An Booking.com host called a mum “fatso” after she complained about his home and pet rats.
Lianna Bartle had booked a weekend away with her eight-year-old daughter Lily for her 35th birthday.
They booked a room in the village of Endon, Staffordshire, that belonged to Matthew Tolley, Yorkshire Live reported.
However, what should have been a fun weekend celebrating at Thorpe Park and seeing old friends turned into a mudslinging match when he called her a “fatso” and claimed she was on a “hate campaign” against him.
The property which is advertised on Booking.com amongst other platforms, says it's a 'Luxury Endon House Share in Church Lane', offering a "stunning rural location".
But Lianna said it was “anything but luxury”.
She arrived at the property on May 12 for her three-night stay after booking on Booking.com.
Matthew gave them a tour and asked Lily if she’d like to play with his rats which Lianna was shocked to learn were on the property with them, in a utility room.
Lianna said: “I was watching mortified. He should have disclosed there were rats in the house in his listing.
“Even though they were hidden away, they were still in the house. The smell throughout the house was awful.
“I don’t know how many there were but there were a few, maybe three or four. They smelt really bad, like rats wee and poo.”
However, one of the rats bit Lily, Lianna said. And their stay got worse from there, she said.
Lianna said she took photos of the house which appeared to show discarded clothes, mess and dirt.
Things were so bad Lianna, a train ticket officer, said she would have left the property earlier if she didn’t have a weekend booked in Thorpe Park with her daughter and some old friends to catch up with.
Lianna said: “I really didn’t want to be in the house. It stank awful. Like musty foisty kind of smell”.
After her stay she left a review on Booking.com. The review, which has since been taken off the site, states her concerns.
She goes on to say that the view from the room was “stunning” and the bedroom was “immaculate”.
However, Matthew refuted all of her complaints and wrote: “The guest has contradicted the reports of every other guest who has left a review (12 on here and over 75 on another booking platform). The house was spotlessly clean (it always is) and photos are taken regularly to prove the fact.
"There was no smell – this is simply a complete fiction – unless she’s complaining about cooking smells, which are NORMAL [sic] in most homes at mealtimes – unfortunately Lianna doesn’t know what these are because she doesn’t cook and lives on junk food and crisps.
"She wanted new towels every night which were provided without complaint, even though no other guest has ever asked for this.
“The guest also left some mess behind when she left, a used hairbrush which I had to throw away for hygiene reasons, and a whole bunch of hairs everywhere.
“The guest has left a completely false review and will not be welcome back. Frankly, I’m disgusted by her behaviour.”
Lianna said she was shocked about Matthew’s comments and added that the hairbrush was in the room when she arrived and she bagged it up for him to collect.
She messaged him on WhatsApp to tell him she would be reporting him to Booking.com.
Lianna wrote: "I am making you aware that I intend to complain to Booking.com about your awful response to my honest review!! That hair brush that was in the room was already in the room when I arrived!!
“Your house apart from the guest room was filthy and I have photos to prove this! As for leaving the room disgusting, I left 1 bag of rubbish next to the bin as I didn't want to have to walk past the disgusting smell of the rats to get to the bin!
“Also.... I used my towels x 2 then wanted new towels because I am a clean person and not a tramp!! As for saying I live on junk food and crisps??? I cook home cooked food every night. Can't wait to share this with the local papers.”
Lianna then sent what appear to be dirty photos of the property, and wrote: “Filthy and cluttered .... your reply was completely rude after I sent an honest review!! Maybe you should inform people you are living with rats !!!”
Matthew replied: “No you were rude and wrong. F**k off fatso.”
Lianna was shocked by Matthew’s "fatso" comment.
She said: “I am overweight. It was only last year that I paid money to work with a binge eating coach I have struggled with my weight for a lot of years. So for someone to say that to me, it hurt big time. It was just so personal.
"I left an honest review about my stay and the man got personal, there was no need. It’s absolutely horrendous, I think it’s disgusting.”
Speaking to Yorkshire Live, Matthew admitted to sending the "fatso" text but added that he “was not aware” she struggled with her weight.
He claimed that Lianna had launched a “hate campaign” against him. He said: “The individual in question has made a series of false claims about her stay, she filed unfavourable feedback as she was entitled to do.
“I responded as I was entitled to do and she began subsequent to that, to send me a series of unsolicited messages which resulted in me having to block contact with her.
"She also complained to the booking platform in question, they have asked me to respond. The booking platform will be made aware of these matters, that is the correct forum for these matters to be resolved in.
“Having seen her social media posts, I now believe she is engaged in hate campaign against me, encouraging her friends to contact me, file complaints and to contact the media and to harass me by using and abusing conventional media.
“This in my view is unacceptable and may constitute illegal harassment which will result in me making a complaint to the police.”
Lianna posted screenshots of her review and messages on Facebook and encouraged people to share it so others would stay away from the property.
Booking.com rejected her request for a refund.
