Booking.com - no protection

HGS

This is probably not unique to booking.com but I booked accommodation through them and the host changed the contract on arrival and then despite the fact I tried as a goodwill gesture to help with her problem she refused to allow a couple of days to do so and entered the property without permission having turned up with three large associates. I fully documented the matter including audio and booking.com promised a full refund and gave us new accommodation which was in fact superior.

All good so far but the host refused to refund and booking.com did instead (a week after our return home)

The issue that caused me never to use them again is that booking.com did not remove the host (their policy is not to remove) so far they have not required the host to edit the misinformation/mis advertising and having told me they relied on reviews to protect customers removed all the text from my review explaining why the score I set was so low.

People using booking companies do need to read the small print as I was amazed to find that whilst I booked with them and their secure booking system, my credit card data was given to the unvetted host whose email may not be secure at all.

You are reading descriptions they want you to read, and adverse ones are buried behind layers of button pushing you need to dig to find.

Use them to find a possible booking then look for that persons valid site and book with them, and if that's not possible you may do as I intend to do in future and that is look for a safer option.

Moto2

Put the review on sites like this with the name of the place in the title, the Google spiders will find it.

zagfles

HGS wrote: »

This is probably not unique to booking.com but I booked accommodation through them and the host changed the contract on arrival

How exactly?

and then despite the fact I tried as a goodwill gesture to help with her problem she refused to allow a couple of days to do so and entered the property without permission having turned up with three large associates. I fully documented the matter including audio and booking.com promised a full refund and gave us new accommodation which was in fact superior.

All good so far but the host refused to refund and booking.com did instead (a week after our return home)

The issue that caused me never to use them again is that booking.com did not remove the host (their policy is not to remove) so far they have not required the host to edit the misinformation/mis advertising and having told me they relied on reviews to protect customers removed all the text from my review explaining why the score I set was so low.

Was there a difference of opinion as to the facts?

People using booking companies do need to read the small print as I was amazed to find that whilst I booked with them and their secure booking system, my credit card data was given to the unvetted host whose email may not be secure at all.

Yes, and? You give your credit card details to any business you ever pay with your CC. Do you know what happens to the merchant CC slips with your full card details on when you pay (eg) a restaurant?

You are reading descriptions they want you to read, and adverse ones are buried behind layers of button pushing you need to dig to find.

Use them to find a possible booking then look for that persons valid site and book with them, and if that's not possible you may do as I intend to do in future and that is look for a safer option.

Hang on a minute. You said the host refused to refund you, instead booking.com refunded you. So if you'd booked direct with the host, you wouldn't have got a refund! Obviously using booking.com is the safer option!

HGS

Zagfles you are missing the point; clearly I would not have being given new accommodation and a refund if the facts including audio were not in my favour.

The point I was making was that the information you seek was removed from the review, the site showed an earlier review of a higher score as its leader and all of the facts I proved with photos and audio still did not ensure the host changed the mis advertising.

I got a refund, I didn't get compensation and the trip was very unpleasant.

My thread began with this may not be unique, it carried on with some good points but gave productive insight into review rigging.

The rest is down to individuals to decide if they want a cheaper deal with an unvetted possible liar or to pay a bit more and use a reputable establishment.

simongregson

Same happened when my mother was staying at a place booked through booking.com for some reason the hotel claimed they had not received a change of dates that my mum had put through the booking.com website, booking.com blamed the hotel and vice-versa. The hotel charged my mum for the night she was not there for. We had confirmation from booking.com of the change, she had to pay for another hotel.

In the end we got the money back via the financial ombudsman route, after about 12 months and the hotel being charged back and disputing the chargeback.

We will never use booking.com or the hotel again needless to say.

zagfles

HGS wrote: »

Zagfles you are missing the point; clearly I would not have being given new accommodation and a refund if the facts including audio were not in my favour.

The point I was making was that the information you seek was removed from the review, the site showed an earlier review of a higher score as its leader and all of the facts I proved with photos and audio still did not ensure the host changed the mis advertising.

I got a refund, I didn't get compensation and the trip was very unpleasant.

My thread began with this may not be unique, it carried on with some good points but gave productive insight into review rigging.

The rest is down to individuals to decide if they want a cheaper deal with an unvetted possible liar or to pay a bit more and use a reputable establishment.

I'm not missing the point you are.

You suggest using booking.com to find a possible booking but then book direct. What's the point of that? When it was booking.com who refunded when the hotel refused to? Who would have refunded you if you'd booked direct? You say there's "no protection", well, clearly there is as it would seem from your post that booking.com provided you with an extra layer of protection by refunding you!

What was the issue? What did the hotel say about the issue? Just because you got a refund doesn't mean your case is proved beyond doubt, it's possible booking.com weren't sure about the facts so they compromised by giving you a refund and removing a disputed review.

I've just been researching hotels using booking.com, there are pages and pages of negative reviews on loads of hotels. They even put the negative comments before the positive comments now. I've also stayed in some places which have had negative reviews which they didn't really warrant, but in general the reviews on booking.com I've found to be quite accurate.

davelewis

Using booking.com and then booking direct may give you a better deal with the hotel (they are not paying 15% plus VAT) for your booking and might offer cheaper deals direct - for example Premier Inns offer their Saver rates to direct bookings only - you can't book a cheap saver room through booking.com.

Booking direct with the hotel means there is no third party booking agent to blame or get involved in a blame each other situation.

Pay for the booking with a credit card which may offer some protection.

SW17

HGS wrote: »

...having told me they relied on reviews to protect customers removed all the text from my review explaining why the score I set was so low.

Did booking.com give you a reason why they deleted some of your review?

davelewis wrote: »

Using booking.com and then booking direct may give you a better deal with the hotel (they are not paying 15% plus VAT) for your booking and might offer cheaper deals direct - for example Premier Inns offer their Saver rates to direct bookings only - you can't book a cheap saver room through booking.com.

Though in many cases the hotel would be breaching their agreement with booking.com by offering lower prices direct (whether such agreements are legal is currently a matter for debate of course).

zagfles

SW17 wrote: »

Did booking.com give you a reason why they deleted some of your review?



Though in many cases the hotel would be breaching their agreement with booking.com by offering lower prices direct (whether such agreements are legal is currently a matter for debate of course).

It's common with agents for any product or service, if companies want to sell via agents it's generally not sensible to undercut them when selling direct, not openly anyway, for obvious reasons.

They either need to be "direct", ie not use agents, or use agents but pocket the difference when selling direct. If they undercut the agents, the agents generally won't advertise them, otherwise the agents are just free advertising for them.

But negotiating a deal or freebie direct with the hotel could get a discount, although I'm sure the agents try that with hotels too just to make sure they're not getting undercut!

SW17

zagfles wrote: »

It's common with agents for any product or service, if companies want to sell via agents it's generally not sensible to undercut them when selling direct, not openly anyway, for obvious reasons.

They either need to be "direct", ie not use agents, or use agents but pocket the difference when selling direct. If they undercut the agents, the agents generally won't advertise them, otherwise the agents are just free advertising for them.

But negotiating a deal or freebie direct with the hotel could get a discount, although I'm sure the agents try that with hotels too just to make sure they're not getting undercut!

Indeed, fully aware, and booking.com are not a good fight for a hotelier to pick, as they have clauses written into their agreements covering this, and multiple and sophisticated methods for monitoring this activity. Most of it is aimed at the online environment though, deals done over on-spec phone calls are less likely to be picked up. I think the poster I was quoting likes the idea of free advertising...

Cardew

zagfles wrote: »

It's common with agents for any product or service, if companies want to sell via agents it's generally not sensible to undercut them when selling direct, not openly anyway, for obvious reasons.

They either need to be "direct", ie not use agents, or use agents but pocket the difference when selling direct. If they undercut the agents, the agents generally won't advertise them, otherwise the agents are just free advertising for them.

But negotiating a deal or freebie direct with the hotel could get a discount, although I'm sure the agents try that with hotels too just to make sure they're not getting undercut!

It is not so much a discount when booking direct, but the 'special deals' that can be avaiable from the hotel