I have been charged with planning a family gathering for my father-in-law’s 80th birthday. As a result I used Booking.com to reserve seven refundable rooms at the Copthorne Hotel in Slough, with a view to cancelling any we would not need when the final guest list was confirmed. With this in mind, I was only searching for hotels that offered “free cancellation”, which these clearly did.
The next morning I was shocked to find that £1,209 had been taken from my account – the full amount for all seven rooms. I contacted Booking.com and the Copthorne, and both said the booking did not have free cancellation. I have since learned we only need four rooms, but both companies are refusing to refund me for the other three.
I have looked repeatedly at the same offer on subsequent dates and it displays exactly the same message – free cancellation – as per my booking.
I believe Booking.com is very misleading and I would never have booked without the option of free cancellation.
What was supposed to be a wonderful family celebration has now turned into a financial nightmare, and I feel sick to my stomach. GC,
Winchester
Booking.com makes much of its “free cancellation” offer, and it is the main reason that lots of people use the site to book hotel rooms.
As soon as I received your letter I went on to the site and made a dummy booking at the Copthorne for a date in June. Like you, I was only offered cancellable rooms – as the below screengrab shows.
As a result I took up the complaint with Booking.com. However, rather than simply sorting this out and refunding you for the three unnecessary rooms, it has disgracefully refused to help. It also appears to have changed its website, and sent us a booking which shows that it offers two rates – one cancellable and one non-refundable.
But that was not your or my own experience of using the actual site. In response, all it has done is send me a statement full of PR speak: “We successfully facilitate hundreds of thousands of bookings every day that result in great stay experiences for our customers all over the world, and we are committed to that mission.”
Happily for you, the manager of the Copthorne decided that customer satisfaction is more important to him, and he has now generously agreed to refund you for the three rooms you won’t need. You are shocked at Booking.com’s response and say you won’t be using the firm again. You are also very relieved.
Meanwhile, have other readers had problems after making non-refundable “cancellable” bookings with Booking.com? Lets us know your experience, good or bad, and we’ll report back – email the usual address.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number