VIESTE – A 44-year-old from Milan has been granted compensation after photos advertising a hotel online were deemed to be substantially different from reality il Fatto Quotidiano has reported.

 The case originally surfaced back in 2018 when they were denied a refund from the hotel in the Puglia region but now four years on a judge has finally granted compensation.

 According to reports the swimming pool was significantly smaller than advertised and the gym only had once piece of equipment.

 The 44-year-old had paid 2,250 euros upfront for the holiday and told the hotel owner that she wanted to leave but the owner didn’t want to issue a refund. According to the owner a refund would only have been given if another room reservation, which had been become available in the meantime, was made.

 The pair couldn’t come to an agreement and the Milanese tourist decide to lodge an appeal with the local magistrate to recover their money. After a three year controversy, small claims judge Alexia Dulcetta decided in favour of a full refund and associated costs.

 The refund was issued on the ground of the lack of quality service and not as has happened elsewhere ‘ghost holiday home’ that are becoming increasingly common in Italy.

 For example, in June 2022 in Monza a judge order a pre-trial detention order after a person was accused on scamming 28 customer.

 The owner published fake adverts in tourist areas and this, together with other similar incidents, has forced some insurance companies to change develop specific policies to guarantees tourists “in the case of cancellation by third parties” and “everything related to scams and insurance not only if the accommodation doesn’t exist but also if it does not fit the description” explained a spokesperson from the insurer Facile.it.

jd