Hotels.com - Refusing to honour their Price Match Guarantee

dilallio

I normally use Hotels.com, and they have a Price Match Guarantee which states:

If you find a lower rate for your hotel on another site just let us know and we'll refund the difference to you. It's that easy.
Unlike some other sites, we don't just give you 24 hours from the date you book your hotel - if you find a lower price, anytime, right up to the hotel's cancellation window just let us know and we'll match the price. So it doesn't matter if you find a lower price 3 hours after you book or 3 months after, our guarantee still applies.
Of course, the lower price you find needs to be for the same dates, length of stay and room type but that's it.

Just tried to book a room in a particular hotel for 5 nights in Prague in Sept. and I used Skyscanner to show me the price across loads of booking sites.

Double Standard Room.
Hotels.com - €524.86
Agoda.com - €342.15
Otel.com - €305

Because I have an account with Hotels.com and always found them fine, I called them, gave them the url's and details for the same hotel on Otel.com & Agoda.com, and asked them to match the price.

They refused. They told me that the difference is too much!

Of course I asked their rep. about their price match guarantee. He says
"We only match the price if it's below a certain percentage"

I reminded him again that their guarantee does not say this, and his answer was:

"I'll raise it with the web site team and see if they will update the wording of the price match guarantee"


Is there anywhere I can complain about this?


Thanks,
dilallio

MOH

Had you already booked with them? If so I'd be demanding they matched the price, if that was part of the T+Cs, or refund you.

If you hadn't already booked then not much you can do, apart from letting them know you won't be using them again.

jor el

dilallio wrote: »

Is there anywhere I can complain about this?

No. Hotels.com is an American website, and there is no consumer protection for using it. They can say and do pretty much anything they want.

If you're not happy, don't give them your money, and instead spend it on the cheaper sites.

keithclancy

Would this help ?

Discount code: 10%
HCSUMK6

dudara

This is a deal that they offer themselves, and it is not subject to consumer law.

It is very bad form though that their T&Cs do not cover this and that they are also refusing to honour it.

dilallio

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I guess I'll just keep away from them in the future.

dilallio

bcirl03

dilallio wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I guess I'll just keep away from them in the future.

dilallio

Just a thought but you could run this by Conor Pope over at the Irish Times, I know from time to time Pricewatch do have some very interesting articles not to dissimilar to yours.

jor el

dilallio wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I guess I'll just keep away from them in the future.

dilallio

Not necessarily. Check out the domain records for the three sites you listed. Neither of the other two have any meaningful data, they are registered almost invisible, or through a 3rd party. Hotels.com register to their own address.

http://whois.domaintools.com/hotels.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/agoda.com
http://whois.domaintools.com/otel.com

Hotels.com is a reputable site. I've never heard of the other two. If the price looks unbelievably cheap with them, then you shouldn't believe it. Having an invisible domain registry is as dodgy as a 9 bob note.

maxer68

when in doubt key in "problems with otel/agoda/hotel.com" into google and see what people say.

For both Otel & Agoda there are pages and pages of problems, though some people say that have had good experiences.

For Hotel.com one or two minor issues show up, but more to do with things like wifi and other descriptive items.

I know who I'd avoid.