Aussie traveller feels 'screwed over' by Booking.com after a reservation mishap
- Replies 8
When plans go awry, dealing with customer service can be an absolute nightmare—an experience that’s all too familiar for some Australian travellers.
Take Maddison Elliot, a customer who recently found herself embroiled in a booking debacle with the popular travel website Booking.com.
She accused the company of leaving her and her mother stranded and out of pocket, while Booking.com pointed the finger at the hotel.
Maddison and her mum embarked on a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney to see Taylor Swift in concert.
They started their long journey home on February 27.
With fatigue setting in and Maddison nursing an injury that made extensive driving challenging, the pair decided to break the journey in Coffs Harbour, NSW.
'We were a four-hour drive from home, too tired to continue, and I have an injury that was prohibiting me from driving long distances in one go,' she said.
They turned to Booking.com to secure a $105 room at an Ibis Budget Hotel for the night.
Upon arrival, however, the hotel reportedly had no record of their booking, even though it had been paid in full.
Maddison explained the bewilderment she felt at the front desk, watching her mum on the phone with Booking.com, while appealing to the hotel's front desk staff.
'So my mum is on the phone with Booking.com, I'm talking to the lady at the front desk [and] she says “Look, I can't do anything, [the booking] is not coming up,”'
'We were out of pocket $105 and had nowhere to stay—at this point, it's 10pm.'
Desperate for a solution, Maddison called Booking.com back, hoping they would provide alternatives or a refund.
'They were very hesitant to give it back [and] we’re still waiting for the money to come through.'
Exhausted and out of options, Maddison and her mother booked a room directly with Ibis.
Booking.com stated that 'upon further investigation', they can verify that the booking was confirmed 'immediately' and a notification was sent to their email address.
'The hotel had also messaged the guest to confirm their Booking.com reservation,' Booking.com said.
'Regardless of the issue, our goal is always to resolve our customer service queries as quickly and satisfactorily as possible. In this instance, due to the confusing experience the customer encountered with the property, we have arranged a full refund.'
The booking platform also stated that although 'it's rare' for a reservation to be delayed, clients can contact customer service 24/7 for assistance.
Still, Maddison remained adamant that the glitch originated from Booking.com, saying, 'They have the nerve to email me to apologise on behalf of the accommodation.'
Social media users echoed Maddison's experience, with several sharing similar booking nightmares on the site.
'Same, this happened to me this week! They told me they could only give me 25 euros back when my hotel was 1200 dollars,' one user shared.
Hotel industry insiders chimed in and suggested customers should make reservations directly with the hotel whenever possible to avoid such frustrations.
'I work at a hotel in Perth. Never use Booking.com, Expedia, or any third-party website. [There are] always issues, and we cannot help unless you have booked [directly],' one said.
'Third parties are the worst for lapsed time. I’ll have folks waiting an hour and a half for a reservation to go through, and they’re livid at me, of course. Glad I don’t work front desk anymore,' another added.
However, amid the online criticism, some defended Booking.com, and argued that fault rests on the hotel's side rather than the booking platform.
'It sounds like the receptionist didn't have full access. Bookings in any online travel agency (Booking.com, Hotels, etc) are confirmed automatically. But the hotel's “channel manager” needs to confirm from their side. In short, this is 100 per cent the hotel's management mistake,' one replied.
'I have worked in hotels, and with Booking.com sounds like a f**k up from the hotel,' another commented.
Have you experienced any difficulties with a third-party booking platform before? Share your stories with us in the comments below.
Take Maddison Elliot, a customer who recently found herself embroiled in a booking debacle with the popular travel website Booking.com.
She accused the company of leaving her and her mother stranded and out of pocket, while Booking.com pointed the finger at the hotel.
Maddison and her mum embarked on a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney to see Taylor Swift in concert.
They started their long journey home on February 27.
With fatigue setting in and Maddison nursing an injury that made extensive driving challenging, the pair decided to break the journey in Coffs Harbour, NSW.
An Aussie traveller experienced a reservation mishap with Booking.com. Image source: Booking.com.
'We were a four-hour drive from home, too tired to continue, and I have an injury that was prohibiting me from driving long distances in one go,' she said.
They turned to Booking.com to secure a $105 room at an Ibis Budget Hotel for the night.
Upon arrival, however, the hotel reportedly had no record of their booking, even though it had been paid in full.
Maddison explained the bewilderment she felt at the front desk, watching her mum on the phone with Booking.com, while appealing to the hotel's front desk staff.
'So my mum is on the phone with Booking.com, I'm talking to the lady at the front desk [and] she says “Look, I can't do anything, [the booking] is not coming up,”'
'We were out of pocket $105 and had nowhere to stay—at this point, it's 10pm.'
Desperate for a solution, Maddison called Booking.com back, hoping they would provide alternatives or a refund.
'They were very hesitant to give it back [and] we’re still waiting for the money to come through.'
Exhausted and out of options, Maddison and her mother booked a room directly with Ibis.
Booking.com stated that 'upon further investigation', they can verify that the booking was confirmed 'immediately' and a notification was sent to their email address.
'The hotel had also messaged the guest to confirm their Booking.com reservation,' Booking.com said.
'Regardless of the issue, our goal is always to resolve our customer service queries as quickly and satisfactorily as possible. In this instance, due to the confusing experience the customer encountered with the property, we have arranged a full refund.'
The booking platform also stated that although 'it's rare' for a reservation to be delayed, clients can contact customer service 24/7 for assistance.
Still, Maddison remained adamant that the glitch originated from Booking.com, saying, 'They have the nerve to email me to apologise on behalf of the accommodation.'
Social media users echoed Maddison's experience, with several sharing similar booking nightmares on the site.
'Same, this happened to me this week! They told me they could only give me 25 euros back when my hotel was 1200 dollars,' one user shared.
Hotel industry insiders chimed in and suggested customers should make reservations directly with the hotel whenever possible to avoid such frustrations.
'I work at a hotel in Perth. Never use Booking.com, Expedia, or any third-party website. [There are] always issues, and we cannot help unless you have booked [directly],' one said.
'Third parties are the worst for lapsed time. I’ll have folks waiting an hour and a half for a reservation to go through, and they’re livid at me, of course. Glad I don’t work front desk anymore,' another added.
However, amid the online criticism, some defended Booking.com, and argued that fault rests on the hotel's side rather than the booking platform.
'It sounds like the receptionist didn't have full access. Bookings in any online travel agency (Booking.com, Hotels, etc) are confirmed automatically. But the hotel's “channel manager” needs to confirm from their side. In short, this is 100 per cent the hotel's management mistake,' one replied.
'I have worked in hotels, and with Booking.com sounds like a f**k up from the hotel,' another commented.
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