I feel ripped off by hotels.com!!!

[NemoMOm]

We booked a weekend trip through hotels.com. We booked the Double Tree in Downtown Disney, family suite since we are family of 5. We get the email, it says in Universal. So we call hotels.com and inform them of the mistake. They inform us that it is non-refundable and basically our problem. They iare in Central America apparently and not very customer friendly. Then we call the hotel, and we are not even in a suite! They never book suites through a third party.

To top it off, we look online. Hundreds of complaints of this very problem online.

We feel ripped off. BEWARE!!!

 

[davedmaine]

Can't you just cancel your hotels.com reservation? I don't believe they charge any kind of fee to do it. Cancel and then book directly with the hotel.

 

[disneyfireman]

Call your credit card company and file a complaint or stop payment now.

 

[NemoMOm]

Hotels. com will not make any refunds, nor will they change the reservation.

Their attitude was oh well.

We booked with our debit, but I should call the bank and see if something can be done.

 

[vivianmarie244]

Check your reservation confirmation. The customer service person on the phone may be wrong on their policies. The website seems to say you can cancel.

http://service.hotels.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1129

 

[IhrkeFamily]

FYI from a hotelier - Be very wary of OTAs (on-line travel agencies like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz). Due to rate parity required by brands the hotels are unable to offer lower rates with the OTAs that you won't find on a brand website. Actually on brand websites you can offer qualified rates like AAA and senior discounts that you won't find on OTAs. Plus booking direct allows you to change or cancel your reservation (most of the time) whenever you would like. Use the OTAs as a search engine, but then book direct.

 

[NemoMOm]

Thanks, it says to check your email because it is up to hotel, but there is nothing in the confirmation. We spoke with 2 managers at hotels.com, nothing.

We also spoke with them about the suite issue, they told us we were mistaken. However they had 2 listed for different prices so we called Doubletree to ask the differences. After this issue we called and explained about the suite they said you can never book a suite through a third party and we cannot upgrade because it was booked through a third party.

I will not use them again, I hope everyone uses caution because there are lots of cases on this very thing all over the internet. Wished we had checked before!

Check your reservation confirmation. The customer service person on the phone may be wrong on their policies. The website seems to say you can cancel.

http://service.hotels.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1129

 

[greenclan67]

FYI from a hotelier - Be very wary of OTAs (on-line travel agencies like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz). Due to rate parity required by brands the hotels are unable to offer lower rates with the OTAs that you won't find on a brand website. Actually on brand websites you can offer qualified rates like AAA and senior discounts that you won't find on OTAs. Plus booking direct allows you to change or cancel your reservation (most of the time) whenever you would like. Use the OTAs as a search engine, but then book direct.

This is exactly what I do. I use hotels.com for a reference then I go directly to the website of the hotel and book the cancellable rate. For instance, I needed a hotel on my night before the airport. I have been watching for a sale on hotels.com one came up a week or two ago, and I was able to get a Holiday Inn for $64.00 on Hotels.com so I went to the website of the Holiday Inn, and it was the same price. I booked it there, and I can cancel if need be. I do it all the time. And most times it is true to price.

 

[jennyjinx3]

We also had a bad experience with hotels.com and will never use them again, only go through the hotel direct. Awful customer service.

 

[melifeld]

If you are displeased. You should still call your bank. Even though you booked with a debit card, if it is Visa or MC logo card you should still be able to dispute the charge based on the misinformation provided.

 

[Lewisc]

You didn't carefully read what you booked. You wanted a hotel near DTD and you booked one near Universal. You wanted a suite and booked a regular room. Sounds like you didn't realize you booked a non-refundable rate.

You want to cancel for a variety of reasons. When you made the reservation did you correctly indicate the reservation was for 2 adults and 3 children? Did you accurately list the ages of your kids. If so contact the hotel and make sure they are willing and able to supply a rollaway bed at no extra cost. Looks like the hotel will book a family of 5 in a room with 2Q beds. You might try to make the point 3 beds should be a given. I'd try to get the commitment of a rollaway, a room with a third bed (suite with sofabed) or a refund. I suspect they'd rather give you a refund then a suite upgrade. Not much you can do if they say no problem with the rollaway.

edited to add: There isn't much you bank will do for you. I don't think you booked the Doubletree near DTD. It probably wasn't available for your dates, at least through hotels.com The offered the Doubletree near Universal and you didn't read the screen.

When did you contact hotels.com? I think you'd have a stronger case if you tried to cancel immediately after you received your email. There might be a difference between wanting to cancel because you made a booking mistake and wanting to cancel because you changed your mind.

I agree with the PP, booking on the hotels site and avoiding pre-paid rates make a lot of sense.

 

[momfeez]

FYI from a hotelier - Be very wary of OTAs (on-line travel agencies like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz). Due to rate parity required by brands the hotels are unable to offer lower rates with the OTAs that you won't find on a brand website. Actually on brand websites you can offer qualified rates like AAA and senior discounts that you won't find on OTAs. Plus booking direct allows you to change or cancel your reservation (most of the time) whenever you would like. Use the OTAs as a search engine, but then book direct.

Best advice ever!

 

[2goofykiddos]

Eeks-- now I am a little worried about our hotels.com reservation. We got a confirmation, but they said we would pay at the hotel and could cancel up to 24 hours before the reservation, is that not what your reservation said?

 

[4kids4karen]

Eeks-- now I am a little worried about our hotels.com reservation. We got a confirmation, but they said we would pay at the hotel and could cancel up to 24 hours before the reservation, is that not what your reservation said?

Paying at the hotel when you booked through a third party agency sounds odd to me. You should call the hotel directly to confirm this information. When I book through a third party like Expedia it is Expedia who I pay the money to (in advance). Even when you book directly with a hotel, the normal procedure is to charge you the first night, then you pay the remaining nights at the front desk of the hotel when you check out.

 

[kimmyann]

Eeks-- now I am a little worried about our hotels.com reservation. We got a confirmation, but they said we would pay at the hotel and could cancel up to 24 hours before the reservation, is that not what your reservation said?

I was able to do this for a Universal hotel. It clearly states it before you book & in the confirmation. I also noticed that a lot of hotels on hotels.com are offered with a special rate & it is clearly stated that it is final & non refundable in any way. I'm hoping also that mine is okay though, I may end up cancelling & booking direct, this was the first time I've ever used a third party, I usually always book direct through the hotel.