hubo/había with a set time

Question

“Maria told us there was a meeting at 4”
hubo is incorrect here, but I thought with a set time it became ‘hubo’? What am I missing?

Answer

¡Hola Steve!
We are sorry about this mistake, it is true that we should use the indefinido instead of the imperfecto in this case with a set time. We have just changed that question to avoid more problems in the future. Thank you for your contribution! Silvia.

Answer

Perfect! I didn't report it as an error as I assumed I was wrong somehow :) thanks!

Answer

Hi Steve, as Silvia said, that sentence was changed to avoid confusion, as this is a more general lesson about "había". However bear in mind that when you do more advance lessons you may find "habia" combined with time phrases that seem more appropriate with the preterite. Those are also correct; they will be of a more specific usage though. We will have more lessons about usage soon.
Saludos,
Inma