Booking.com Price Error - Want Me to Pay More

Lcoffeed on 03/03/2017 - 01:09

I booked accomodation in NSW for four nights. Like any other person, punched the details into a bunch of travel sites and found the cheapest price for my dates. Booked it on Booking.com. Thought I got a bargain.

Four days later, I get an email claiming that there was a price error on one of the nights I've booked. Mind you, there was no break down of costs per night just an overall sum. Can they really charge me for more than I've booked? I haven't paid for it yet and can still cancel the booking (and they will cancel it if I don't amend it).

Here's some of the email:

'the property has contacted us in order to let us know that several reservations have been loaded with a mistake on the rate for the 7th April.

This property is supposed to have 197 AUD per night in the period of dates booked. You can check this information on our website to verify the accuracy of the data provided in this email.

According to our system, an amount of 21 AUD rate has been loaded incorrectly at the property just for the night of the 7th April. Unfortunately due to this clear mistake, the rate booked for that night becomes not binding under our shared terms and conditions.

21 AUD is an unreasonable price for a night taking into consideration the Standards of the property and the facilities booked.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank you for your understanding with this situation.

****** has contacted us in order to let us know that guests affected would have to agree to modify the rate booked for the night of the 7th April if there is a wish to keep the reservation active.

If you do not wish to agree to this new terms and conditions offered by ******, the reservation would be cancel free of charges on your behalf.

Should you require any assistance with finding a new hotel for the dates of your stay, a member of our team will be happy to help you.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any further questions or concerns. We’re here to help 24/7.

Kind regards,

Here's the T&Cs: https://www.booking.com/content/terms.html

At the time that I booked this hotel, it was listed as a 'Value Deal'. It's bloody annoying thinking that I now have to find somewhere else or pay more when it's not my error and technically any hotel could increase prices to a booking after it's made.

What would you do?

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Comments

  • SeVeN11 on 03/03/2017 - 01:22

    just cancel it… what's the big deal?

  • retiredfeline on 03/03/2017 - 01:25
    +1

    If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. #pricingerror

  • ozhunter on 03/03/2017 - 03:34
    +4

    Cancel and start looking for another hotel.

    • tomsco on 03/03/2017 - 07:26
      +2

      This. Hopefully money talks in this occasion and all the "effected" bookings cancel and look elsewhere.

  • pantsparty on 03/03/2017 - 10:03
    +3

    Per their terms and conditions - "Obvious errors and mistakes (including misprints) are not binding.". I would argue the fact that you never received a price breakdown by night, so there is no way you could have spotted this "obvious" error, and ask them to cut you some slack. Tell them that otherwise you will need to cancel the booking. Word the email in a courteous way, don't come across as a nagging customer.

  • agom on 03/03/2017 - 10:06
    +2

    Terms and conditions are always loaded in favour of such sites/corporations. I guess you cannot do much other than paying the difference, as they have "Terms and conditions" to fall back to. Sites like booking.com make money based on peoples trust (they don't sell products & services). One of the worst thing that can happen to them is, dent in their brand image. Post their demand mail in social media and other forum and let them know you are posting. A news channel might want to make a story out of it…check with them.

    Their "sincere" apology doesn't say anything about the deal that you might have missed out because of their mistake… IMO they should have at least offered some discount or coupon for future booking, as a gesture of goodwill rather than holding you to a ransom

  • KikouLOL on 03/03/2017 - 17:26
    +2

    On this occasion I believe the hotel wants to cancel the reservation, not booking.com. They make money out of the commission they charge the hotels so I don't think it is in their advantage to cancel reservations. The hotel made a mistake when they entered their rates, too bad for them.

    I'd try my luck, refuse the new rate offered and explain to them that your reservation was confirmed at that price, and that you don't understand why the hotel decides to change the rate after you booked the room. Hotel might bite the bullet but chances are you'll get a crappy room.

    I travel a lot and one thing I have learnt from all these hotel websites is that you always have a better deal if you call or email the hotel, they'll always match the price, and are even happy to throw in an upgrade or a freebie like a breakfast or a late departure.

  • Thrawn on 05/03/2017 - 08:57

    Since you booked 4 nights and the error was only 1 night that's only about 20% for the whole booking. Booking sites make a make a decent margin.. I reckon if you press the issue you would probably get the booked price.

    Likely they had a lot of people just booking one night for $21, so they sent a mass email out to everyone booking that particular night. But since you booked many nights, the hotel and booking.com can make it up on the margin on the other nights

    • retiredfeline on 05/03/2017 - 09:46

      $21 wouldn't even get you a bed in a hostel in a city these days, so good luck persuading the hotel to wear the loss.

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