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Problem with online hotel booking

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  • 28-05-2007 12:52pm
    #1
    grahamo
    Registered Users Posts: 761 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    I'm hoping someone can help me out. I used an online hotel booking company to book a hotel stay in England recently as I brought my young son to a football match. When I arrived at the hotel they had no record of my booking.
    As I'd been travelling overnight and was absolutely knackered I wasn't very happy with them leaving me stranded like that.
    Anyway, when I got home I e-mailed them and they fobbed me off with a load of crap that it was the hotels responsibility.
    My argument is I paid the booking company for a service I did not receive.
    How should I go about getting my money back?


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    #2
    DannyBuoy
    Registered Users Posts: 598 ✭✭✭DannyBuoy


    grahamo wrote:
    Hi,
    I'm hoping someone can help me out. I used an online hotel booking company to book a hotel...

    Mind me asking which site you used?


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    #3
    grahamo
    Registered Users Posts: 761 ✭✭✭grahamo


    DannyBuoy wrote:
    Mind me asking which site you used?

    Would it be OK for me to name the site?


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    #4
    robo
    Registered Users Posts: 2,810 ✭✭✭robo


    That is lousy - I have booked a good few hotels in loads of different countries on the hotels site and 3rd party sites. Never had a problem. It would be good to know what site you had a problem with.


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    #5
    Beano
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭Beano


    grahamo wrote:
    Hi,
    I'm hoping someone can help me out. I used an online hotel booking company to book a hotel stay in England recently as I brought my young son to a football match. When I arrived at the hotel they had no record of my booking.
    As I'd been travelling overnight and was absolutely knackered I wasn't very happy with them leaving me stranded like that.
    Anyway, when I got home I e-mailed them and they fobbed me off with a load of crap that it was the hotels responsibility.
    My argument is I paid the booking company for a service I did not receive.
    How should I go about getting my money back?

    Assuming you paid you paid by credit card your next port of call should be the credit card company.


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    #6
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    It is common practice in the UK for hotels to deliberately overbook, so that they will have practically full occupancy rates for the night. However, if this is the case, then they usually do offer you accommodation elsewhere, if possible. There should at the very least have been a record of your booking.

    I agree, contact the credit card company.


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    #7
    Savman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,323 ✭✭✭Savman


    Sure you used a legit booking site?


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    #8
    Oryx
    Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    I use online hotel booking sites to check availabilty, but then I either phone the hotel or use their own site to book as quite often you can get a better rate that way. And because Im overcautious I always confirm a hotel the day before as a 'just in case'.

    If this happened to me Id be hopping mad. And yes Id get a chargeback from the cc at the very least. If a mod says its ok, Id name and shame the site too.


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    #9
    CuppaCocoa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,858 ✭✭✭CuppaCocoa


    Did you not have a printed booking confirmation from the online company? They always send you an e-mail with a confirmation no. and details. I always book my hotels online but make sure I bring the printed confirmation with me. Even if you didn't bring it with you or delete the e-mail you should be able to retrieve it. At least you'd have some kind of proof.


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    #10
    grahamo
    Registered Users Posts: 761 ✭✭✭grahamo


    lilybarlean wrote:
    Did you not have a printed booking confirmation from the online company? They always send you an e-mail with a confirmation no. and details. I always book my hotels online but make sure I bring the printed confirmation with me. Even if you didn't bring it with you or delete the e-mail you should be able to retrieve it. At least you'd have some kind of proof.

    Yes. I had the printed copy of confirmation and booking number. Hotel staff told me they had no record of booking. Either booking co. didn't send e-mail to hotel or hotel staff couldn't be arsed checking. Either way I had a contract with the booking co. and I blame them.


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    #11
    Onearmedbandit
    Registered Users Posts: 513 ✭✭✭Onearmedbandit


    Happened to me too but in Germany. Used the hotels website to book went through the whole booking process and received a message confirming my reservation. When I turned up at the hotel the guy had no record of my booking and I had to pay there in cash. On checking my credit card bill I found no record either. As far as I know most hotels on the websites are informed of reservations through email or fax as a lot of their reservation systems aren't integrated with the site.

    My advice: If you were charged put through the charge back and write a review about both the hotel and the website.

    Iv had loads of trouble before with hotel websites last year i was booking a hotel for my girlfriend as she was going to do a year abroad and needed somewhere to stay for the first couple of days. Booked successfully and then recieved a notice saying that the credit card failed a fraud check. This is a credit card I had used successfully for years booking all sorts of flights and hotels (I travel a lot). When I tried to book the room again it was taken. What I think happened was that there was a champions league match on that weekend and the hotel website/hotel figured they could make more money out of a football fan eager for a place to stay on short notice. Just a theory.

    I try to avoid the websites now and like ktk I ring the hotel directly - less chance of fraud over the direct line to the hotel and less of a chance of the reservation being lost as it is in the hotel's system


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    #12
    magnumlady
    Registered Users Posts: 3,659 ✭✭✭magnumlady


    Can you name the booking company?
    I've booked a hotel and paid for it through a company and I'm worrying now that the same thing will happen to me.


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    #13
    Oryx
    Subscribers Posts: 19,425 ✭✭✭✭Oryx


    magnumlady wrote:
    Can you name the booking company?
    I've booked a hotel and paid for it through a company and I'm worrying now that the same thing will happen to me.
    Why dont you phone the hotel to reassure yourself all is ok?


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    #14
    sunnyd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21 ✭sunnyd


    Could you please name the company? I have a hotel booked and paid for for next weekend through one of these companies. Rather apprehensive now. Please put my mind at rest!!!!!


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    #15
    Dr. Seuss
    Closed Accounts Posts: 153 ✭✭Dr. Seuss


    grahamo wrote:
    Would it be OK for me to name the site?
    You have been asked 3 times now to just spit it out and name them - WTF are you waiting for? No wonder you got ripped off - you seem so dozy (you were asked to just name them 5 days ago, and still haven't) it was probably some scam phishing site you booked through...


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