LastMinute.com complaints process, clear and accessible?

This_Gruntled_Cnsmr · 18 February at 5:19PM

A recent interaction which started with Booking.com and ended up at LastMinute.com, had me searching for LastMinute.com's complaint process.

I searched the Website. I failed.

I listened to the IVR. I failed.

I tried the online chat feature. I failed. Spectacularly.

The latter because whilst I got through to an actual human (shock) when I asked for them to give me a complaint reference number they directed me back to the Assistance page, which was how I got through to them in the first place. I tried again, in case I had missed something. I hadn't. The 'script' programmed into the chat is designed exceedingly well if the intention is to limit interaction with paying customers to dealing with the narrow definition of 'what they are happy to spend time dealing with'. Given a complaint is likely to fall outwith that definition it is no wonder finding out how to make a complaint is guarded by such devious means.

So, some background on the complaint. For those thinking this is TLDR, jump to the ******.

There were several aspects:

Firstly, being surreptiously redirected from Booking.com to LastMinute.com without an in-your-face warning. I had logged in, done my search (flight+hotel) and the Website remained in the Booking.com blue livery. In hindsight I do seem to recall in the distant past being switched before, but the Website changed dramatically to the LastMinute.com pink. It was then at least more obvious. This felt devious. Especially because it was not until I was checking out and trying to use my Booking.com login (again…) and it failed, that it actually became obvious that I was no longer dealing with Booking.com. Okay, so maybe Booking.com bears some responsibility here; they should have clearly advised something along the lines of "You are now leaving Booking.com" , and a complaint needs to be levied at them, but LastMinute.com should not be using almost the same livery (that small LastMinute.com logo at the top-left, buried in the blue Booking.com bar isn't enough), it's deliberate and it made me feel deceived.

Secondly, and the cause of the need to contact LastMinute.com in the first place. Part of the booking included car parking at an airport. Nothing untoward about that. Only it did not become clear until the confirmation email was received, that the car park required the car keys to be left. Sorry, nope. Other people may be happy handing over the keys to their car, but not everyone is. It doesn't matter that I can track the location of my car, I've been successfully scared by the horror stories of cars being stored 'inappropriately'. Not happening. That LastMinute.com had failed to clearly call out the need to hand over the keys during the parking options selection process was the failure here. Poorly describing a product is definitely something they need to address. Besides, it eventually cost them time and effort of an employee having to deal with a disappointed customer.

So, with these issues at hand I set about find out how to go about getting the parking cancelled. Multiple calls to the phone line, because the first time it asked permission to record the call, then went silent for several minutes before I gave up. And those ultimately failing, I turned back to the online chat agent (I can almost hear the LastMinute.com execs cheering here), only be frustrated the first time because the chat dialogue would not load. Something about the privacy protection measures meant it didn't work. A technical issue ultimately resolved by disabling those measures, fortunately only temporarily, but that just goes to demonstrate their IT devs have a remit to invade customer's privacy, signed off on by the execs. Other companies manage chat agents, so LastMinute.com could, if the execs want to.

Now the third element is that having actually got through to a human agent, they refused to help with raising a complaint, pointed me back at the process I had used to get hold of them in the first place, and even when this was pointed out, they stuck with their response. Oh, and admitted that trying to use the phone wouldn't be any better.

******

You're back? Great.

So, having failed to get the agent to raise a complaint I repeated the efforts following their instructions. I couldn't find any mention, anywhere, on how to raise a complaint. I double-checked the online chat process, and again no options were presented which would enable a customer to call out a complaint.

It really should not be this difficult.

Indeed, is it not the case that the main legal duties of suppliers is to comply with general consumer protection law, including transparency about the complaints process?

In my hunt I discovered that LastMinute.com is regulated by/is a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust (ABTOT - I'd include a link but I'm new here so not allowed to). When looking at the Website I discovered they won't deal with a complaint against a member until the customer has exhausted the member's processes. Not unsual, but if you can't actually find the process to raise a complaint in the first place… Oh, and even if you do succeed in raising arbitration, you, the consumer will have to pay towards it, too (unlike with some other schemes). And, if the member doesn't agree to use ABTOT's arbitration they aren't forced to. Where does that leave consumers? Without protection?

Still with me? You're wonderful. Dedicated. And hopefully knowledgeable.

If you've got an issue with a holiday which cost you several thousand pounds I can see that paying a fee (hopefully small) may be reasonable. For the issues above? Unlikely. But that doesn't make those issues less relevant (unless you're LastMinute.com exec…

Suppliers becoming increasingly inaccessible to consumers is a cancer. The execs love the Labyrinthian nature of IVR and chat systems where they filter out anything they don't want their staff working on, lest it hit - even in small amounts - into their profits. If that means they can eliminate customers making complaints, including the resulting resource costs and possible costs of reparations, so much the better. Cha-ching! Oh, and whilst they're at it, when they realise customers are inevitably prevented from complaining they can reduce the quality of service elsewhere. After all, the stats will show that they haven't had any complaints…

So where does that leave the consumer?

With a service which appears to fail the simple test of, "Is their complaints process: clear, prominent, accessible and fair?" If it isn't available, it can't be fair, and the other failures should be obvious.

Did my search skills fail me? Is there an easily accessible complaints process I managed to somehow miss? (If the answer to the question is "Yes, you missed it", do please provide the URL and or instructions. I'll be grateful. LM's execs less so.)

Am I being unreasonable? If you think yes, do please explain why.

Where next? Who can take LastMinute.com to task and hold them to account? And you think they'd bother?

Woodstok2000 · 18 February at 5:46PM

As it's not a regulated sector, booking.com and last-minute.com don't have to have a formal complaints procedure. You need to follow the process for what you're trying to do (e.g. cancel a booking) and then you can go to ABTO if you're not happy with the outcome.

As you are finding out, any costs saved by using the aggregator sites are not necessarily worth it when issues arise.

born_again · 18 February at 6:40PM

The likes of Booking.com do not book flights. Usually it's GotoGate or other 3rd party.

While not booking direct does not appear to be the cheapest. Things like baggage allowance etc, can mean booking direct is actually cheaper. Never mind if anything goes wrong. You are talking direct to the horse, not the monkey at on the back.

This_Gruntled_Cnsmr · 19 February at 3:25PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81890261#Comment_81890261

Interesting thoughts.

Booking.com and LastMinute.com are selling package holidays, which attract ATOL protection, and they are selling to UK consumers.

Given they are selling to UK consumers, is it not a case that the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and the Alternative Dispute Regulations 2015 combine to require traders to be open about their complaints process? By not being open, they are hiding the information. By filtering access to their agents through both the online chat and telephone menus, they are are at the very least being obstructive, and are definitely not allow direct and effective communication.

The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, 6 (1) (c), requires service providers to, "make available to the recipient of the service and any relevant enforcement authority, in a form and manner which is easily, directly and permanently accessible … the details of the service provider, including his electronic mail address, which make it possible to contact him rapidly and communicate with him in a direct and effective manner;"

By not making complaint handling accessible (actively preventing complaints from being raised, through both their online chat faciity and their phone service, and a complete lack of a corporate email address) how are they not breaching this requirement?

This_Gruntled_Cnsmr · 19 February at 3:32PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81890319#Comment_81890319

Indeed, the agent I eventually got through to admitted that if you start off searching for "hotel+flight" you get directed through to LastMinute.com. This is one of the issues, whilst I now know this, Booking.com failed to provide a clear announcement such as, "You are now leaving Booking.com", they coupled this with failing, as I previously noted, using a livery which was almost identical to that of Booking.com. Deception.

As for costs. In the case of the package I was booking, it was cheaper to get the hotel and flight through this path. Whilst baggage costs etc. did add up, the premium the airline wanted for the privilege of booking the same hotel made the total cost higher (and they didn't even have the same (more expensive) room type available, either - i.e. it was possible to book a premium room+flight (inclusive of baggage etc) through the LM.com path for less than the airline wanted for a less premium room - a case of shopping around paying off).

Woodstok2000 · 20 February at 10:32PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81891394#Comment_81891394

Their complaint procedure is in their terms and conditions - took me 2 minutes to find it via Google. They have phone numbers and direct messaging support.

They are breaching the EU rules - they've been pulled up on that before, as have most other similar companies. They get a slap on the wrist and that's it.

https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/accommodation-booking-websites-misleading-descriptions-and-practices

An email address is not going to resolve your issue because their customer service is terrible no matter how you contact them. Book direct.