to want to get some money back?

[TopDonkey]

It was my birthday last week and as a surprise my DH booked a hotel for a night away. We had our DS (5 months) with us so it was a nice treat and we had a lovely time.

DH did not want to tell me the price but I had a sneak peak on the hotel website and found what we had (superior double room only) was £84. I mentioned in conversation to him that I snuck a peak and he was shocked saying he had found a deal on latedeals for £104 reduced from £170 so booked a room around 3 weeks in advance.

Now, I am sure latedeals works with the hotel adding their own advert and setting their own price so why would they say an £84 room used to be £170? DH thought he was getting a good deal by paying £104 but he actually paid £20 more then their own normal website price.

Can I ask what you would do in this situation? We don't have proof that it said £170 reduced to £104 but we do have a screenshot of his receipt to say he paid £104. We had such a nice time but I just feel so ripped off!

Oh, dear! For £20, can you possibly dwell on what a nice time you had and not turn it into a mission to try to get money back?

I agree.... Why spoil the memory?

It's £20, your DH didn't want o tell you so you just enjoyed the treat but instead you have got yourself into a tizz about nothing really. Why can't you just enjoy the treat you had?

For what it's worth, hotels fluctuate their prices around seasonal events and the lead up to Christmas may have meant that is what happened. Post Christmas is notoriously lean for hospitality and so they may lower the price further to attract custom. You had a old deal at the time, you enjoyed it, so why do you want to complain now?

Good! Not old deal. iPad has ruined my communication skills... Argh

Thank you all for replying! Yes it is only £20 but it still goes towards the bills/food. I think I'm more annoyed they invented a price of £170 before putting it on 'sale' but still charging more then the original price which I'm sure they can't do.

We are a young couple and I suppose this is another lesson we have to learn.

Hotel prices change all the time. Its a risk you take choosing when to book im afraid. The price your oh paid will be correct at the time of booking, not the time of staying.

Well, I think ywbu to check out the price of your DH's gift by looking at the website. He tried to do something nice for you, and instead of enjoying it, you're just worried about having been ripped off.

As others have said, hotel tariffs fluctuate wildly. The price may well have been correct at the time of booking. When did you look at the website?

As others have said, you have to let this go. Hotel room prices fluctuate. When you looked it was £84. When he wanted the room it was £104. Time of year, time of the week, demand will all mean the price varies. Same concept as booking holiday accommodation - one week will be cheaper than another.

Hotel prices can change hourly. They an do what they like. I am not sure what you feel entitled to when they advertised a price and your husband paid it.

There isn't anything you can do. When he booked it he 'agreed' that he was paying that price for it. Have you never sat next to a stranger on an aeroplane you find is in the exact same seat for half the price you paid? It's very annoying but the nature of the industry.

OP, I think I get where you're coming from, and most replies have missed the point. It's not the £20 difference so much as it was being advertised as being reduced from £170, which it probably never was in the first place (unless ALL their rooms are permanently discounted to £80-100). It's at best a bit misleading - rather like the price tickets in TK Maxx which say the RRP of a garment is far more than it probably ever was, so when they sell it for 1/3 of that price it looks like a bargain.

It's a lesson learned that discounts sometimes aren't all they seem to be. With hotels I've found checking their own websites rather than laterooms or 'deal' sites sometimes gets a lower rate.

Sorry about the money BUT at least you had a nice time. Would be much worse of hotel had only been mediocre!

I've found that Laterooms/Lastminute and any of those sites advertise the prices at whatever they are but if you book directly with the hotels you can get them at least £10 cheaper. A certain number of rooms are allocated to 'booking sites' and I suppose they make their money from the bookings they attracts.

The 'full' price shown on late rooms etc is usually the hotels normal nightly tariff, these are very often displayed on the wall in the hotel lobby, or in the room etc. The full price is usually the price an hotel would charge if you walked in off the street and said you wanted a room for the night.

However, hotels will discount, usually quite heavily, for advance bookings. Exactly how much they discount by will depend on what night you stay, how long in advance you book etc.

Your partner has not been ripped off, you are not comparing like for like. And it's always worth contacting a hotel directly, as of course all holiday companies take their cut, so their price may be more expensive.