Booking.com free taxi transfer scam

Izzy33

No contrition then for an extremely unhelpful  earlier post by yourself? My intention in posting here was not so much to moan, as to alert other Brits going to this destination that the promotion won't work for them. I sent a verbal description and the UTP route map screenshot to BC and they just say refer to their T and Cs.  I have now sent the app screenshots and pointed out the obvious glitch, but have not so far had a reply.  Incidentally, for anybody puzzled how to email BC, the format is [booking number]@my.booking.com 

saajan_12

Izzy33 said:

No that is incorrect.  Perhaps seeing is believing.

Surely your best argument is that first screen that explicitly says BKK airport, rather than relying on what airport most would fly into. 

Izzy33

Yes. that mention of BKK is a key point, but it is the  booking path and miss-match between the two screens that seems critical to me. BC's initial response to my query was that their terms and conditions do not allow a change of airport from the designated airport near the destination, so I wanted to clarify for them how a legitimate expectation (arising from the first screen) is then not realised when the designated airport is confirmed.  I don't think I am likely to get any free ride, and we are only talking about me paying an extra £25 or so, but I think it is worth pushing BC a bit because many Brits do book accommodation in Pattaya and it would be good to put this right should the promotion carry on into the future.  At the moment this offer seems to be the "edge" that BC had over sites like Agoda and Hotel.com. I can't imagine how BC can claim on the first page that "93% booked this in Pattaya", as the offer just isn't usable for European or US flight departures.

Izzy33

The message below seems to be Booking.com's final comment on my request to rectify the anomaly brought to light by my attempt to use the free airport taxi for a Pattaya booking.  Customer Services do not address the issue explicitly but say: "Please note: Although the system may automatically mention the biggest or most popular airport serving the area, the Free Taxi Offer is only available from the airport(s) assigned to the booked destination, as set."


This seems to be a post hoc addition to the  T and Cs of the promotion (not the same as the "partner" guidance an earlier poster posted). These T and Cs no longer show up if one clicks on the "free taxi" banner mentioned by Customer Services above.  I won't spend any more time on this as the amount involved is quite small, but it does look to me as though, for UK sales at least, this breaches the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2014, on the basis that the promotion misleads by purporting to offer a service that is not in practical terms available to most customers in the market where the sale was made.  Any other Brits affected by this who are unhappy can ask the advice of the UK International Consumer Centre (UKICC) using this link: https://www.ukecc.net/content/submit-complaint-online

jimi_man

Izzy33 said:

No contrition then for an extremely unhelpful  earlier post by yourself? My intention in posting here was not so much to moan, as to alert other Brits going to this destination that the promotion won't work for them. I sent a verbal description and the UTP route map screenshot to BC and they just say refer to their T and Cs.  I have now sent the app screenshots and pointed out the obvious glitch, but have not so far had a reply.  Incidentally, for anybody puzzled how to email BC, the format is [booking number]@my.booking.com 

A scam is one of the most overused words on this forum and is used whenever someone hasn’t got what they wanted, no matter what the reason was. A scam is a fraudulent activity designed to get a person to believe that they are getting something when they aren’t. From what you posted I don’t see a fraudulent activity. At least, since that needs the element of dishonesty, there is only your assumption that this has happened. 

What I see is a badly worded or designed promotion and may also be as a result of poor IT (offering BKK as a transfer but defaulting to the nearest airport). For reference I’ve used the free taxi transfer before in Mexico and it worked flawlessly but there was only one possible airport. 

However if you are insistent that it’s a ‘scam’ or a fraud then you need to report it to Action Fraud and maybe the police! 

Izzy33

Jimi_man seems another who is more interested in put-downs than constructive advice for other travelers.  He may care to note that I was not the one who created the thread and gave it its title of scam.  I did say that for this destination at least the promotion does look like a scam.  The  basis of that is the claim on the app that "93% booked this  in Pattaya", which cannot possibly be true given the route map of UTP.  As I said earlier in the thread, I posted an account of my experience so that others booking this destination might be aware of what will happen if they try to use the offer - i.e. that they will be directed to an airport they cannot use.  I also gave people an email address that is very hard to find on the BC website.  Jimi's post by contrast offers nothing that will benefit a potential customer thinking of using Booking.com rather than say Hotel,com to get this offer.  The advice I already gave directs anyone who suffers a similar fate to UKECC, an organisation that will receive complaints about misleading advertising.  Jimi's suggestion of contacting Action Fraud is inappropriate for this situation, and anyway Action Fraud is notoriously ineffective.  This forum should be about providing practical advice rather than attacking fellow posters with  vacuous semantics.

jimi_man

No-one is attacking anyone but you’re far more likely to get constructive help by not using click bait words in describing a promotion that doesn’t work in one particular place due to airport inconsistencies, as a scam. 

Izzy33

I am not seeking help, but rather warning anybody who is attracted to this offer for a Pattaya booking that it isn't going to help them.  

jimi_man

Izzy33 said:

I am not seeking help, but rather warning anybody who is attracted to this offer for a Pattaya booking that it isn't going to help them.  

Coincidentally I booked somewhere in Utah last night for a forthcoming holiday in June, and it came up with a similar thing about car hire. When I clicked on it it defaulted to the city nearest to where I was going and then said that car hire couldn't be done from there. Presumably a (similar) coding fault in booking.com