Hi folks,
Sorry wasn't sure where to post this but here might be appropraite!
I lodged in Woodridge hotel, Ajao estate, Lagos which I found out is owned by Kenneth Gbagi (Ex-minister) & from the outside looks good & the inside looks very nice for about two weeks, then one morning I woke up walking down the hall way from my room I just heard some big noise, looked back & saw the whole POP ceiling & wood work frame coming down, then ran for my life though it hit my other friend on his arm!
This happened at about 10:30am, my friend in a room on the same floor, actually thought a plane had crashed into the building! He started dialling my no. Cos it happened right in front of my room!
When we all gathered down stairs in the building compound to catch our breathe, the hotel management came to pacify us.

Now my annoyance is thus:
The day before the incident, we met the ex-minister who seemed a nice man & thanked us for our patronage, then promised to see to all our complaints, then asked they even give us two nights free. As at the morning of this incident, we owed 50,000 naira, that morning when I was going downstairs the manager was asking for the money, I gave him 20k out of it & told him when I go to the atm I would balance him, which he agreed.
After the incident, we decided to leave the hotel to lodge in another one, in fear that another part of the ceiling might collapse! Then the manager still had the guts to ask for the 30k balance! When we told him we would not pay him a dime for putting our lives at risk, he then ordered the gate be locked & refused us leaving with my car!
I simply told him pay & he should call his boss or he should call the police, so we can settle it at the station, he said I should hold on till his boss (ex-minister) comes, I waited till 3pm! Without breakfast in my car & no one came!
A member of the staff even said they have been expecting it to fall for a while! Imagine!!
Also, I told him if it was a case of me not having money to pay I would have stayed to even use up my two free nights, since I would have to pay if I go to another hotel! But I simply value my life than sleeping two free nights in a hotel that can collapse at any moment! Also noting that the generator did not work throughout that night with an excuse of them running out of diesel till the time this incident happened!
Well, at 3:30pm after all arguments & waiting in vein for the owner (ex-minister) I had to part with my money & pay them so as to continue the rest of my day, I then dropped my business card asking I be called when the ex-minister is around, but no call till date!

I found this very unfortunate, I don't know if I'm in the wrong for refusing to pay, pls advise because I feel cheated & humiliated!

Here are pics

You told the manager you were on your way to the ATM to get money to pay the balance.

You then renegaded and decided not to pay the 30k balance for reasons best known to you inspite assuring the front desk that you will pay the rest on return.

You then subjected yourself to being detained in the hotel out of your on stubbornness to which they only way you could gain your personal liberty was to part with the money you originally owed and agreed to pay.

My friend, your wahala too much.

You get luck say no be me be that manager, I for shout ole for your head.

Pay every Kobo you owe. Then you can take them up for endangering your life. You have to pay for what you used.

Its good you have the picture of the damage. Now find out from a lawyer what next you should do.

Four reasons you should not let this pass include
1)They are not remorseful of the potential damage they could have cost you. Imagine it actually fell on you, wouldn't the story be different.
2)To protect other potential clients from eventually becoming victims.
3)The owner of the Hotel in Question has a reputation of being very mean. My first experience with his actions was when I visited a bank in Warri which rented one of his properties. During banking hours, he blocked the entrance to the banks door with a heap of sand for whatever reason I have no idea about.
4)The owner of the Hotel in Question has just built a similar Hotel in Warri that is extremely large but in my opinion not well built. I'm not comfortable with the way the structure looked during construction even though it has been covered with aluminuim.

Take up your complaint even if it is to protect other consumers.

My friend, d joke is on u, If I was a judge in dis case, I'll send u to jail cos u intend to use an unfurtunate situation (dat may happen to anyone, even u) against d hotel mgt. Wat u shud av done was to simply pay for d time u've spent in d hotel b4 d incidence and leave to anoda hotel thereafter, as it is still a loss to woodridge mgt somehow, but ur criminal mind wanted to play a fast one on u.

^^^^^ the lot of you are mentally backwards..
op you did the right thing, you were experiencing trauma and your stress level was raging so anything you did is right under the circumstances

Wow its a sad story. If it was me, I will pay and make sure they see me taken pictures of the whole place and the room in question. Then I will drop a note to the owner to call me. I will give him conditions to upgrade and repair all the building or I will send it to authorities in question. One thing I like in Nigeria now is d ability of Authorities in which ever sector to take up cases from individuals, investigate and pursue it. This is good for individuals both rich and poor alike

First of all,
[/s]go down low[s]
Thank God for your life.
You survived.

However, You have to pay for your accommodation or how do you expect thier salaries to be payed and other utilities satisfied?

In fact, their roof will not fix itself, you took pictures.

Okay, Now I know not to go to Woodridge hotel.

That should be enough revenge for you and a colossal PR damage to them.
Ciao

leggo: ^^^^^ the lot of you are mentally backwards..
op you did the right thing, you were experiencing trauma and your stress level was raging so anything you did is right under the circumstances

Was it not penny wise pound foolish. After wasting your time with all the embarrassment that followed, you still paid the money. Women and their little brain, always fighting for a "wrongful" right

leggo: ^^^^^ the lot of you are mentally backwards..
op you did the right thing, you were experiencing trauma and your stress level was raging so anything you did is right under the circumstances

As Humans we were born to live with stress.

Some people crack under duress while some of us like myself focus.

There is no excuse you can use to assuage OP that he did the right thing. How about the hotel manager, won't he have been undergoing some form of stress given the fact that the hotel ceiling crashed?

Sorry you hear.

PvtParts:

As Humans we were born to live with stress.

Some people crack under duress while some of us like myself focus.

There is no excuse you can use to assuage OP that he did the right thing. How about the hotel manager, won't he have been undergoing some form of stress given the fact that the hotel ceiling crashed?

the hotel manager is paid to manage the hotel, and from what i've read he/she isnt doing a good job.
there should be routine checks on the hotel structure ,in the course of this,errors like this would have been noted and dealt with

Idi Amin: Was it not penny wise pound foolish. After wasting your time with all the embarrassment that followed, you still paid the money. Women and their little brain, always fighting for a "wrongful" right

slow down oooo! it is ur mumcy who has a tiny brain

leggo:
the hotel manager is paid to manage the hotel, and from what i've read he/she isnt doing a good job.
there should be routine checks on the hotel structure ,in the course of this,errors like this would have been noted and dealt with

Hear OP:

xpensiv: As at the morning of this incident, we owed 50,000 naira, that morning when I was going downstairs the manager was asking for the money, I gave him 20k out of it & told him when I go to the atm I would balance him, which he agreed.
After the incident, we decided to leave the hotel to lodge in another one, in fear that another part of the ceiling might collapse! Then the manager still had the guts to ask for the 30k balance! When we told him we would not pay him a dime for putting our lives at risk, he then ordered the gate be locked & refused us leaving with my car!
I simply told him [I will not] pay & he should call his boss or he should call the police, so we can settle it at the station, he said I should hold on till his boss (ex-minister) comes, I waited till 3pm! Without breakfast in my car & no one came!

So who get problem? According to him he owed 50K on the morning of the incidence and decided to check out (which I would have done myself) was accosted by the manager to settle his bill; paid 20k and asked to get the balance from the ATM; returned and refused to pay.

The guy nah scammer. I am sure the manger noticed his body language and demanded he pay what he owes now he is here trying to castigate the hotel management and staff.

I'll never patronize any investment owned by an Nigerian politician cos na my money den use do am except if i no know.

Pele oooo

Did u request to speak wt d owner of d property,in d person of mr gbagi or did u ask dey put a call to him?D manager or whoever stopped u has no blame,as far as d nigerian clime is concerned because I bet u if he had failed to collect dat money from u it wud av been deducted from his salary& some additional amt deducted from all those on duty wt him.That is d kind of environment we operate in,don't also b surprised if he used his influence as a minister to circumvent building approvals for d hotel.Its gud u paid eventually,d one recourse u av is publicising d incident wt appropriate pics,u may soon b called,given back all ur mony& told to 4get about it.On d otherhand,d man maynot giv a damn because d hotel just like other properties he/they av are money laundering ventures,dey don't need it to thrive for dem to live big!

Thank you all for your various contributions.
I do understand those that feel I did not want to pay as this is believed to be the mind set of an average person. I am not interested in cheating anyone, if it were a money issue I would have stayed there & spent my two nights free, also would have started negotiating for more extra nights as per the incident.
All I thought is that it should be that even after the incident the owner should have at least called to apologise for the unfortunate incident & if he feels to go on to discuss why I had to pay.
I am half nigerian half british, I believe when you pay for a service you should be given nothing less, which I believe should be every humans believe.
The generator didn't come on through out that night!
The a/c in my room didn't work even when there was NEPA!
Not to talk of the internet access that never browses
Or the tv that only shows one channel!

Once again thank you all as I have seen that from other views I am not totally in the right.

Front page time.