Hotelpronto.com auto-cancel and refund

kiddums

Hi folks,

I'm looking for some advice, I'm going to phone the citizens information once I post this. But I still want your opinions on it.

So I booked a hotel a few weeks back, booked it on the Sunday. Got the conformation email and booking thing I needed to print out to bring with me.
Printed that and thought I was done with it.
Checked my email at about 11pm on the Monday night and discovered that they'd cancelled my booking.
I read through my emails and discovered that they'd emailed me about half an hour after I'd been on on Sunday, and told me that if I didn't give them a phone nymber by 3pm on Monday my booking would be cancelled.
Sure enough I had an email form just after 3 on the monday saying it was cancelled due to a security check. So that was less that 24 hours to contact them.
No mention of not getting a refund.

I phoned them on the Tuesday to see what they could do and they said nothing so I asked for a refund. They told me they couldn't give me one due to the fact it had been auto caneled, something to do with their system. They told me I could contact my bank and recover the money from them that way tho.
So I phoned the bank, they said they'd have to send me out a from, and they did. I filled it in and returned it.
I just got the reply from the bank, they say that they can't recover the money because the hotel did email me to confirm.

What can I do here? Did I really just pay for something I didn't get?



Edit:
So I was passed off to the European Consumer Center. Got a nice bloke on the phone.
He has advised me to phone hotelpronto now this morning and see what they say. If I don't get any joy from the phone call, then email them explaining everything and add that I will be passing it ouve to the European Consumer Center who have advised me that I should use the European Small Claims Procedure.
Then after 3 days or so contact the European Consumer Center and ask them to send a letter to hotelpronto informing them of what they're doing wrong.
If I don't get a response within a suitable time peroid then I can start the European Small Claims Procedure.

Boggles

Nonsense, get back onto your bank and demand your money back.

If you paid by CC get them to initiate a charge back immediately.

You paid in good faith for a service your not getting, their flimsy "auto software" is not your problem.

The contract has been cancelled, their not entitled to keep your money.

kiddums

Boggles wrote: »

Nonsense, get back onto your bank and demand your money back.

If you paid by CC get them to initiate a charge back immediately.

You paid in good faith for a service your not getting, their flimsy "auto software" is not your problem.

The contract has been cancelled, their not entitled to keep your money.

I paid by Debit Card. I'll check later exactly when the funds where taken.

But your saying its the bank I need to contact?

dilallio

Yes.
Just show them the email which you received on Monday after 3pm cancelling the room.

kiddums

Bank Letter wrote:

"I am unable to offer any assistance on this occasion due to the fact that the retailer advised you that the booking would be cancelled unless you confirmed by the set date"

Is that not the bank rulling themselves out of this?

Boggles

This is very confusing.

What the bank seem to be saying is HotelPronto are entitled to your money because they sent you an email.

Though Hotel Pronto told you can get your money back through your bank, in fact it's the only way you can get your money back.

So they want to give your money back, but your bank has declined.

kiddums

Boggles wrote: »

This is very confusing.

What the bank seem to be saying is HotelPronto are entitled to your money because they sent you an email.

Though Hotel Pronto told you can get your money back through your bank, in fact it's the only way you can get your money back.

So they want to give your money back, but your bank has declined.

As of right now that is what it seems but I have updated the first post with some info I got from the European Consumer Center.

Boggles

kiddums wrote: »

As of right now that is what it seems but I have updated the first post with some info I got from the European Consumer Center.

Did you tell your bank and show them the mails regarding how Hotel Pronto told you how to recoup your money?

Neither are doing you any real favours, but Hotel Pronto did offer a refund although in a stupid way.

kiddums

Boggles wrote: »

Did you tell your bank and show them the mails regarding how Hotel Pronto told you how to recoup your money?

Neither are doing you any real favours, but Hotel Pronto did offer a refund although in a stupid way.

I told my bank over the phone. I have nothing to show them as I was advised that course of action over the phone.

I have just emailed hotelpronto being as nice as I am going to be about this to see what they say. I'll email them again in 3 days as I was advised to do.

dudara

I'm confused here - when they autocancelled the booking, surely a refund was part of this process. I've had something similar happen before with Hotelclub and the money was refunded to my card automatically.

kiddums

dudara wrote: »

I'm confused here - when they autocancelled the booking, surely a refund was part of this process. I've had something similar happen before with Hotelclub and the money was refunded to my card automatically.

I would have assumed that was standard procedure from any of these things.

I think I'll phone them tomorrow if they haven't replied to my email. I'll draw attention to the email and ask why it wasn't dealt with.

dudara

Can you view your credit card balance online? Or via telephone banking?

kiddums

dudara wrote: »

Can you view your credit card balance online? Or via telephone banking?

Yea I can.
This was back in June. Booking made on the 12th, cancelled on the 13th, money taken on the morning of the 13th.

jor el

Have you checked with the Hotel, to see if the booking is with them still? Do you know if it's Hotelpronto or the hotel itself that are holding your money?

Seems that if Hotelpronto cancelled the booking immediately, then they should have refunded you. There is no reason for them to hold onto that if they haven't booked or paid the hotel.

kiddums

jor el wrote: »

Have you checked with the Hotel, to see if the booking is with them still? Do you know if it's Hotelpronto or the hotel itself that are holding your money?

Seems that if Hotelpronto cancelled the booking immediately, then they should have refunded you. There is no reason for them to hold onto that if they haven't booked or paid the hotel.

The booking has passed. It was for later that week.
I already asked them and they knew nothing of it.
Its hotelpronto.

It does seem weird alright.

kiddums

SO I just got an email back from them,

hotelpronto wrote:

"I am sorry to inform you that as per procedure we cannot refund a booking that was canceled as a suspected fraud.
Please kindly refer to your bank and advise them the details from your bank statement.

They can proceed with the charge back based on that information."

I've replied telling them that I have already taken that route with my bank and they cannot procede without a refund voucher from the company.

I'll see what kind of reply I'll get. I'll also be back on the phone to the European Consumer Center at 9.01 tomorrow morning.
I'll phone the bank as soon as I get home and see what they say.

kiddums

So I got into work to see an email back from them.

"I have attached a letter that you can present to your bank. It explains the circumstances why this booking was canceled with charges. If they have any question they can call us and we confirm again the detail."

This letter does not contain the card number of the card that was charged, nor does it state the fact that they are authorising a refund. The bank need those two items of information along with the amount charged.
I have emailed them back stating that. I'll see what they say now.
The European Consumer Center does not open till 9.30 so I'll have to wait till then to phone them.

I still think its odd that I have to go through the bank to get a refund for a cancelation.