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Original poster

Is this legal? Hotel charge related

20 replies

lalalandi · 01/01/2022 19:42

Booked and paid for a hotel for this evening, it was £70 via booking.com

When we got there they said they need a £100 security deposit which will be refunded in 5-7 working days after check out.

I've already paid for the room. I asked if I could get a refund on the room and go somewhere else, they said no and they won't release the keys without the £100 deposit.

Wtf?! Can they do this?

I can't afford to lose £100 on top of the £70 I've already paid, and certainly not wait 5-7 working days to get the money back!

OP posts:
KaptainKaveman · 01/01/2022 19:46

Did it say this in the small print? Seems odd.

Scottishnewbie2022 · 01/01/2022 19:47

Seems odd. Most places just take a credit card don’t they.

Original poster
lalalandi · 01/01/2022 19:52

I think it might have been in the small print, they mumbled something about the booking being made by a third party.

Really not happy!

OP posts:

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ShirleyPhallus · 01/01/2022 19:56

They usually do this if you have a debit card but no credit card. Which do you have?

MrsMigginsEggNogShoppe · 01/01/2022 19:57

Don't they just do a pre-authorisation on the card? I work in a similar role, not hotels though, and we just do this. Once we've checked everything the hold is cancelled. The money doesn't leave your account at all, it's just ring-fenced.

Original poster
lalalandi · 01/01/2022 20:09

@ShirleyPhallus

They usually do this if you have a debit card but no credit card. Which do you have?

I have both. They said cash or card, so I put it on debit card.

OP posts:
Original poster
lalalandi · 01/01/2022 20:10

@MrsMigginsEggNogShoppe

Don't they just do a pre-authorisation on the card? I work in a similar role, not hotels though, and we just do this. Once we've checked everything the hold is cancelled. The money doesn't leave your account at all, it's just ring-fenced.

It's definitely gone out of my account Sad

OP posts:
Gorseinon22 · 01/01/2022 20:19

I think it is.

I was advised by someone at one hotel a few years ago about the cut that is taken by booking.com and other accommodation sites, and that they sometimes do not pay the hotel until after the stay. I have taken to booking direct with hotels, at least in the UK, assuming I can cancel with no penalty (say at a few days notice). Maybe something to consider for the future.

MushroomHunter · 01/01/2022 20:20

Are you in the uk?

It’s fairly standard in the EU and in some parts of the uk. Yes, they can do it and it’s probably in the t&cs somewhere. Very annoying though.

Original poster
lalalandi · 01/01/2022 21:06

@Gorseinon22

I think it is.

I was advised by someone at one hotel a few years ago about the cut that is taken by booking.com and other accommodation sites, and that they sometimes do not pay the hotel until after the stay. I have taken to booking direct with hotels, at least in the UK, assuming I can cancel with no penalty (say at a few days notice). Maybe something to consider for the future.

Thank you! I didn't know this, really helpful info thanks.

OP posts:
36degrees · 01/01/2022 22:09

I fell foul of this and ended up paying twice for one night, once to the website and once to the hotel itself. My credit card company wouldn't do a chargeback because it was two transactions under £75. I would always book direct through a reputable chain now, or if I had to use hotels.com or booking.com would select the pay at hotel option.

gogohm · 01/01/2022 22:12

Usually they just preauthorise it in the U.K., however in both the USA and Canada I've actually been charged. I use a credit card so nothing actually comes out. Chains like premier inn don't, they are exception

skyblueone · 01/01/2022 22:19

I stayed in a hotel in August where they took £50 as a deposit when we checked in, I hadn't heard of this before but it was refunded 48 hours later.

WhatsitWiggle · 01/01/2022 22:20

It is normal especially when booking via a third party. If you pay by debit card, the card will be charged and refunded, as there's always the possibility you can empty your account of funds. If you pay by credit card, it puts a hold on the funds until you check out so you won't actually see a charge unless you spend in the hotel.

EmpressCixi · 01/01/2022 22:21

I’ve stopped using booking.com. At the start of the pandemic, I had to cancel a trip to York. It was a booking that had free cancellation up until 3 months before. I had paid a deposit of half the booking cost.

The trip was in August 2020, five months later when I cancelled in March 2020 via Booking.com So I should have got my money back pandemic or no pandemic. I got the notice from booking that the hotel had agreed to full refund due to their zero cost cancellation. But the money never was put in my bank account. I chased it up with Booking.com who claimed it could take 21 days to hit my account but my cancellation and refund was definitely approved. Still no refund, so contacted again. Was told contact the hotel, did that they said it was cancelled and they’d pay my deposit back in 2 weeks at most. Never happened, so chased again. At this point I was now at the 3 mo cancellation deadline, my booking.com account showed trip as cancelled. The hotel then said they’d never got the cancellation notice?! Denied they’d ever said it was stated that I was now due to pay second half of booking cost as I’d “missed the cancellation deadline”.

I politely refused after sending them screen shots of the dated messages from their hotel confirming the cancellation and demanding my deposit back. They did nothing. Booking.com did nothing. So it ended with the hotel keeping my deposit and me not paying the rest of the money for a trip that was illegal to take due to Covid.

Yummiliscious · 01/01/2022 22:34

I am not surprised, some hotels require a refundable deposit, I always put that on a credit card so it’s refunded before the credit card bill needs paying.

DirtyDancing · 01/01/2022 22:39

I've stopped using booking.com too. It's extortionate. I only book direct now

Original poster
lalalandi · 01/01/2022 22:43

@EmpressCixi

I’ve stopped using booking.com. At the start of the pandemic, I had to cancel a trip to York. It was a booking that had free cancellation up until 3 months before. I had paid a deposit of half the booking cost.

The trip was in August 2020, five months later when I cancelled in March 2020 via Booking.com So I should have got my money back pandemic or no pandemic. I got the notice from booking that the hotel had agreed to full refund due to their zero cost cancellation. But the money never was put in my bank account. I chased it up with Booking.com who claimed it could take 21 days to hit my account but my cancellation and refund was definitely approved. Still no refund, so contacted again. Was told contact the hotel, did that they said it was cancelled and they’d pay my deposit back in 2 weeks at most. Never happened, so chased again. At this point I was now at the 3 mo cancellation deadline, my booking.com account showed trip as cancelled. The hotel then said they’d never got the cancellation notice?! Denied they’d ever said it was stated that I was now due to pay second half of booking cost as I’d “missed the cancellation deadline”.

I politely refused after sending them screen shots of the dated messages from their hotel confirming the cancellation and demanding my deposit back. They did nothing. Booking.com did nothing. So it ended with the hotel keeping my deposit and me not paying the rest of the money for a trip that was illegal to take due to Covid.

That's awful!

OP posts:
lljkk · 01/01/2022 22:43

We had to do $50 deposits on hotel rooms in USA recently. Was new thing to me, too.

Ng16rain · 01/04/2024 11:15

MrsMigginsEggNogShoppe · 01/01/2022 19:57

Don't they just do a pre-authorisation on the card? I work in a similar role, not hotels though, and we just do this. Once we've checked everything the hold is cancelled. The money doesn't leave your account at all, it's just ring-fenced.

Except most accountants and companies are to lazy to clear the deposit correctly and so customers end up having to wait the full 7 days for the automatic clearing . Being on disability benefits in my case for all intents and purposes Ive had that money taken off me and I’m fed up of Hearing the it’s only ring fenced trying to explain to bank can you please train your business banking partners correctly as it means I’m unable to buy food so it means it’s been taken from me

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