Bad Customer Service - Unwill to work with their customers
I booked a stay through a third-party website, I made the mistake of booking a day later than when we arrive. The booking was non-refundable and you were not allowed to change it unless you were able ... more
I booked a stay through a third-party website, I made the mistake of booking a day later than when we arrive. The booking was non-refundable and you were not allowed to change it unless you were able to get an exception from the hotel. I still wanted to stay at the hotel and was only asking to change my booking by one day. They said they tried, but that it was not possible due to booking it through a third-party website. I explained that I talked to Expedia and they would make an exception after getting an OK from the hotel. However, the manager was unwilling to work with me and Expedia to make the one-day change. While I understand Expedia's rules they were still willing to help and it leaves a bad impression that the Best Western Plus Sands was not. less
, General Manager at Best Western Plus Sands, responded to this review
Hello,
I am sorry for any confusion. When we were contacted, we did inform you that it was possible to change your date, however due to the booking method you chose, you needed to go through the same channel. In such cases, once Expedia approves the change, which is at their discretion, they will e-mail us a change order e-mail in which we can change the date. Since Expedia is the one holding your money, of course the hotel cannot speak for them. Hotels pay commission to third parties, such as Expedia, based on a percentage of the rate paid to Expedia. If the rate changes when you change dates, we need to be in agreement with Expedia on what the commission will be, therefore furthering the necessity of changing through the booking channel. For example, if the rate on the date you originally booked is $100 and the night you wish to stay is $80, we should not be paying the commission on the $100 as this would put the hotel out of money. Furthermore, when you book a non-refundable booking, the third party provides the hotel with what is called a virtual credit card, which is valid for specifically one day, which is the day you originally booked. This means that in order for the hotel to collect payment for this booking, it must be done on the original date booked, so if we change the date to one day later without going through the third party, we risk not being able to collect payment at all. We are able and willing to change dates when we have availability, but it must be done through the appropriate channels. Not knowing the date specifically we also may have been sold out the following day. If you had booked directly with the hotel, we would be able to change your booking without problem. Unfortunately, the inclusion of a third party makes the process more complicated. Please feel free to contact our front desk manager at 604-682-1831 who can assist you and hope to work out an amicable solution to your situation.