Booking.com Rate Hike / reservation cancellation strategy Internet
This is the third travel website that has cancelled my reservation by email without calling me to notify me first.
WHY do they make it mandatory to input a phone number, when they don't call you???
In this instance, I made a travel reservation for business. I made the reservation a month ago, to secure the lowest rate possible. The reservation was for lodging in Boston, and rates continue to climb daily. The credit card I used to book the reservation was charged to hold the room. Later in the past month, my card was stolen and I cancelled it.
Instead of calling me to put a new card on hold for the room (which I won't be staying at for another 3 months), they simply cancelled the reservation. The operator instructed me to make a new reservation, as the previous reservation was deleted; a new card could not be input to replace the old.
I proceeded to make a new reservation - however today's rates totaled a more than $600 increase from my original reservation!
AND, this is not hte first time i've experienced shady internet politics like this. EXPEDIA emailed me a few years back indicating "woops, the room we reserved for you actually is double booked, so your reservation is cancelled". They indicated I could book a new room somewhere else, however the rates had doubled as it was now prime travel season. I would up reserving a place much further away from my destination, with less amenities, at a higher cost.
It appears to be regular internet-industry practice to routinely cancel reservations for one reason or another, forcing users to pay top dollar, artificially inflated rates. There should be a class action lawsuit. Moreover, there should be a requirement that the company provide best faith practices to notify the person - in writing, AND by phone - BEFORE the cancellation is made, in order to allow the opportunity to retain the original booking. FINALLY, any re-reservation should be granted the original purchase price.
It is outrageous that people are being subjected to this manipulative rate hiking practice. Where is customer service? Where is the price match guarantee?