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Booking.com overcharged

Booking.com displayed an incorrect price because they hadn't gotten round to reflecting changes to a Japanese government subsidy. I made a booking expecting to be charged the price shown. I think this is akin to if a shop hadn't gotten round to updating prices after a rise in VAT, but Booking.com don't want to refund me. Any ideas where I stand legally?
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Comments

  • Westin
    Westin Posts: 6,425 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Can you clarify and add context to “changes to a Japanese government subsidy”?

    It is the hotel which controls and loads the rates and descriptive copy/images, not booking.com.

    Any extra charges which have to be paid directly and collected by the hotel such as some local taxes and fees are normally added within the hotel copy section.  Is it these that were missed?
  • Flight3287462
    Flight3287462 Posts: 1,195 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Government subsidy introduced resulting in lower price, Booking.com (or client company) decides its an opportunity to raise prices and offsets one with the other.

    What's the problem?
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Is UK consumer law even relevant to this?
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 16,286 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I suspect OP may be in America, given their use of "gotten" as a verb.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I suspect OP may be in America, given their use of "gotten" as a verb.
    Their other current thread suggests they were already staying in Japan. 
  • davidmcn said:
    Is UK consumer law even relevant to this?
    I think B are treating it as if I booked from the UK. In a separate error they ignored the Japanese home address I provided 
  • Westin said:
    Can you clarify and add context to “changes to a Japanese government subsidy"
    The subsidy is called "Go To". The change was that a limit of 7 nights was introduced, B displayed the price as if the subsidy applied to the whole 30 day booking.
  • Government subsidy introduced resulting in lower price, Booking.com (or client company) decides its an opportunity to raise prices and offsets one with the other.

    What's the problem?
    They displayed the wrong price. If they decided to raise prices then they didn't get around to changing the prices on display. Nothing to suggest that was their intent though
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    davidmcn said:
    Is UK consumer law even relevant to this?
    I think B are treating it as if I booked from the UK. In a separate error they ignored the Japanese home address I provided 
    Ok, but does that mean the relevant jurisdiction for the contract is the UK? They're not based in the UK as far as I can see from their website.
  • davidmcn said:
    davidmcn said:
    Is UK consumer law even relevant to this?
    I think B are treating it as if I booked from the UK. In a separate error they ignored the Japanese home address I provided 
    Ok, but does that mean the relevant jurisdiction for the contract is the UK? They're not based in the UK as far as I can see from their website.
    I think they have subsidiaries all over and I seem to have booked via the UK one. If they're treating it as UK then that's convenient since I speak the language so I'm inclined to accept their judgement on that.
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