This year the paddle steamer Waverley advertised two excursions that have been on my bucket list for 30 years. I therefore used Booking.com to book three nights at a hotel in Oban. The cost was £150 which was non-refundable.
The paddle steamer – the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world – has since been withdrawn from service because of urgent repairs and as excursions on it were my only reason for being in Oban, I contacted the hotel to see if I could cancel. It agreed to let me change my dates, but then I noticed Booking.com offers customers an option to find out if they can cancel for less. I clicked through and received four emails, all confirming that although the hotel has a “no free cancellations” policy, it agreed to waive charges in this instance and my bookings had been successfully cancelled for free.
To my horror, the full cost of my stay had been debited from my bank account. I cannot raise a reply from Booking.com.
I didn’t actually ask to cancel myself, and certainly wouldn’t have done so if there was any chance I would get charged.
RBH, Boston, Lincolnshire
Predictably, Booking.com shed light on confusion as soon as it realised a headline was looming. It says the fees were waived accidentally since the booking was non refundable. By way of an apology it reimbursed you the day after I got in touch.
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