Koh Lanta: Couple go to watchdog after their two night break at luxury hotel is a disaster

[webfact]

Koh Lanta: Couple go to watchdog after their two night break at luxury hotel is a disaster

 

Picture: Daily News

 

A Thai couple have appealed to the Damrongtham watchdog office in Krabi after they booked a two night stay at a luxury hotel on Koh Lanta.

 

After they transferred 3,477 baht on Nov 12th they went to the hotel for their stay on 13th and 14th.

 

The hotel was deserted and closed - apart from a security guard.

 

Anupong, 41, and wife Nannaphat, 47, appealed to the website through which they made the booking and were promised their money back in 15 days. 

 

After seven days they felt uncomfortable and phoned the website and were told they would not be giving a refund after all. 

 

The hotel had told the website that they were open on the 12th. 

 

Damrongtham are investigating by contacting the hotel and the website.

 

No company names were given in the Daily News report.

 

Source: Daily News

 

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[johng]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

No company names were given in the Daily News report.

And that's exactly why things like this happen again and again and again, the draconian defamation laws make sure of that ????

[anterian]

If they transferred the money presumably they used a credit card, these are the people they should now contact. 

[johng]

35 minutes ago, anterian said:

presumably they used a credit card

I'm not sure Thai credit cards have the same consumer protections as in many other countries ?

[FritsSikkink]

52 minutes ago, anterian said:

If they transferred the money presumably they used a credit card, these are the people they should now contact. 

Or a debit card

[Tropicalevo]

Desperate times people.

[soalbundy]

A good way to promote local tourism

[hotchilli]

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

A good way to promote local tourism

Thais scamming Thais... who'd have thunk that.

[jrward42]

I had this a few months ago. Booked the Dusit Thani Hua Hin through Agoda and got there to find it was shut. To be fair, Agoda had tried to tell us numerous times but they all went to my wife's spam folder. We called them and they were really apologetic and professional and said we would get a refund. Which we did. I wonder what site they used? 

[khunjeff]

4 hours ago, anterian said:

If they transferred the money presumably they used a credit card, these are the people they should now contact. 

 

Much more likely that they did a bank transfer from their account to the vendor's account.

[BoganInParasite]

The wife runs a homestay in Pua, northern Nan province. In the last ten days she has received several calls from folks that have booked us direct or through a third party site seeking to confirm they have a booking and the detail. Apparently there has been a spate of Nan and unfortunately Pua accommodation providers turning folks with bookings away saying it was cancelled (they have let it out at a higher rate), or changing a two room bookings to a single room, etc. Appalling behavior. The wife is pessimistic that offenders will be appropriately dealt with. Gives everyone a bad name.

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, johng said:

And that's exactly why things like this happen again and again and again, the draconian defamation laws make sure of that ????

Just write a review on Trip Advisor. Then Trip Advisor will issue a warning about the hotel. Simples.

[thaibeachlovers]

Nothing particularly unusual about that IMO.

I never made an advance booking when travelling outside Bkk because one never knew what to expect. One could turn up at a resort and it would be a building site, or closed for low season.

Never had a problem finding a good place that had vacant rooms.

 

Very much doubt that everywhere will be full at the moment.

 

Never used to book in Bkk either, till immigration started making noises about having an address on arrival.

[moe666]

6 hours ago, anterian said:

If they transferred the money presumably they used a credit card, these are the people they should now contact. 

They could have transfered cash from their bank to the hotel

[Bangkok Barry]

20 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Never used to book in Bkk either, till immigration started making noises about having an address on arrival.

You could always write any hotel's name. They aren't going to know, are they. And even if in a million to one chance someone in a dark room tasked with cross-checking notices you named one hotel and stayed in another, then what? Nothing.

[ifmu]

On 11/24/2020 at 2:26 PM, FritsSikkink said:

Or a debit card

Or 7=11

[sandyf]

On 11/24/2020 at 1:33 PM, anterian said:

If they transferred the money presumably they used a credit card, these are the people they should now contact. 

You shouldn't make assumptions.

There is a good chance the booking was made under the We Travel Together scheme and payment may have been made through the app. The scheme operates a no refund policy.

Some businesses registered with the scheme and then decided not to participate without actually withdrawing from the scheme, my wife always phones to check. It wouldn't be out of the question for an automated booking and payment to have been made.

Had that been the case, one would assume that the government would be out to recover their portion of the payment, but that cannot be taken as read and every chance it would just be written off and the hotel removed from the list.

Edited November 26, 2020 by sandyf

[from the home of CC]

maybe instead of relying totally on the internet (these days especially) a phone call to the hotel's land line would be helpful in determining if they're in operation..

[Don Chance]

Never book in advance.

[Maha Sarakham]

19 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

Never book in advance.

 

Huh?  I always book far in advance and get great deals because of it.  If you meant during the middle of an ongoing global pandemic however, I would tend to agree with you.

[xeniv23]

This happened to me on the way here from Seattle on December 14.  Booked the DoubleTree by Hilton at Seatac airport.  Paid by CC.  Arrived at hotel to be told by security guard that the place had been closed since April.  ???  They took my money, confirmed the reservation, sent me an email....blah blah blah.  Guard mentioned that bookings were transferred to Doubletree at South Center, a few miles and a lot of traffic, away.  I called.  Never heard of me.  <deleted>?  Guy mentioned that I may have been transferred to Hilton Airport Conference center.  Called them.  Yeah, they had me.  ???  Went to check in and they mentioned that there was a $35 a night parking charge?????  So I got to park on the street outside the hotel, not in a secure lot, for $35 a night.  Now I'm here and a 44.90 charge mysteriously showed up on my card in addition to the 35 a night parking plus tax.  Never, ever again in the Hilton chain.  I'll sleep in the car before I ever use them again.  Doubletree is part of the Hilton group.  Turns out that they shut down the Seatac hotel in April but kept taking bookings without mentioning on the website that they were shut down.  What kind of <deleted> is that?