Overpaid for holiday

[doreman]

I booked a group holiday and the price unexpectedly doubled in the last two minutes between the final check and the payment going through. It might have been because everyone was clicking on the link and the algorithm sent the demand pricing higher - I don’t know. I didn’t realise this at time of paying and only noticed when it came to totting up how much each family owed. The booking platform and the vendor have both said I saw the price before I paid and they will not reduce it or partially refund. This is technically true but I would never have purchased it if I’d noticed. Others on the trip don’t want to pay double what we’d agreed, but I also can’t afford to pay double my own family’s share and the rest of theirs. What’s the fairest way of paying me back or do I have to suck up this very expensive mistake?

What? You can’t expect people to pay for your fuck up. If you pressed confirm without looking at the price that’s on you.

This.

I would be tempted to contact your bank if it’s on credit card you might have some protection if you can show original price and what you paid. Not sure if will work but worth a go.

This is so obviously your fault and you've already been on the trip so why you feel entitled to a refund is baffling.

Everyone else also went on the trip, so they should pay their share of what the accommodation cost and if they're not happy, they can arrange it next time.

Sorry, but it's entirely on you, not the vendor/platform nor your friends. You'll need to cover the extra. The price would have been shown before you clicked the final 'pay', you'd have potentially got a OTP with the total from your credit card, you would have got an email confirmation with the amount, and you could see the amount on your credit card bill.

I think it would be entirely fair to mention the sudden price hike in your review though, to alert other bookers.

Everyone saying it's the OPs fault, surely the company aren't allowed to double the price at the final stage of booking? So everything is in the basket at one price then doubles just before you click pay? That can't be legal!
I do agree it should have been queried before you went on the trip though

It's your fault OP.

What did you do immediate after paying? Did you discuss with your friends before the holiday.

I would not be willing or happy to pay double price because my fri Nd made an error at booking. No way. And I definitely would not be paying double AFTER having gone on the holiday already 🤷

I think people are more meaning it’s the OPs fault that it wasn’t picked up before everyone went on the trip. If it was noticed before it likely could have been cancelled. But I do agree with others that you can’t really “eat the food” then complain want your money back after.

Is it possible the price you saw advertised in big writing was for one room and when you paid it it calculated it for the total of all your rooms?

Have you checked the invoice what you have been billed for exactly?

But they've all been on the holiday already! Isn't it a bit late now to be comlaining.

The complaints and request for refund should come as soon as you've booked and realised the error, not after you all get back from the holiday!

It's like buying food in a restaurant, paying up front, eating it all and then a week later complaining you thought the prices were half what they a to were and can you have a refund!

Sorry this has happened to you op , however if my friend told me ‘ I’m booking the ‘villa’ it’s £400 per family, then after the trip said actually it’s £800. I wouldn’t pay. However good the friend was, because I probably couldn’t afford it and it wasn’t what I’d agreed. If id known it was ‘£800’ before hand I would have said no and it would have been back to the drawing board looking for another ‘villa’ . I would definitely query it again as per pp suggestions though. I suppose it’s a bit different if all your friends are minted and you’re not , but still!

Surely you check before pressing confirm. I don't see if the price had doubled how you didn't notice before clicking pay.
I think if you had noticed before the holiday then maybe you could have asked or looked at the cancellation policy, but as you have been on the trip I don't think there is much you can do.
I also disagree with leaving a bad review based on this. A lot of holiday companies do this sort of thing with prices being based on supply and demand. We all know how companies inflate their prices for school holidays, yet many still pay it as there is no choice, which companies know.
I think it would be nice if others contributed to the cost, but ultimately I think it's your mistake and most people would have noticed this sooner.

Similar happened to my friend with Butlins. She priced up the stay, saved the quote and messaged us all the cost. Once everyone had agreed and she went to pay, the cost had significantly increased despite her using the saved quote reference and account. Fortunately for us she noticed and queried it and they said the figure on the quote wasn’t “guaranteed”. Sounded like a scam to me.

Unfortunately as you have already been I think you have to absorb the error, however as others have said I’d be leaving reviews warning people of this. It also sounds a bit like a scam.

It would show you the details to confirm. It won’t have just doubled without any warning. She’s just not checked before clicking confirm.

Did you tell your friends about the new cost before the trip? If you did and they still happily went, with the view of it just be a mistake and sorting it when back, then I think they owe you

If you didnt notice until back or didn't mention until back, then I think you have to absorb the cost... As they haven't had a choice in putting it right before the trip, whereas if you had checked either before clicking pay or straight after, then the issue could have been sorted before hand

You cant give people a price, pay double then either not notice or not say anything until after the chance of putting it right has passed

Though if I were your friend OP I would pay - as mistakes happen and it’s a headache booking and paying for the accommodation for a massive group.

It doesn’t sound like they are willing to though and there’s not much you can do about that.

Do you have an email trail of any quotes? Anything that shows evidence of the last minute double in price? It is something I’d be querying with the holiday company as to how this can happen at the last minute.

Well, it’s a good learning point about demand-led pricing. I wouldn’t have thought it could trigger on so few clicks, but I guess it can…

Perhaps just one person should look at the website and then share screenshots with others? But most people do like to see things for themselves.

But I am a bit staggered that you didn’t even notice at the time. I enjoy a high household income but still whenever I book expensive tickets or anything I am staring at that basket like a scientist for days!

And why have you left it so long to collect the money from your friends? Even with good friends that is asking for issues, as the psychology of paying for something is so different before an exciting trip or lovely meal compared to afterwards when all the enjoyment has passed and people are presented with the bill. Or were you happy to wave your hand airily and be all: ‘Oh don’t worry, we can sort it out afterwards…’ As you have discovered, the potential for that to backfire is huge. Isn’t there a saying, ‘Don’t pick up the bill unless you are prepared to pay it’?

You may be able to persuade your friends to meet the cost of part of it (split the difference?) but fundamentally this was your mistake. Sorry.

Eesh. That's really shitty, OP. Of the booking site. But also a really big wake up call for you to check your credit card bill.
If you had noticed within a cancellation period, I believe the site would have had to refund. At the least the owner may have been willing to negotiate.
Once you have been on the holiday then I am not surprised they won't budge.
How sure are you that the price only changed after your final check and was it before or after entering card details? Could it be linked to number of guests for example?
I would definitely mention it in a review. And would not be volunteering to book any group holidays in future.
If I was in your group, I would likely offer to pay towards the extra cost. If I was you, I would probably expect to suck up the extra.

I’m sorry but this is on you and for you to cover the extra. It’s really crap on the part of the holiday company, and if it had been before the trip I’d have said to push and push and push to either get a partial refund or cancel the trip for a full refund. But you’ve already been on the trip now so it’s a bit late. I can’t understand how you couldn’t have noticed that double the amount of what you’d expected to pay had come out of your account until after you’d been on the trip.
But you can’t ask your friends to pay double what had been agreed you’d all pay because you didn’t notice this until after your trip.

The time to query it was on booking unfortunately. By paying and having the break you entered into an agreement with the provider. Was it on a room basis or cottage/villa rental? Did you under occupy and need to pay difference? I don’t think arguing now will get you far and you either need to agree extra with your friends or suck it up. Presumably you can leave feedback if you think the owner has sharp practice but do be sure of your facts.

I would be annoyed. Once i decide to put something in the online basket it’s because I have agreed with the amount. I don’t think the firm should be able to adjust the price after this point because it’s pretty obvious the price negotiation part of the deal is over.

Tbh I think you have been scammed but given you paid it and went on the holiday there’s not a lot you can do other than perhaps mention it in your review.

Did your family know about the price increase before going away? If they agreed to go knowing it was more expensive then the increase should be split. If they didn’t know either because you hadn’t realised or didn’t tell them until it was too late, then yes the extra is on you.

It’s your mistake so ultimately you will have to pay it. You had the chance to check the price before you paid, when they sent the receipt, when you received your bank statement ,or before you went on the trip.

We cruise a lot and fluid pricing is definitely a thing, one day cruise can be £1,000 and the next day way more. These companies must have some sort of system in place where they can see many people looking/enquiring about particular date and cost of holiday and this seems to put the price up, it’s always best also to clear your cookies online, as this also seems to increase prices for what you’ve searched.

Has this approach of going back and saying you didn't realise how much you paid and would like a refund worked for you before?!