Travel firm misrepresentation

akkers

I was looking to book a hotel in Morocco recently. In the end I booked with travel firm X because they were slightly cheaper than others. At the time of booking the price page said 'includes taxes and local fees' and there were no small-print etc. When I got to the hotel I was asked for local 'city tax' which amounted to about 20GBP; I had to pay it.

Upon my return I wrote to the company and demanded a refund as they had misrepresentated the price. If they said 'includes taxes and local fees' then I should not have had to pay anything further. The company is not budging and saying that travellers have to pay local taxes. I disagree.

I guess this company hides the fact that you have to pay extra taxes thereby making their prices more competitive.

What steps should I now take? Small claims court? Trading Standards?

Nannytone

1 you're jumping up and down for less than 20 quid#?
Have a look outside your window and see what's happening in the world and then get a grip

TELLIT01

If the total cost was only about 20 quid I totally agree with Nannytone.  I think there is a minimum value to take things to the Small Claims Court, and I can't imagine Trading Standards being interested in such a small figure either, unless they have had a lot of complaints about the same company.

Hasbeen

akkers said:

I was looking to book a hotel in Morocco recently. In the end I booked with travel firm X because they were slightly cheaper than others.

I guess this company hides the fact that you have to pay extra taxes thereby making their prices more competitive.

What steps should I now take? Small claims court? Trading Standards?

Where they more than £20 cheaper?

If you want to spend time, money etc then do it all. Your decision. 

Ganga

Many places now charge local tourism tax, we payed to stop in Majorca last year and I know that Greece has been charging this for a while the cost depending on the star quality of the accommodation.
As others have said for £20 I would think twice and look at the world news ref the virus.

Westin

Any reason why you don’t mention the name of “travel firm X” and the name of the hotel?  Could you simply have missed this City Tax issue on the web description?

koalakoala

Loads of countries now do this. Quite sure it will tell you somewhere.....

TELLIT01

Try visiting many of the cities in the USA.  They charge 'resort fees' which can be up to $50 per night, possibly more.  The only information from tour operators will be something along the lines of 'local charges may apply' buried deep in the small print.

John_

TELLIT01 said:

Try visiting many of the cities in the USA.  They charge 'resort fees' which can be up to $50 per night, possibly more.  The only information from tour operators will be something along the lines of 'local charges may apply' buried deep in the small print.

Which ones charge $50 or more?

jonesMUFCforever

Dunno about $50 but Vegas hotels charge $37 plus tax so $42 dollars a day.

TELLIT01

jonesMUFCforever said:

Dunno about $50 but Vegas hotels charge $37 plus tax so $42 dollars a day.

We were looking at holidays to Hawaii, and the $50 per day was pretty common.  Some do charge considerably less.