booking.com dispute

je.hargreaves

Myself and another 8 friends were due to go on a hen do to Barcelona this Friday. We made the hotel booking back on 07/03/2020 before Covid had started to cause problems with travel. The hotel was not supposed to take the money until we arrived for our stay and we paid by credit card. However, within a couple of weeks they had taken the full amount from us all. They said it was in the terms and conditions that they could do this. We do not have cancellation insurance and if we want to cancel the booking the cancellation fee is 100% of the booking cost. They did offer us a voucher which we were considering. Since last week the hotel now has a message on their website to say that they are closed due to Covid. We have had no communication to confirm this and all of us have been trying to raise this with booking.com and they have been terrible. They say they need to investigate to be sure that the hotel is closed and until then we will not get a refund. We have sent hundreds of emails and made in excess of 30 phone calls between us and are still no further forward. I have asked to escalate this to a manager and they say they don't have managers and I have also asked for a copy of their formal complaints process but they have not provided this either. I spent 45 mins on the phone last Thursday and was cut off 3 times and it is not a local rate number and we have all had similar experiences. Is there an advice on how best to pursue this before this Friday 18th September as this is when we were due to stay at the hotel? Does anyone know if there is an ombudsman that covers booking.com? Many Thanks Joanne

eskbanker

je.hargreaves said:

They say they need to investigate to be sure that the hotel is closed and until then we will not get a refund.

If they've said that, in response to a hotel apparently closing last week, then presumably that's what they'll do, so it's unclear why you've collectively been bombarding them via all channels - I'd expect them only to deal with the lead passenger anyway.  I get that you'd be keen to ascertain if the trip is on or not, or have you already taken the view that it isn't and it's just a matter of securing the refund?

je.hargreaves

Thanks for this but they have been investigating since last Thursday morning and surely it doesn't take that long to ascertain if the hotel is closed or not? We have been trying to get a refund since the announcment that you would have to seld isolate for 2 weeks in the UK when retrning from Spain as none of us are able to do this with our respective jobs. We have all booked individually so there is no lead passenger. We really just want to secure the refund now.

[Deleted User]

I am guessing that booking.com do not have your money and will only refund you if/when the hotel refunds them.  If the hotel is closed then they should refund to booking.com. If they are open then they most likely won’t which is what they will be trying to ascertain.   

You would not have been entitled to a refund solely on the basis you had to self isolate on return.  That is where your insurance had you had it would have come in (hopefully).  Appreciate how urgent this is to know though as you are due to go Friday.   What about flights?  Have you still got flights booked?  

Thrugelmir

je.hargreaves said:

Thanks for this but they have been investigating since last Thursday morning and surely it doesn't take that long to ascertain if the hotel is closed or not? 

Probably in a queue of similar requests. Given the lock down in Spain. There'll be many closed establishments.  Booking.com don't have the staff resource to deal with query instantaneously.  

je.hargreaves

Thanks for the responses booking.com have now confiremd the hotel is closed and they will escalate to a manager to progress a refund. I think it will take a while though!

[Deleted User]

great 👍 at least you know it is coming but yes I agree will probably take a while.   Be patient as so many people to get through in these
extremely testing times.