Plymouth couple offered £2,000 following Los Angeles holiday horror
A COUPLE who drank water that came from a tank containing a dead body have been offered a refund and compensation.
Michael and Sabina Baugh, from Efford, were on holiday at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles last month when the body of a missing Canadian woman was found in a water tank on the hotel roof.
The pair, both 27, had been drinking and washing in the water – which was later found to contain no harmful bacteria – for the first week of their stay.
Travel firm Thomas Cook has offered the couple £2,000 to make up for the ruined package holiday, which cost them about £1,500.
Mrs Baugh said: "We said we need to think about it. We are not sure.
"We wanted to get our money back with compensation on top. But we are not sure that £500 is enough."
She said she is still distressed by the experience.
"We are still stuck in this situation," she said. "We keep being contacted by the media. We haven't accepted the money so it's not over yet.
"Since we came back we have been working so we have not had time to make an appointment to go and see the doctor.
"We are feeling fine, it's just been quite a traumatic experience. I couldn't sleep for a few nights."
Mr Baugh said: "They offered us £2,000 in Thomas Cook vouchers, which are useless to us, so they said they can give us a cheque.
"We paid over £1,550 for the holiday though so the compensation is only about £450.
"We really don't know what to do, we will probably think about it for a few days and decide what to do from there.
"We aren't really sure whether to accept it, but at the same time we don't want to be unreasonable and greedy."
A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said: "We know how important holidays are to our customers and we take any issues affecting our guests very seriously.
"We can only imagine how upsetting and stressful the events in Los Angeles must have been for Mr and Mrs Baugh, and whilst they can't be predicted, we're discussing how we can make amends for what happened on their holiday."
The International Business Times is reporting that other guests are taking legal action against the hotel.
The paper states that Steven and Gloria Cott have filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles Superior Court seeking reimbursement for the price of their room and compensation for any possible medical costs.
14 Comments
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by Teradata
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 8:31PM
“How stressful for the poor dears. So stressful that they haven't had time to go see a doctor. I expect visiting the doctor would add to their intolerable stress. Seems an entirely appropriate settlement to me, for something which clearly has not impacted this couple at all.”
by CottonFresh
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 4:54PM
“we go to america every couple of years ! we have never drank the tap water once! as im sure they didnt ! but its a hellof a shower to have ! lol”
by H3796
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 1:42PM
“OMG They drank water from a tank with a "Dead Body" in it, has anyone seen what water does to a body???? I agree we are in a culture where claiming for anything and everything is in place, however I think these circumstances are pretty legit. Would you honestly be happy to drink water from a tank with a body (or anything dead) in it? A bit of compo is appropriate here.”
by BettyD
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:57AM
“Because they hadn't watched the episode of CSI New York where someone dumped a body in an apartment buildings water tank lol
I agree with others you've had a free holiday out of it with a little extra thrown in as a good will gesture,plus whatever you received from Robert Conrad, time to drop it and move on.”
by plympaul
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 10:35AM
“so why didnt the hotel staff check the tank then??”
by CharlieDodd
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 10:22AM
“Sue the hotel's socks off. It was their legal duty to ensure the water tank was properly designed and sealed.”
by angryrant
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:57AM
“i agree wholeheartedly with the comment above. people today are looking for something for nothing at every opportunity. if i was the travel firm, i wouldn't have paid anything.”
by wibblyweeble
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:22AM
“No time to visit a doctor but plenty of time to file a lawsuit, and complain loudly in various types of media. I think that shows where this couple's concern really lies!
So...they have had a free holiday, £450 compensation from the holiday company, along with the cash and meal from Robert Conrad. All for drinking water that contained no harmful bacteria but may or may not have tasted funny. Sheer greediness at its very worst.”
by wibblyweeble
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:19AM
“This is on top of the money they were given by Robert Conrad already.....No harmful bacteria was found in the water. They have had a free holiday, along with a further £450 compensation. And as for being too busy working to visit a doctor to get their health checked out? Ridiculous, particularly when this couple have apparently had time to file a lawsuit.
Absolutely sheer greediness at its very worst I'm afraid.”
by angryrant
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 9:18AM
“like a lot of people today - jumping on the "let's get some compensation" bandwagon. if i were the holiday firm i would have rejected their claim, after all, nowhere in the report does it say they didn't complete their holiday.”