otel and roomerflex/roomertravel IS a bait and switch scam, they are both rip off artists, don't believe a word they say!
Don't do business with otel.com or roomerflex.com/roomertravel. My experience is that they both are working together to rip people off. What happens is that you book your trip through some fly by night outfit like otel.com which sends you to roomerflex.com insurance so you buy the insurance in case you have to cancel. You find out that you have to cancel your trip after all and do so immediately and you get a confirmation from roomerflex/roomertravel that you cancelled your trip plenty of time in advance of the 24 hour cancellation policy and that you will get your refund immediately as it says on their website and then it says within 14 days (or 5-7 business days) in their email to me (below) and finally they tell me that they are waiting to hear confirmation from otel.com in order to get your refund! When you contact otel.com they say they have nothing to do with it and to contact roomerflex/roomertravel so by this time you are thoroughly given the run around. I booked a hotel through otel.com and was told I'd get 80% back if I had to cancel and if I bought the trip ins. through roomerflexcom/roomertravel. Well I had to cancel and I still have received nothing back, so, can you say scam?! You can pretty much kiss that money goodbye and put it into the hands of these thieves.
One says talk to the other co. and otel.com says talk to roomerflex/roomertravel. otel tries to compare itself to priceline and travelocity, etc. but they are nowhere even close. Otel says it is not their fault and tries to pass blame onto roomerflex and roomerflex says they are waiting to hear from otel!. If roomerflex/roomertravel tells me talk to otel and otel is saying the opposite then which is it? I'll tell you which it is, it is a scam and complete fraud. Unfortunately I had to book the trip fast so I couldn't research the co. but just the sound of it, otel.com doesn't even sound right. Now I realize, it even sounds like a scam. I had to cancel and I never got refunded by roomerflex/roomertravel which is the trip insurance co. Upon reading some of these other reviews it looks like the voucher otel sent would not have worked anyway. Can you imagine paying for something, going to another country and them having no record of your booking (yet these highway robbers have your money already?) and you arrive at your hotel and there's no record of it? Also, something very strange after I booked it it said NOT to contact the hotel directly! Gee, I wonder why? It must be that when you contact them they will say they don't have a record of it and otel doesn't want you to go and stop payment before they've had a chance to get their money out of you, that's why. So they're telling you they've booked your trip and the hotel itself is saying they have no record of it. That is unbelievable and quite the rip off thus why this review has joined all the others below but instead of just being otel, I see people are also complaining about roomerflex/roomertravel which has joined the mix as well. The two pretty much go hand in hand, they will tell you no, but yes. One of them better refund me my money, obviously the trip insurance Roomer Travel/Roomerflex since otel.com tells you it is non-refundable and hooks you into buying insurance through roomerflex (their partner in crime) in case you have to cancel the trip before 24 hours in advance. Well I did have to cancel and even got the below email back and still no refund! And because you cancelled and the trip ins. co. roomerflex/roomertravel won't refund your money, they are not to be believed. They will tell you just wait, just wait and you have hope it will get taken care of and that you will get your refund but then you still don't have it as promised in their email.
What's happened is that they've both gotten a portion of your money and they are as they say both "in bed together". The joke is on you. Bottom line, you get nothing but grief from these companies so please heed this advice and the advice of the others below and stay away from these two companies and save yourself the trouble. I spent many an hour on live chat with otel and on facebook and on emails with roomerflex.com/roomertravel trying to get it taken care of and trying to get the situation rectified but instead got ripped off. They are both a scam, a fraud and not on the up and up.
Now if for some miraculous reason I ever get my refund/money back I will let you know but until then I am recommending to stay away. All that will happen is that they will take your money and you will never get it back.
Below is the email I got from them: Still waiting......!!!!!!!
"Your hotel reservation has been cancelled
Friday, March 22, 2019 8:35 PM
From:
"roomerflex" <[email protected]> (it's a no reply, that should tell you something!)
To:
karen
Partner
Hi KAREN,
Your RoomerFlex™ 1-click cancellation, has been activated and your reservation for Mar 28 - 02, 2019 has been cancelled.
Please select a preferred payment method, and your refund of 208.26 USD, 80% not including the RoomerFlex™ protection fee, will be processed accordingly within 14 days.
PLEASE SELECT A PAYMENT METHOD (I selected wire transfer of which they have my info through otel since otel already charged me.)
Please note: once a refund has been processed, the money transfer through PayPal takes up to 24 hours, wire transfer up to 5-7 business days.
Customer experience hero Jay
Have a question or need any help?
Visit our Help Center
Regards"
Then they said this to me on facebook....
"We are still working on an issue with OTEL that is why your refund has not been processed yet. And at this time, I can't say when it will be processed. They are not being cooperative and therefore we are unable to proceed with the payout."
See? They put the blame on them and otel is saying it's roomerflex.
Hmmmm, can you say scam???! They are blaming otel and otel is blaming them. So now they've both got my money and are in kahoots so it seems.
If this somehow turns out that I get refunded the money I will let you know but until then, here is the proof of the scam. If they are on the up and up, I don't know why they don't just refund me the money instead of saying otel is not cooperating!!! So? That's not my fault. Then you cooperate with me if you are a good company. By the way, I read the other reviews on otel and it seems like they issue you a hotel voucher and when you get to the hotel you can't use it. Well that's not my fault. I paid for the hotel and bought the trip insurance and cancelled in plenty of time, now roomerflex.com/roomertravel, you are to give me my refund wouldn't you say people?! Don't just say otel is not cooperating, too bad, YOU refund the money anyway if you are on the up and up and a reputable co. Oh, and roomerflex.com/roomertravel will tell you this has never happened but apparently it has because there are other bad reviews about the company on-line. Well it's up to you to make it right roomerflex/roomertravel so will you do that? Just do the right thing and refund the money already! And if I hear one more word about how otel is not cooperating I'm going to scream. That's not my fault. I'm am the customer here, YOU/roomerflex.com/roomertravel are to make this right and possibly eat that cost then if that is what it comes down to and otel is as you say "not cooperating with you". Just do the right thing! And hey, maybe you can give me a free trip out of this for all my troubles but I do at the VERY LEAST expect my refund from you!!!