Just take down your listing,” said her son Rick Rucker. “If you’re not open, if your power’s off…I’m a business owner, just don’t have it listed.”
Maya said she booked the room via Expedia but then had problems trying to get a refund.
We also heard of similar problems at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cleveland-Westlake with people booking rooms, showing up and no power in the hotel.
Consumer advocates like the Director of Cuyahoga County Consumer Affairs, Sheryl Harris, said using a credit card can help in these kinds of situations.
“If you paid with a credit card, as we always recommend, those have dispute rights,” said Harris. “That’s kind of a slam dunk when you don’t get something you paid for.”
It’s the same thing if you’re trying to book an Air B&B. Use a credit card. “If the place doesn’t exist or a homeowner says this is my house. I never… I haven’t rented it out. You don’t have to at least pay,” said Harris.
Cannon and her family have suggestions for hotels when the power is out. “During this time of frenzy, if you are outsourcing your booking, you need to let them know, ‘Hey, we’re not available,’” said Maya.
“I’m just blessed to have two kids that are taking care of me,” said Cannon. “But there’s a lot of people who (don’t have that).”
We reached out to the hotels in question and are awaiting a response.
Expedia said it’s looking into Maya’s complaint.
She told us as she was looking for hotels, prices seemed really high. If you think you have a potential pricing complaint, contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. You can also file consumer complaints there or with the Cuyahoga County Consumer Affairs office.
