Question: I have two problems with Expedia that I was hoping you could help me sort out. I booked a stay at an all-inclusive hotel in Cancun called The Royal. We paid extra specifically for a corner suite, which, according to advertising on the resort’s site and Expedia, entitled me to a “two-sided ocean view” and an “assigned” beach cabana.
When we arrived, our second side view was of the rooftop of another hotel. The assigned cabanas have been nonexistent for more than a year. All guests must battle it out for a cabana, first come first serve.
When I complained to the general manager he was unsympathetic and would not refund the difference in price between the next lower-priced room that did not offer these two features, and what we paid. The Royal has been unresponsive to me and to Expedia, which attempted to intervene on my behalf.
I tried to post a review on Expedia, but it flatly refused to publish it. I have followed its rules, but it has repeatedly told me it won’t post my write-up because I’m not following the rules. Expedia won’t tell me which rule I didn’t follow.
I firmly believe Expedia has a policy of not posting unflattering reviews of properties it represents. I know for a fact from other sites that others who rented my same class of room ran into the exact same set of lies and refusal to address the grievance and none are posted on Expedia. Can you help me get my money back and publish the post? – Bob Ledford, Seattle
Answer: Expedia should have given you the room it promised, and if it couldn’t, it should have issued a quick refund and published your comments on its site.
When you noticed your accommodations were not what you had expected, you immediately asked the resort to address your problem. Good move. You also contacted your online travel agent, asking for help.
Expedia guarantees that the hotels it sells will meet your expectations. Have a look at its Expedia Promise, which assures you that “you can depend on our information.” To me, your story sounds like a promise not kept.
I think you could have been a little bit firmer with both the hotel and Expedia. Rather than working the phones from your room, you might have removed your belongings from your quarters, parked yourself at the front desk and politely requested that you be moved to your proper room and shown your private cabana. If there were no other rooms, then it was time to either re-negotiate your room rate with Expedia’s help or check into a resort that would meet your requirements.
I asked Expedia about its posting rules. The agency said it prohibits the use of “vulgar or inappropriate language, discussing refunds or pursuits of a refund, naming any Expedia or hotel staff or discussing your conversations with Expedia and/or hotel staff.” None of your comments appeared to violate its rules.
Expedia reviewed your case and determined that your review had been “temporarily declined” so that the online agency could verify the information you provided and make any necessary changes. It says your write-up was in the queue awaiting approval and by the time you read this, should be on the site.
The company also refunded $378 – the difference in price between the room you booked and the next room type down.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I just went to Expedia to read his review and what a surprise, it’s still not there. The more I read about Expedia the more I realize my experience a number of years ago when they rented me a hotel room in Ireland for a hotel that didn’t exist at the time of booking or wasn’t due to open for a year after my stay wasn’t an isolated incidence. It took me threatening to go to the Travel Industry Council of Ontario before they would even reply to my complaint, but surprisingly not 20 mins later I was refunded the booking.
The review is there now:
Bob L from seattle does not recommend this hotel
It took them five months to clear that review? I wonder how many management meetings were involved.
So they refunded the price difference. I imagine Bob’s entire vacation was ruined due not only to the room being the wrong one, but to him feeling a justifiable sense of injustice all the time during his stay and after.
A refund of $378 might have been appropriate during the time of the dispute, but they should have to refund the entire trip for being so stubborn about the whole thing.
I am not one who asks for excessive compensation when things go wrong, but thinking about all of the frustration they caused, it should be a bigger settlement than the price difference…anyone else feel the same way?
You can’t put a price on a ruined vacation, but $378 is certainly not it. You’re right that it is a puny amount but the really sad part is that Expedia, like most travel-related businesses, refused to accept responsibility until someone who has a travel site contacts them and then they do what they should have done months ago. When an airline pulls that bs with me, I stop using that airline. While I realize I’m starting to run out of airlines, I would put Expedia in that same category.
The supposed review says very little about the crux of Bob’s complaint as described in this article – wonder whether Expedia redacted certain portions that it deemed false or inaccurate?
Based on a few minor problems with both Expedia and Travelocity, here’s what I’ve decided to do in the future: Use those websites as search engines only, to find the best fare or the best fit hotel. Then do the actual booking directly with the airline or hotel. That way, in case of a problem, the online agent and the actual service provider can’t get into a buck-passing game about whose fault it is and neither of them wanting to make compensation.
Gee, Dr Wong… ya think?
Always book directly with the hotel, airline, etc. The few bucks you save with these middle men are not worth the way more than infrequent flubs we are constantly reading about.
Everyone trying to pinch a penny then boohooing when they actually get the kind of service they pay for.
I do exactly what Linda does… use Expedia and other sites like it to find what’s in the area I want, then I book through the hotel.
I was the front desk supervisor for a year in Phoenix and people who book through third party sites were ALWAYS considered second-class citizens. We put them in the worst rooms and were very unwilling to work with them.
Also, many times Expedia and such wouldn’t fax us their reservation, so someone would come to check in and we’d have no record that they were staying with us… not our fault, but there was nothing we could do, except talk to the operator in India and try to get their reservation. It once took 3 phone calls to get them to fax it to me.
PLUS, you can request a certain number of beds and smoking/non-smoking, but Expedia had no idea what we had available, so, if we were out of 2 doubles and only had 1 king, it didn’t matter what you requested, you were SOL.
Take it from a former insider. NEVER book through a third-party, even if it’s slightly cheaper, you still get treated poorly.
In todays Make Money Now world my advice is no matter how or whom you choose to book with, it’s best to work backword from the assumption that they are Liars, Cheat and Thieves of a magnitude that is currently unfathomable to the average person.
If it’s written? READ it! Every single word BEFORE you sign. Don’t like what you read? Move on.
If you were told it, get full name and title of the person who told you and make notes. They come in handy later on in the story.
The worst thing that can happen to you if you assume everyone is a rip off is be pleasantly surprised when you’re not ripped off.
Hell of a way to live but you have to now.
When you have an experience like the one described by Mr. Ledford, you can always vent your frustration on Trip Advisor, which many people rely on when making travel plans. The vent, of course, should be accurate and with reasonable language. :-)