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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is really unfair?!

54 replies

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 17/01/2019 19:20

I needed to book a room to stay over for a wedding in February. At 11pm last night I went onto booking.com to book our room... I went through the whole thing and put my card details in and got the confirmation...

It was for last night! I obviously pressed back somewhere and the date reset to the day I was looking and I didn’t realise. As soon as I got the confirmation at 11.45pm I tried to call, no answer, and then emailed to say I’d made some mistake and I was trying to book for X date in February and obviously wasn’t trying to book into a hotel at 11.45pm on the day I booked it and could they please change it to the date I needed, so sorry etc.

I got the reply today saying sorry, but the hotel cannot grant these exceptional circumstances and your card had been charged £255 for last night.

Wtf???

Why would I book a hotel room at that time for that night?? It was clearly a mistake and I still wanted to book a room... I called the hotel and they confirmed that, sorry, they can’t do anything, this is their policy.

I don’t know who exactly to complain to but I’m super upset that they can’t see common sense in this situation??

OP posts:
nokidshere · 17/01/2019 20:38

Call your debit card company and despute the charge. Explain it is fraud as far as you are concerned. They will take it from there. They will refund you and then fight with the hotel company

Yes to this! NatWest refunded my money instantly then took it up with the company.

beansontoastfortea · 17/01/2019 21:02

Definitely report the transaction as a fraud

VanGoghsDog · 17/01/2019 21:17

It's not bloody fraud!
And don't tell booking.com their website is faulty, it's not (I have literally just used it, use it all the time).

Try booking.com again but do a debit card charge back from your bank too. You don't have to lie and say it's fraud, just say you are owed a refund and don't authorise the payment.

Weightsandmeasures · 17/01/2019 21:46

Why is it not fraud? It was clearly a mistake and they are defrauding her.

Please explain why it is not a fraud?

Sweetpea15 · 17/01/2019 21:48

Phone booking.com. Was it a small independent hotel? If so they can just move your booking to the right date and it’ll already be paid for. But booking can help on your behalf - I work in a small family owned hotel.

mouthkisses · 17/01/2019 21:54

Seems really shortsighted of them, if they refund you now with no issue, you'd book them in February. But being arses about it means they might have your money from last night, but you wouldn't book them again and you'll tell this story to everyone you know! Entirely from a business perspective it seems really silly.

Vedette89 · 17/01/2019 21:54

@weights, fraud is an intention to deprive someone of their funds /assets.

There's no suggestion that the hotel did that, this isn't fraud.

Weightsandmeasures · 17/01/2019 21:54

www.sapling.com/8544303/can-pending-transaction-debit-card

Weightsandmeasures · 17/01/2019 21:56

Yes they did exactly that. They know it was done in error and that she cannot use the service she accidentally paid for. By holding on to her money knowing full well the transaction was a mistake is tantamount to fraud.

newyear2019newusername · 17/01/2019 21:59

By holding on to her money knowing full well the transaction was a mistake is tantamount to fraud

The OP entered into a contract - just because she's decided that she made a mistake and has changed her mind, that doesn't make the contract invalid.

OP, you may have to chalk this one up to experience; lots of people have learnt this one the hard way and you'll triple check when you book in future.

ceh7777 · 17/01/2019 22:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DonCorleoneTheThird · 17/01/2019 22:05

How can you say it's fraud, it's ridiculous and clearly bad faith.

Yes, there was a mistake, but it's not an obvious one. How is an hotel supposed to guess that a guest meant another day? It's common enough to book a room at the very last minute.

The hotel, or booking. com should make a gesture of good will, but they haven't done anything wrong. It's not their mistake.

DonCorleoneTheThird · 17/01/2019 22:08

They know it was done in error and that she cannot use the service she accidentally paid for.

they had absolutely no way of knowing that there was a mistake at the time they accepted the booking.
The time is not an unknown one to make a booking.
The distance, that they had no way of knowing anyway, would prove nothing either. PA or partners at home in front of a computer are the best person to book a room for someone who only got a phone.

Technically, there might have been someone else trying to book that room 2 minutes after the OP, and refunding means losing the full cost.

Ask for a gesture of good will, but don't pretend it's their fault

NorthernRunner · 17/01/2019 22:13

It isn’t their fault so don’t expect a refund, you may get lucky and deal with someone understanding but it’s not their wrong doing. It’s definitely not fraud, they were not trying to mislead you or con you into parting with your money.
I agree the website can be a pain to navigate, especially if you are using your phone, but you should have triple checked the dates.
Sorry OP I think you may have to stomach the loss.

Moltenpink · 17/01/2019 22:16

Hi, please contact the hotel accounts department. I would definitely refund it, just be honest. They should transfer the money as a deposit. Which chain is it?

Boodlesnap · 17/01/2019 22:16

Agree with previous posters who say go to your bank. The scheme is called Charge back scheme. Every bank has a little cottage industry of people looking into complaints of this nature. It doesn't need to be fraudulent, it's for faulty goods or where you've not received goods paid for. They may well cover it.

Moltenpink · 17/01/2019 22:17

I work for a hotel group btw.

Moltenpink · 17/01/2019 22:18

We get lots of non arrivals chargebacks from booking.com, they are impossible to defend because there is no pin or signature, therefore use this as a last resort.

Maelstrop · 17/01/2019 22:19

You can try social media/appealing to their better nature, but tbh, it was your error.

DelphiniumBlue · 17/01/2019 22:25

That's happened to me on that site, although I'm sure I didn't make a mistake as it gave a date I hadn't even looked at.
They were really unhelpful, even though I contacted them with seconds of receiving the wrong confirmation, and charged 200 pounds to put it right.
I will never use booking.com again.
It felt like a scam, and the customer service people sounded so bored that I got the impression this happens a lot.
I can only suggest anyone using the site screenshots the final booking, cos guess what- you can't go back to that page afterwards to prove anything.

SingaSong12 · 17/01/2019 22:27

You can definitely appeal to their better nature/use SM. They will still be getting the money, agree with pp stronger case if hotel had other rooms available at the same price for that night. Also speak to a manager.

(Info below relates to English law)
There is usually a final screen with all details that the customer has to check. If the details on there were accurate you were making a contract.

There is no general right just to change your mind when you make a contract. Here you have decided that you actually wanted to book for February. (Given the type of contract there is no right to cancel under distance selling either.)

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/cancelling-a-service-youve-arranged/

Chargeback is a scheme with banks voluntarily run to give rights when purchasing with a debit card. It is for goods or services not received or faulty. In this case the hotel room was there as booked.

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-youre-protected-when-you-pay-by-card#debit-card-payment-protection-and-chargeback

TornFromTheInside · 17/01/2019 22:28

Is the wedding being held at the same hotel?
That might hold some sway.

It might help to be very apologetic and ask to speak to the manager - explain that 255 is a lot of money and it was intended for a wedding... that you are happy to make a new booking there and then, it was an honest mistake on your part etc etc.

If they can see the potential benefit and you don't get accusatory with them, you never know...

MrsBandersnatch · 17/01/2019 22:50

If it's any consolation (probably not) I've done the same thing.

It happened because I went out and back into the page on booking.com, and the default date is the current day's date.
There wasn't much I could do. It was my fault and I have often done same day bookings before (on purpose). It does give you opportunities to check the date as you go along, but I use the site so often I was just going through the motions without checking.

I rang them up straight away but couldn't get through till next morning. No joy. It was my fault.

VanGoghsDog · 17/01/2019 22:58

I doubt the wedding itself would get moved so not much point making empty threats and pointed comments.

Legally, the hotel and agent have done nothing wrong here. Sad though it is that they can't be more helpful.

Tippexy · 17/01/2019 23:05

You have to go through a confirmation screen before you pay. It’s your fault for not double checking the details.

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