Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Warning to all B&B owners  (Read 4470 times)

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Warning to all B&B owners
« on: August 12, 2013, 09:09:19 am »
Hi, I know a few people on here have B&B's etc and I have talked about this on another forum, when we open our doors to people they could be mad axe men or women for all we know, and although normal people lock the door to strangers, when we have a guest house or B&B we actually encourage strangers in.
5 years ago we had a chap that phoned to book in Jan, gave his name and paid  up front for 2 nights stay, he was chatting to me a lot and asking me stuff but we did have guests in and my husband was also around, turned out to be a serial robber who attacked women on their own and carried a knife, he was sent to jail for 8 years for more than 100 similar crimes he had committed, he actually is a local man, I think I got off very lightly that time BUT, I have taken people in that I have not been happy about at all, nothing so far has happened and the only thing that went missing ever (apart from the odd towel) was a book.......anyway, I swear that very same man came to the door on Saturday....he looked so familiar and his body language and questions were unusual and alerted me, but I did not re check the internet or ask his name....I have informed the local police and we were/are full so did not take him in, I would not have done anyway.......now I go on my gut instinct, how on earth otherwise can you tell? 

john and helen

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • Devon
  • WARNING,,,MAY SAY WHAT HE BELIEVES
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Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2013, 12:21:19 pm »
is there not a system in place where you can check passports, driveng licence etc electronically ...I don't know the answer, just asking, as it has crossed our minds with running a B&B

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2013, 12:29:56 pm »
It may depend on where you are situated and where you advertise too.  My next door neighbour was in for coffee the other day and we were talking about the type of people they have staying.  They are full almost every day.

She said they have always had lovely people, sometimes whole families, sometimes Business and work men, and many of them come back and recommend their B & B to relatives and friends. They have never had a bad guest -  just one slightly annoying one who used to work with Neil and talks non stop about their previous working life together.  Boring for both of them, but they smile sweetly and let him blether on  :roflanim:

Personally I wouldn't want a B & B although we did briefly think of it when John was made redundant a year after we bought our croft.  I certainly wouldn't do it now I'm on my own.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2013, 02:25:26 pm »
Anne, we too are full vertualy All the time, with a waiting list as one chaps just left to go to work away and wants to come back in 2 weeks time, he also wants to see the pups.... we sometimes have to either give up our bedroom or dinning room when we have an overlap, although only in dier circumstances, the chap I am talking about looks at B&B advertised in the area, sometimes he phones and books and other times turns up......over the last few weeks we have had loads of foreign tourists at night....they too could be suspect who knows, we have not had problems but then one chap showed Steve a "book" he was writing about his life, it included a section on his prison stay for  murder....that's the sort of thing that's the worry and no one is exempt from getting these sort of people so don't  be deluded...I go by my gut instinct but then that's not always correct!!  At least we are on a main street and in full view of the camera that's scanned the street...I will not ever take a door knocker for one night, its so not worth it...cost versus stress :innocent:

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2013, 02:51:15 pm »
We have a farm holiday cottage and so at least don't have to share a roof.  Lost so many ivory or cream towels that we had to restock with colours that wouldn't match people's bathrooms - turquoise, purple, orange. Not like it's an anonymous hotel chain - I meet and greet and they see us stomping around in wet weather gear battling against the wind.  You never can tell, though.  Really pleasant elderly couple put all the crockery back unwashed, whereas a couple with 3 boys under 5 left the place spotless with all the beds stripped.

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2013, 03:04:16 pm »
I suppose with us being off the beaten track that isn't a problem - don't think they have ever had a 'door knocker' as you put it, if they did they'd probably try my door first being the first house after the sign post..  I didn't say you weren't full and to be honest that is no concern of mine - you issued a warning and I suggested that method of advertising may be an issue - that is all.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2013, 03:28:02 pm »
We are the same as any other B&B yet we do not advertise as we will not take any one other than longannet or grange mouth or a contractor from a firm pre booked, we do not want tourists or families as I sometimes go out to work so also not with visit Scotland or anything although old adds stay put forever, we still get phone calls from the people who owned this place previously the warning is to ALL B&B owners, this chap along is not selective and has just come out of prison...here is one clip of him  http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/1.214136  He paid previously and did nothing, maybe due to us having a male guest in and my husband being around,  big male dog,and no money to our name and no car :innocent:
 
Quote
Lost so many ivory or cream towels that we had to restock with colours that wouldn't match people's bathrooms - turquoise, purple, orange.
  :roflanim: , we started off with coloured ones to match the rooms so I could also tell if any went missing, the funny thing is, most times, they leave their towel and take ours by mistake, usually a similar colour, that's men for you, we are really just lodging now not a B&B but sharing a roof is a trust thing, we have wonderful men in at the moment, one got offered a job away and was going but turned back up before I stripped his bed and said," please can I stay...." that was good as I was too knackered to change his bed anyway.

 
« Last Edit: August 12, 2013, 03:38:51 pm by happygolucky »

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2013, 05:05:17 pm »
Any way, just as a warning, not sure how anyone can deal with things but do go on your gut instinct, its not always worth that extra few £ for the night, its been ages since we had un announced guests and today I am still shocked to have now twigged who the  man was, we all can feel vulnerable some times and that day I had just come out of anaphylactic shock and also from A&E for a 24 hour stay, I will be very pleased to come out yet sad to see and miss the chaps we have had stay, some now great friends and almost family, its a good thing to do and 99.9% of visitors are nice but it is our home.....just be warned, any criminal can trawl the internet and find out a hell of a lot and act on it, don't tell people when you are out or on holiday and not when you are alone at all.......on that note...don't have night mares :-J

NLL

  • Joined Apr 2010
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2013, 08:12:53 am »
we have a holiday let on the farm which we are closing in 4 weeks time, most people have been really lovely but weve had some shockers.We have had things stolen but its the mess the farmhouse is left in sometimes that's disheartening.Do people live like that in their own homes.We have had dirty crockery put back into the cupboards, we have two dishwashers in the place, bathrooms are unbelievable,why would you keep pooing into a toilet without flushing,until the poo falls onto the floor,why leave me sheets that have had an accident on still on the bed,covered up.where are the standards of these people. The property sleeps twelve and is five star.roll on four weeks time.
oh and whilst I,m still cross why cant they read the private signs on the gates,for their protection, do not take a small child into a stallions field to pat it and don't tell me that their dogs have enjoyed chasing my cats.

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2013, 08:20:01 am »
 ::) NLL, I have heard similar stories from people who let houses, at least no one has done anything dirty, a few wet beds is about all so far!!!  We also had 2 men who helped themselves to some of my food in the fridge, I was not happy as I was cooking for my relatives and they took some of the menu.......I think we have been lucky and I would and may do it again in a smaller house, this house takes the profit !
Not surprised you are giving up.......NLL :wave:

kja

  • Joined Oct 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2013, 08:22:31 am »
gut instinct is very often a good indication of a person imho. although its a two way street we leave our valuables in a strangers house. we once stayed in a very nice b&b with good ratings but after a day out we returned to find some of our belongings had been tampered with, not in the tidying up manner our cases had been gone through needless to say we never returned.
we can still learn if we are willing to listen.

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2013, 08:41:51 am »
That's one reason I avoid having a cleaner, kja, my in laws said the same from a place they stayed and their room left wide open too ::) .......the only naughty thing I did was eat a sweet and it was horrid....soar things that the man had in his room for at least 2 weeks...taught me a lesson, although sometimes they leave goodies when they go but I get them before my husband.

happygolucky

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Warning to all B&B owners
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2013, 11:21:27 am »
Just an update, the police were grateful I passed on information but of course he did not do anything and there is no law about trying to book into a B&B, even if you have previous violent history, although I had just been let out of A&E and still very unwell, I would not  have even taken the pope in for £10000000000000, and my gut instinct suspected him straight away and it only twigged who he was at a much later stage when the drugs had worn off :innocent:  Looking back I had another narrow escape, but like I said, we do have cameras up and down the road due to the ancient stone just outside our house, but its still very scary and I felt a bit upset that some people did not quite get the reason for the warning >:( ...any way, most people are very nice who stay at B&B's etc but criminals and  bad people have the very same access and ability to find targets, any vulnerable people should be warned, if he is on the prowl for a few £, he's going to start off again and he has not got a car but walks a lot and is very fit!

 

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