I booked and paid for my accommodation but now they say they want an extra $112. Any advice?
They reckon they made a mistake. This was booked over a month ago.
Booked and paid for accomodation - now they want more money
lukeloop on 18/03/2014 - 19:43
Last edited 18/03/2014 - 20:19 by 1 other user
Last edited 18/03/2014 - 20:19 by 1 other user
Comments
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demand/get a refund.
I got a feeling they just got a massive conference on board and since they are more full than expected they figure they can kick u out and rent the room out for more, either that or u will pay more.
They are effectively trying to get a free option, IMHO this is BS and u should have a right to hold ur booking.
Edit , would ur mind naming this place and where u booked it from?
This.
Do you have a receipt for whatever money you've paid? If so, what does it say on it?
I am waiting to see how it pans out before I name anyone. It is over the Easter long weekend. I don't want a refund I need the accommodation as everywhere else is booked out or out of my price range. We have already booked and paid for traveling there so we do not want a refund we want what we paid for.
Can you ring ACCC tomorrow and find out what your rights are.
maybe the booking agency and hotel do not have a legal leg to stand on .
this knowledge may help you to resolve the matter. You could always ask them to remimburse your for all your expenses!
You paid for the accommodation at a certain price and they accepted it. Four weeks later they tell you that they made a mistake????
do not think that their business reputation can stand such a drubbing. Reckon you are in a strong position. Check it out. JoyVThe ACCC don't do anything.
That is the truth.
What the ACCC will do is give you advice and direct you to the CTTT who can actually force businesses to do something through court orders.
The ACCC only gets involved in nation matters or matters that are a priority. If they took on every small little matter, they would grind to a halt.
I just heard with the Rolling Stones cancelling their tour, ticket holders will be entitled to compensation for travel and accommodation costs as well as ticket refund.
If you threaten that you'll be expecting the same, they might decide to honor the original quote.
I will make some calls tomorrow. It is very annoying though because we have booked all our activities and transportation there and that is in excess of $1000 so far. We need somewhere to stay and if we don't get this accommodation now we will need to pay heaps for somewhere else if we can find anything at this late stage at double what we are paying. You can't expect to find anything over peak season Easter break if you don't organise things early like we did.
If you have to pay over double, you might as well just pay the $112, if that works out for you.
That's assuming OP is legally required to pay this extra amount.
He's not "legally required" to pay it obviously.
This must be a small timer right? No large hotel chain would ever do that to a customer. You agreed on a price and paid …
As per consumer affairs :
If you have prepaid they can not make you pay more later, they have to correct the mistake PRIOR to your making a payment:Pricing mistakes
If a business advertises an incorrect price by mistake, they are not obliged to sell their product at that price. However, they must withdraw the product from sale until the price is corrected.If a customer places an order at an incorrect price, the business must inform the customer of their mistake before processing the order and give them the choice to continue with their order at the correct price, or cancel it. Alternatively, the business can choose to honour the discounted price as a sign of good will.
If a price seems unusually low, the customer can prevent any issues by asking the business if the price displayed is correct.
Sounds like it's their win :-(
OP, point them to this thread so they know we're all eagerly waiting to hear your outcome… and the Hotel's nameNo - read the first part;,"If you have prepaid they can not make you pay more later, they have to correct the mistake PRIOR to your making a payment:"
So how is this different from those pricing errors claimed by the online retailers like HN and DSE when customers prepaid & ordered online and later received calls about pricing error to refund your money?
Apparently the hotel can just refund the money if the OP doesn't pay the ransom. Ergo the hotel wins.
It was a $x per night for 4 nights and now they want an additional $28 per night. = $112
Thanks to all for their input.Appreciate it.Tell them you will sort out with them when you arrive or at check-out and confirm the booking. At check-out when you are leaving if they ask for extra money or try to charge show them your booking invoice and create a scene there. If they still overcharge without your consent lodge a dispute with your credit card as an un-authorized transaction, you will not only get back your extra charge but the whole amount and the hotel will also get hit with another $40-$50 charge back fee. They are trying to charge you extra $112 and being un-ethical be co-operative with them now, secure your booking and once you are done you know how to get back all the money from them.
I usually will not advice like this but hotels who have absolute dis-regard for customers like this in peak periods like this should be treated this way. And yes I have done like this with a not so small chain, the crooked manager was literally in tears later after the chargeback as it was so much valid and un-authorized and they could not do anything about it but loose almost $700 for trying to charge extra $60 !
Do this, at least this way if they did overbook conference style other guests are likely to leave that they have also pressured which means by holding your guns they'll let you off.
"If they still overcharge without your consent lodge a dispute with your credit card as an un-authorized transaction"
However the bank will also cancel your card. You'll be without your card for two weeks and then have to set up the dozen or so online shops and automatic bills etc that you have set up for it already.
For me, this is never, ever worth it.
CC companies overwhelmingly favor the buyer. Why would they cancel your card?
If you reply to the request vaguely along the lines of "we'll sort it out on check in" then you have not committed to any further payment.
You should still have an email confirmation of the initial charge, when the CC company ask you for evidence should you need to go through the charge back, just forward then that.
Probably mixing up un-authorised with fraudulent transactions.
I've charged back several unauthorized transactions. One for a cancelled gym membership that continued to bill me. One for an item that the shipping company lost in their warehouse and refused to take ownership for. I can assure you, my CC is still active.
They rang me up and told my wife they want the extra money before we get there and I need to pay it within 1 week.
I am very annoyed.Tell them you will send a cheque ;)
I would definitely be keen to know which organisation this is. Have you spoken to Consumer Affairs?
Usually they will not charge your card till you checkout. So you can tentatively say you are fine as long as you find out they charge at checkout, most hotels do unless its a prepaid travel operator. So at checkout you can try the above as I posted, should work out most times and trap the hotels. They cant do much. Max thing is that you might be banned from the hotel in future visits, but I am sure you wont stay there again anyway after that experience
Name and shame
You could ring or email them to say you have contacted the ACC and were advised that you are in the right in this situation. Send them some relevant info about the matter and go ahead and contact the ACC.
Have thy demanded the amount in writing? I would ask them to do that before you pay anything, if you haven't already.
you have contacted the ACC
The Australian Crime Commission?
Australian Consumer Commision I think
There is no Australian Consumer Commission. 8]
If you have no idea what your talking about don't give advice. Its the ACCC and clearly you haven't had any dealings with them because they don't handle these matters. They don't resolve individual complaints.
yes I missed a C and couldnt remember what the C's stood for. I have dealt with them, and do you feel like a big person now? You look pretty small, petty and nasty to me.
Without knowing all the circumstances I would say If you want a happy holiday just pay the $28 per night extra. It's not a lot of money. Just enjoy your holiday :)
After your stay I would then write to the management of the hotel and complain about the extra charge, say you will never stay there again and that you will leave bad reviews on trip advisor and also tell all your friends. I am sure you will get a cheque in the mail :)
At the end of the day it is only $112 but I know what I have had to do to get this money and it grinds my gears because I feel trapped.
Is this an Australian or overseas location. Same State or other?
Was it booked direct or via an online agency etc
How was it paid - credit card? (I would guess so) but it helps to know these facts
Did you get a confirmation letter, email on your booking?
Is it a chain hotel or an individual hotel?
I would feel the same way. Try not to let it ruin your holiday though, and get your final revenge and let everyone know through a TripAdvisor review!
Google reviews show up on google map. They are far more visible to the world. Just be careful because businesses aren't scared to throw around lawyers when they feel it will get them somewhere, even if it is just them being crazy.
I had the same experience too. The dot com travel agent is Asia Travel. I booked a Macau hotel at a very good price . I did not pay them anything as it was paid at arrival direct to hotel. Later they informed me they made a mistake in quoting the price and they wanted more. Disppointed but Not to spoil my holiday , I had no choice but to accept the rise. Thereafter I stop to have any deal with them.
I've never had this experience. If a hotel makes a mistake, they wear it. Once you have a booking confirmation number it should state the nights you are staying and the price, they can't turn around later and say whoops, we made a mistake and you owe us more money. They sure as hell would never say "whoops…made a mistake and overcharged you, here's some extra money back for you"…swings and roundabouts. Don't piss the customer off!
I'd be tempted to not respond to them and when they say that they spoke to your wife about it - well she forgot to tell you about it and you haven't been contactable prior to arriving at the hotel. If they can't sort their booking system out, that's their problem.
If you do this, they can just refund the money already paid and might not have a room for you on the day.
They won't have a leg to stand on. They're just trying to scam you, it seems.
It sounds like they are holding you to ransom but try to look for a win-win scenario. I'd suggest that if you are committed to the accommodation pay the extra however ask for them to include some extra value to offset the cost. E.g. free wine bottle every night or some vouchers. You will have to negotiate this carefully and the way you go about it will determine what and how much you get however I'm sure they can come up with something.
Depends on the person that answers the phone I guess. Have you ever met a receptionist/booking agent that had any real power unless they were the owner (especially in a owner/operator scenario)?
You shouldn't have to negotiate, if you have paid and received your confirmation/receipt then stand your ground, enjoy your holiday at the agreed rate and after the trip leave negative reviews about your experience.
I don't even know why you are considering paying the extra…
Malarky, whilst in some ways I agree with you that the OP shouldn't have to negotiate the facts are that the accommodation provider could refund the entire money and leave the OP without any accommodation. This is not a black and white issue and if you treat it like that you may end up doing more harm than good.
That's true, I was under the impression that the hotel can't cancel his booking and are simply trying to squeeze him out of more money, in which case I would still suggest not backing down. However your right, if everything else is already booked and there is the chance that he could be without accommodation then it becomes a little more complicated :)
This is complete BS. Hotel advertises a particular price - you book. You receive a confirmation. They call you weeks later when all other hotels are booked out and tell you to pay more. If they called you straight away it would be a different story. They cannot give you such little notice that you are forced to continue along with their scam.
In this case - you need to get them to write all of their requests in an email. Whenever someone says they can't do something for you or changes something you already have in writing, whether it's in a store or over a counter or a hotel booking - just ask them to send it to you in writing.
This could make them sweat because it will be clearly documented exactly what they want from you and WHY. This makes them explain the situation for your records and allows you to use their own written correspondence against them. If they believe they are right to do what they are doing - they should have no problem sending it to you in writing together with a receipt for any extra payments you have made and explanations on those receipts for why you're paying them.
"No worries, I'm happy to pay the extra amount - but I would like you to send me in writing that you made a mistake and the price was incorrect at the time and that it has taken you 4 weeks to let me know about the changes. Once I receive written request for what you are telling me over the phone, I will organise the payment straight away"
This gives you the opportunity to also NOT pay the extra payment if you think you have enough information to escalate - or to go through escalation afterwards.
If they refuse to send you anything in writing - Ask them "Why? If you're happy to tell me all this over the phone why won't you send me an email?"
"Anything I pay for requires a receipt by law - are you telling me you refuse to give me an itemised receipt?" because really - that's more or less what you are asking them for - just that their receipt will have to say "Amendment for price error" or something like that.
Otherwise if you think they may flat out refuse to give you any written explanation just record the call using a call record application.
Pay the difference and muck around with it later.
It's probably too late now, but there are other nasty things I've seen right here on these forums such as paying your deposit using a pre-paid credit card so that they can't charge you when you check out.
I like your style.
Also what is their cancellation policy?
Just leaving a comment here so I can stay on top of this topic..
This was in the terms and conditions. I have had 2 phone calls with the company prior to making my final payments.
Errors and Omissions
From time to time an error or omission may occur in relation to an individual property's pricing and number of people for a booking.
Property rates are based on a minimum number of people which are nominated in the details of a particular property. In most cases an extra charge is valid for an additional person, per night, details of which will be described at each individual property's information section. If the ?????rate calculator omits one or more people when calculating the total payable per night, the client will be advised by ????? of such additional amount required, (as advertised at that time for that particular property) and the client will be requested to pay the additional amount in full within one month (or less) of the arrival date at the property. ????? will not be liable in any way for such error in calculating such rates for additional persons.
So you booked through Stayz…
First things first, this is not a miscalculation on number of people nor is it a miscalculation on how many nights you are staying - so the above doesn't matter.
Have you 100% got a confirmation letter from them?
Your correspondence should be through Stayz not directly with the owner / manager of the place.
It could very well be an honest error, as I said it isn't worth the $112 to cause a problem. I will wait and see what they have to say. Possibly we can meet half way or something. I will keep you posted, hoping for a nice outcome.
does the place still have accommodation available over easter?
if you can reveal the location/town without naming the place then perhaps we can help with alternatives?
This is the important part:
Your correspondence should be through Stayz not directly with the owner / manager of the place.
Otherwise they are completely doing the dirty and bait advertising
I have confirmation of them receiving my final payments.
The website you used has 20 places sleeping 4 people or less, 13 for 5. I checked for Easter Friday to Monday. The top three results look like they are managed by the same realtor. The avaible accommodation may not be exactly where you want them.
All I am saying is you may have other options available.
I'm guessing you paid the booking site. If they aren't the ones asking for money, talk to them. Their reputation looks far more important than the reputation of the realtor or owner.
I wouldn't out anyone until after your trip. The booking site would be getting most of my wrath if they can't resolve this.
Sorry, I would have PM’ed you if I knew how. You copied and pasted some unique text.
You shouldn't have to considering they stuffed up, but they can cancel your booking if they wanted to..
What is the location of the accommodation?
They cannot cancel the booking as they have already received payment. The location, duration and time of stay are part of the terms of sales that is legally binding as soon as payment is received.
I made a booking at asiawebdirect a few months ago and they cancelled my booking, what do you make of that?
Is asiawebdirect an Australian operation? if not then our laws may not apply
Wotif.com, lastminute.com.au, travel.com.au, Asia Web Direct, LateStays.com, GoDo.com.au and Arnold Travel Technology all owned by WOTIF GROUP and it looks like an Australian company.
Wotif.com Holdings Limited. ACN 093 000 456
I've made contact with AsiaWebDirect and expressed my concern so lets see what happens..
Well extremist what i make of that is that you just put up with it and that's your fault.
Just because people do things doesn't make it legal. Its your choice to pursue legal enforcement.
You sir, have no idea what you're talking about.
kwaker is right. Many people/businesses do unlawful things and depend on the ignorance or the laziness (often the combination of) to get away with it. Terms of sales in Australia is very serious and very measurable. I've had to remind many sales assistants regarding this and most of the time, the managers scurry to rectify the issue.
You don't have to pursue legal enforcement, all you have to do is remind the offending party that they are playing too loose with the legal system.
So its my fault they cancelled my booking?
It's your fault for not knowing your rights nor standing up for them. If you're still confused, maybe the booking was cancelled for the same reason.
If it is a small place and they seem genuine in their plea that they have made a pricing error, it wouldn't be the end of the world and no one is going to say you have been taken for a ride. Meet them halfway; pay the amount they need from you but in exchange, be given better or inclusion of service not otherwise included (ie. breakfast/valet/etc)
However, if they were rude or unapologetic about asking for more money, chances are, they are trying to have their cake and eat it. Get a guaranteed customer at a certain price, kick them out when they can get better. If your gut feeling is that this is happening, immediately record all further communication with them. You wouldn't want to live under the roof of your enemy in the event there is negativity but the plans still go through. In this scenario, I'd be looking at small claims court to get them to reimburse your change of plans.
I don't think it is deliberate, I just wanted to ask people to see their opinions and I am grateful for your comments. It is just more money that I didn't budget for. You never know when you are going to need more money for eneloops!
You're welcome. It's obvious where you stand on the matter and I think both you and the business will come up with a viable compromise.
I'm yet to go on a holiday where it stays within the "budget". I always put a +50% margin of error, whatever isn't used up is what I "saved".
I don't think this is right at all - not sure if it's legal or not but I would explain to them that if they had told you as soon as you had booked that their was a pricing error that would've been fine. The fact that they have only bothered to tell you 4 weeks later after you had already made all your plans and it's getting close to easter is the problem. Any reasonable person should see that it looks like extortion because of this.
If the hotel offers to refund the booking, tell them that the price of alternative accommodation has gone up since you made the booking, so the hotel has to pay you compensation to make an alternative booking because this is their mistake.
If this an Aussie hotel, you should contact the Department of Fair Trading in the relevant state or territory. Get the hotel to send their request in writing and forward that to the Dept of Fair trading with your complaint. Also let the hotel know that you will make a complaint to the Department of Fair Trading.
This may be helpful:
http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/News_and_even…
See "Deposits and Cancellations" relevant office addresses.
http://www.hmaa.com.au/AboutUs/ConsumerComplaints/tabid/1906…
Despite the small cost of $120ish, I think OP should make a stand.
I mean we're giving the hotel the benefit of the doubt here that they did indeed make a mistake (after OP had paid for the reservation no less) but imagine if this was intentional.
Hotel owners could decide that they had sold off their rooms too cheaply (or purposely advertise lower rates with the intention of calling it a "mistake" later on) during a holiday season and decide that they "made a mistake" one week before the actual holiday, forcing all their customers to either cough up the money or ruin their family's vacation plans.
Also it's unfair for the hotel to only contact OP a month AFTER the booking had been paid for! I could understand they contacted OP within a week but over a month is far too long and smells iffy to me…
Erkk… Booked through Stayz… nuff said. Haven't anything but problems with this site and the people renting properties on it.
I had a similar thing over xmas/new year for a place we wanted to book for 2 weeks. Received a quote, said yeah lets book it in, they went on no can't book that far ahead, blah blah please wait you are first in line etc. Ok this was 7 months out, fair enough I'll wait. contacted them about 4 months out, and said all good etc. ok wait some more. Roll on 2 months before xmas and contacted them again and got the oh yes we have had lots of interest in the place over xmas etc, and we are putting the price up by 40%! Lovely. I didn't book with them, I refuse to be treated like that!
OK, here is the advice from Consumer Affairs. Inform them that you don't think you should should pay it. If they disagree inform them you will pay it under duress and that you will seek to recover the money at a later date. You can request an itemised bill for the additional cost so you know why you are paying extra. The terms and conditions fall under Unfair Contract Terms. If they cancel your booking you can get compensated for all unused services e.g Tours, Transportation costs e.g plane/boat or whatever/car hire etc. Or if you decide to go you can seek comparable accomodation and they would need to pay the difference e.g if your new accomodation costs $200 more than what you were going to pay then they pay for that. It would need to go to small claims coutrt. I am trusting I have a nice discussion where we can avoid any of the above. I have put the information on here to help others who may be in similar or worse situations. This is for Australia. I don't know about other countries. Thanks all.
+1 for Australia <waves plastic flag>
You can request an itemised bill for the additional cost so you know why you are paying extra.
definitely request for one - also are you paying direct or via stayz as per https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/137194#comment-1890991?
The terms and conditions
which are?
Unfair Contract Terms
http://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/contracts-agreements/unfair…
http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/the_acl/downloads/unfa…
this is just like my wife…. except for the accommodation part…
The Good Wife…!
let us know of outcome.
What's the name of the place so we can avoid them?.
I read that but is stayz asking for more money for themselves or are they asking on behalf of the hotelier?, if the latter name the hotel.
If you already paid, I would suggest that you're entitled to your stay for that amount. Click your state on this link: http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=consu…
Call the relevant department and tell them your situation. You will be advised of your rights and how to proceed. Didn't even need OzzyB :)
Just out of interest. Was this a situation where a heap of other online booking sites had this same hotel for same nights at $112 extra and this was the only one cheaper. In those situations I always wonder if the price will be honoured.
But anyway, my above question is irrelevant if the booking is a month old. They should have told you this much sooner. But I am curious
Don't think you would have to pay the extra as you have a "contract" with them
I had a chance to speak to the agent yesterday. She mentioned something about T@C and I mentioned I didn't think it was fair seeing I paid my deposit in early January etc and that those T&C were unfair. I asked for an itemised bill and said I did not want any trouble. She mentioned something about maybe having to not get any commission. I received an email today stating
Total Amount Owing: $0.00
I am very happy with the outcome.
I will let you know how the holiday went.
Thanks all.
Good for you :)
Good outcome.
Shame it had the stress to begin with.
I was about to jump in with a suggestion of threatening to take it to the small claims tribunal - it would cost them far more in time/inconvenience than simply letting you have the stay at the reduced (incorrect) price.:)
Congrats OP. you are quite lucky the agent is kind enough not to make up a pricing error excuse and refund your money which all of Australian consumers are not protected in this kind of grey area.
All's well that ends well!
Congratulations for all the good advice and a successful outcome. A great example of how it pays to investigate and complain about hotel bookings that turn out to be unfair.
I booked a 2 bedroom apartment through booking.com and after having paid, I discovered that it was not two separate rooms which was vital due to my loud snoring.
Took several emails and phone calls to booking.com before the matter was resolved via the Sydney office and a full refund made. JoyVNot only to make this the 100th post but to let everyone know our holiday was great fun at Kangaroo Island.
All terrain Quad biking, Adventure Caving at Kelly Caves ( I got stuck in a small hole because my belt buckle got caught on the ceiling of the tunnel !! ), Sand-boarding at Little Sahara, a spot of fishing, Admiral's Arch and Remarkable Rocks, a Birds of Prey show were all good fun. Lot's of driving - didn't hit any animals. Family had a nice time and the accommodation was as advertised. No issues. Thanks everyone.
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Are they giving you an offer for a refund should you not want to pay the extra? If it was a genuine mistake, not much else can be done really.