Couple Nearly Ends Up Sleeping on Streets in New Zealand, After Booking.com Screws Up Their Booking, Incurs Over $600 in Phone Bills to Rectify Situation

Sharing her horrendous experience with Booking.com, an accommodation booking platform based in the US, Shei Kee said she booked 11 nights stay at a hotel in New Zealand in Aug 2022, but ended up nearly having to sleep on the streets, as the booking was screwed up.

According to Shei Kee, she and her partner turned up at the hotel in New Zealand, only to be told that they did not have any booking under their names, and that the hotel had already stopped working with Booking.com.

Shei Kee was shocked, and was having trouble finding a hotel room to stay at the last minute that they could afford. Last minute hotel room bookings are notoriously expensive.

Fortunately, the staff at the hotel in question was kind enough to let them stay for one night to sort out their predicament. The first thing that Shei Kee did, was to call Booking.com. However, after being put on hold for over two hours, the customer service at Booking.com told them that there was nothing they could do for them, except process their refund.

After lodging a subsequent complaint, staff at Booking.com, eventually helped them settle down in another hotel, and compensated for the difference in hotel rates.

Upon returning to Singapore, Shei Kee, got a rude shock, when she received her phone bill for the month. The international call they made to Booking.com, had cost them over $600.

When Shei Kee wrote in to Booking.com, to request for them to cover their phone bill, they were told that this was not possible, and that they were only entitled to compensations in hotel rate differences.

Shei Kee is still seeking recourse for the $618 in phone bills she incurred, trying to resolve a screw up caused by Booking.com.

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