Hotels.Com Issue (Re-written)

HolidaySoS

Hi all
I booked 3 rooms for a hotel in Amsterdam for the end of this month for the price of about £1400, which obviously isnt going ahead. The rooms were booked at an inflated price due to two large events in Amsterdam at the time. Hotels.com have been in touch via email and offered a voucher for the same price to be used at the specific hotel, however it's not a hotel we would use in future it was only due to the proximity to the event we were attending that we booked it. And for the inflated price vs standard price, we could stay there for about a month! I'm currently out of work and all things considered I would really prefer the money back rather than vouchers for a hotel I'm not interested in visiting. Worst case I'd even take vouchers for hotels.com itself rather than that particular hotel. 

I have tried calling hotels.com, hoping to get clarification on the voucher/attempt to get a cash refund but at the time they said they're only accepting calls for bookings within the next 72 hours, so at this rate I would have to wait until the last minute to get through to them about this. Their website says:
"For customers who booked a non-refundable rate prior to 19 March 2020 for stays between 20 March 2020 and 30 April 2020, we will email you in the coming days to ask if you wish to keep or cancel your existing booking. If you decide to cancel, you will be eligible for a full refund or, in some cases, a voucher allowing you to rebook the original property at later dates. There is no need to call us, but you must cancel your booking at least 24 hours before check-in in order to be eligible for this offer."
So I don't understand why only some would get a voucher when most are getting cash?

As of their website today, 9/4/2020, they're now they're saying calls must be made within 24 hour of your booking. The voucher offer has to be accepted before within 24 hours of my booking, if I don't accept it I imagine I wouldn't get anything at all?

Having read the forum posts, it seems I can't even do a credit card chargeback due to Hotels.com being a third party/the banks generally not being particularly helpful.

I'm really unsure as to what to do. Any advice would be super appreciated!

Aylesbury_Duck

If you can wait a few days longer, see how it plays out.

If you resort to insurance, check your policy.  If you're the only person named on the policy then I doubt they'll pay out for other people's rooms.

HolidaySoS

Just a little bump as the situation has changed and would love some insight.

As says in the post: Hotels.com have changed the window in which you're allowed to contact them to within 24 hours of your booking, but the voucher has to be accepted/rejected before 24 hours of the booking. Very frustrating! 

HolidaySoS

It's now a week before the booking - I called today and got through to be told I can only have a voucher for the value of the booking at the hotel I booked for and nothing else. 

Aylesbury_Duck

That's normal now.  That's what the industry as a whole is doing.

Life__Goes__On

HolidaySoS said:

It's now a week before the booking - I called today and got through to be told I can only have a voucher for the value of the booking at the hotel I booked for and nothing else. 

As long as they cancel you are due a cash refund
They will offer vouchers as that's what they want to do, in the hope people don't know any better and accept them
Hold out for your legal right and refuse a voucher (an unsolicited voucher isn't classed as being accepted)

HolidaySoS

Life__Goes__On said:

HolidaySoS said:

It's now a week before the booking - I called today and got through to be told I can only have a voucher for the value of the booking at the hotel I booked for and nothing else. 

As long as they cancel you are due a cash refund
They will offer vouchers as that's what they want to do, in the hope people don't know any better and accept them
Hold out for your legal right and refuse a voucher (an unsolicited voucher isn't classed as being accepted)

The hotel itself hasn't cancelled though - it's still open and accepting bookings so they don't have to cancel? 
When I called I asked if there were any other options, even a voucher for the website itself and they said no, voucher for the hotel or nothing. I called a couple of times to see if other agents would be kinder to no avail. 

Aylesbury_Duck

If they are still open and accepting bookings, then what you're entitled to depends on the terms of the booking.  If you booked a refundable room(s), then a refund is what you're owed.  If the rooms were non-refundable and you decline to stay, then a voucher is a good outcome.

HolidaySoS

Aylesbury_Duck said:

If they are still open and accepting bookings, then what you're entitled to depends on the terms of the booking.  If you booked a refundable room(s), then a refund is what you're owed.  If the rooms were non-refundable and you decline to stay, then a voucher is a good outcome.

I find it hard to consider it as merely "declining to stay" considering all the travel bans and such on going at the moment. 
It really seems there's nothing else for it, then. Thanks for your response. 

Aylesbury_Duck

HolidaySoS said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

If they are still open and accepting bookings, then what you're entitled to depends on the terms of the booking.  If you booked a refundable room(s), then a refund is what you're owed.  If the rooms were non-refundable and you decline to stay, then a voucher is a good outcome.

I find it hard to consider it as merely "declining to stay" considering all the travel bans and such on going at the moment. 
It really seems there's nothing else for it, then. Thanks for your response. 

I agree, but that's how they're viewing it, technically.

Life__Goes__On

HolidaySoS said:

The hotel itself hasn't cancelled though - it's still open and accepting bookings so they don't have to cancel? 
When I called I asked if there were any other options, even a voucher for the website itself and they said no, voucher for the hotel or nothing. I called a couple of times to see if other agents would be kinder to no avail. 

Have you read your T&Cs about if you have to cancel? (sorry if I've missed it in the thread)