Agoda discriminating non-Thai speakers!

[madmitch]

Agoda has been a ripoff all the time, they pretend that you save 50% on early bookings. But when you include the taxes it's the same price as all other online companies offer.

Several times in Thailand I got a better price by contacting the hotel directly .

And at other times I have gotten a much better rate with Agoda. Here's the crunch with the online booking engines: Their inventory usually consists of the lower end rooms aka the worst rooms in the hotel. These are the rooms where you request a double bed and receive 2 singles, where the rooms are the ones over the loading dock, or near the noisiest parts of the hotel. Agoda's biggest weakness is its lack of transparency, because it doesn't include the service charges and taxes in the room rates its shows. Booking engines like Booking.com and Hotels.com do. No one is forced to use Agoda, and a smart consumer checks a few booking engines as well as the hotel. I have done this with my next trip up to Issan. There is a definite difference between the large chains website inventories and the booking engines. Fairmount, Hilton and Sheraton have all said they offer the better rooms to their card holders. Accor (Novotel/Ibis/Sofitel/Mercure) has a price guarantee that it won't be undercut by the booking engines, and in 5 years of using them, they have done that for me. The so called website discounts come by not offering the same options such as no free wifi access or breakfast. My point is that one has to check multiple service providers.

You may well be right with the bigger chain hotels but this is not the fault of Agoda or any other booking engine, it's the hotel policy. Also remember you don't usually get points from your hotel chain by using a booking engine, even though the price may be the same.

[nidieunimaitre]

Maybe knowing that Thais in general earn less that westerners, Agoda is trying to give something back to the community?

Bottom line if you don't speak the local language you are fair game.

Dear OP, Please write to your mother and tell her the world is not fair!

Actually, the Op did not write to his mother.

That would probably have been rather pointless.

In stead, the Op wrote to Thaivisaforum, a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters, so that we could make up our own minds, based on facts.

Ah! The advantages of the combination of the free market and the internet.

A good move Op! Thanks for the information.

[Felt 35]

If there's any price differential it will have nothing to do with Agoda as has been rightly said before, the hotels themselves set the prices, terms and conditions, not Agoda.

Agoda often offer promotions to its hotel clients and it's up to them if they want to participate or not.

It is not discrimination by Agoda, if anything it is discrimination by the hotels which offer a different price for the Thai website.

Agoda themselves have no reason to offer discounts for country specific websites as they would only be reducing their actual commission.

However, it may be worth someone mentioning this as it does not look good for them and they should be aware.

I use Agoda both as a hotel client and as a booker and do recommend them. I have found their customer service superior to its rivals, even though I don't particularly like the rate they show which is exclusive of taxes and service.

And a note to everyone that doesn't know: ignore the struck-out rack rate on all hotel sites. It is often just made up!

Its seems sometime its steered by the network( pc location) and also language chosen. Checked a few hotel's in Hua Hin a couple hours ago and one particular through trip advisor,which check the prices on 3-4 different booking sites. The best price was on agoda when the language was Thai, then I switched to my native language and the price went up with 400 Thb. Yes I can afford the extra 400 Thb but so can a Thai who can afford the same hotel.

[djayz]

I tried to reproduce the price difference pointed out by the OP, tried 5 hotels but the price was always the same in English and Thai...

Can anyone reproduce this?

Just for the heck of it, I compared the pricing of various hotels in BKK (same dates, etc.) in both Thai and English and always ended up getting the exact same price...

[whoisyourdaddy]

Try reading before you answer!

1/ It is not 2, but 3 dollars, you are 50% off.

2/ Op did not say thousands of dollars, but 100s of thousands.

3/ No not for the Op, for Agoda.

4/ Agoda's "best price garantee" means "best price garantee", in any language.

Try understanding what you read and it that fails, look the pictures

Price difference between english and thai versions is $2-$3 DOH

Thank you sir, I followed your advise and read again, thought again, calculated again.

The difference in the screen picture was 1,363.64 - 1,263.18 = 100.46 baht, or THREE dollars, NOT 2 dollars.

Now let's move on to my comments 2, 3 and 4.

PS. Surely you have been told before that alcohol makes you argumentative and rude (in several posts)?

and 100 baht is not $3??

Or did you struggle again to understand $2-$3 difference.

But if 100 baht is so much money for you, best you stay home

[whoisyourdaddy]

Maybe knowing that Thais in general earn less that westerners, Agoda is trying to give something back to the community?

Bottom line if you don't speak the local language you are fair game.

Dear OP, Please write to your mother and tell her the world is not fair!

Actually, the Op did not write to his mother.

That would probably have been rather pointless.

In stead, the Op wrote to Thaivisaforum, a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters, so that we could make up our own minds, based on facts.

Ah! The advantages of the combination of the free market and the internet.

A good move Op! Thanks for the information.

I guess you and OP never heard of defamation laws in Thailand

[VocalNeal]

Maybe knowing that Thais in general earn less that westerners, Agoda is trying to give something back to the community?

Bottom line if you don't speak the local language you are fair game.

Dear OP, Please write to your mother and tell her the world is not fair!

Actually, the Op did not write to his mother.

That would probably have been rather pointless.

In stead, the Op wrote to Thaivisaforum, a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters, so that we could make up our own minds, based on facts.

Ah! The advantages of the combination of the free market and the internet.

A good move Op! Thanks for the information.

I guess you and OP never heard of defamation laws in Thailand

a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters

The only truism there is rare!

[Tomtomtom69]

If there's any price differential it will have nothing to do with Agoda as has been rightly said before, the hotels themselves set the prices, terms and conditions, not Agoda.

Agoda often offer promotions to its hotel clients and it's up to them if they want to participate or not.

It is not discrimination by Agoda, if anything it is discrimination by the hotels which offer a different price for the Thai website.

Agoda themselves have no reason to offer discounts for country specific websites as they would only be reducing their actual commission.

However, it may be worth someone mentioning this as it does not look good for them and they should be aware.

I use Agoda both as a hotel client and as a booker and do recommend them. I have found their customer service superior to its rivals, even though I don't particularly like the rate they show which is exclusive of taxes and service.

And a note to everyone that doesn't know: ignore the struck-out rack rate on all hotel sites. It is often just made up!

I've just checked the Agoda website and compared the English and Thai versions for one northern Thai city. I couldn't spot one difference in price whether it was expressed in THB, USD or another currency. I also checked price differences for a city in Cambodia and couldn't find anything different either (although I'm assuming the OP was referring only to booking hotels in Thailand, but he/she wasn't clear about that).

I think the OP should give us an example of a city and hotel for us to compare as I don't think Agoda would practice such discrimination - I agree if it occurs, it might be the hotels but I also highly doubt that a hotel would offer two sets of prices to Agoda either.

[Tomtomtom69]

If there's any price differential it will have nothing to do with Agoda as has been rightly said before, the hotels themselves set the prices, terms and conditions, not Agoda.

Agoda often offer promotions to its hotel clients and it's up to them if they want to participate or not.

It is not discrimination by Agoda, if anything it is discrimination by the hotels which offer a different price for the Thai website.

Agoda themselves have no reason to offer discounts for country specific websites as they would only be reducing their actual commission.

However, it may be worth someone mentioning this as it does not look good for them and they should be aware.

I use Agoda both as a hotel client and as a booker and do recommend them. I have found their customer service superior to its rivals, even though I don't particularly like the rate they show which is exclusive of taxes and service.

And a note to everyone that doesn't know: ignore the struck-out rack rate on all hotel sites. It is often just made up!

Its seems sometime its steered by the network( pc location) and also language chosen. Checked a few hotel's in Hua Hin a couple hours ago and one particular through trip advisor,which check the prices on 3-4 different booking sites. The best price was on agoda when the language was Thai, then I switched to my native language and the price went up with 400 Thb. Yes I can afford the extra 400 Thb but so can a Thai who can afford the same hotel.

OK so Hua Hin...I'll check that.

Anyway, I have noticed another trick car rental companies in Thailand use. Avis Thailand offers better rates if you use their local website (whether you use the English language version or Thai language version, it's the same) compared to the international site. Actually, only an idiot would use the international site given how much more they charge there and how easy it is to find the local site. Even after getting a discount for say a book for "3 days pay for 2" offer on the international website, you're still paying more than booking those 3 days on an everyday deal on the Thai website. For example, a Honda City rented for 3 days might cost a whopping 4500 Baht on the international website, but only 2700 on the local site.

[garrya]

Try reading before you answer!

1/ It is not 2, but 3 dollars, you are 50% off.

2/ Op did not say thousands of dollars, but 100s of thousands.

3/ No not for the Op, for Agoda.

4/ Agoda's "best price garantee" means "best price garantee", in any language.

Try understanding what you read and it that fails, look the pictures

Price difference between english and thai versions is $2-$3 DOH

Thank you sir, I followed your advise and read again, thought again, calculated again.

The difference in the screen picture was 1,363.64 - 1,263.18 = 100.46 baht, or THREE dollars, NOT 2 dollars.

Now let's move on to my comments 2, 3 and 4.

PS. Surely you have been told before that alcohol makes you argumentative and rude (in several posts)?

and 100 baht is not $3??

Or did you struggle again to understand $2-$3 difference.

But if 100 baht is so much money for you, best you stay home

Mate. You might need to come off the stuff, or are you just here to insult people?

Why are you wasting your "precious" time here?

[nidieunimaitre]

Maybe knowing that Thais in general earn less that westerners, Agoda is trying to give something back to the community?

Bottom line if you don't speak the local language you are fair game.

Dear OP, Please write to your mother and tell her the world is not fair!

Actually, the Op did not write to his mother.

That would probably have been rather pointless.

In stead, the Op wrote to Thaivisaforum, a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters, so that we could make up our own minds, based on facts.

Ah! The advantages of the combination of the free market and the internet.

A good move Op! Thanks for the information.

I guess you and OP never heard of defamation laws in Thailand

a rare collection of intelligent, well travelled posters

The only truism there is rare!

Could it be that it is also rare for you to understand sarcasm?

And may I suggest you and some other posters look up Monty Pythons "argument sketch"? According to these filosofers, systematically saying the opposite does not constitute a discussion...

[whoisyourdaddy]

Mate. You might need to come off the stuff, or are you just here to insult people?

Why are you wasting your "precious" time here?

Point of your post is ???

Edited February 28, 2014 by whoisyourdaddy

[nidieunimaitre]

Knowing Thailand you would never book in advance, you just go where you like to go and find a nice place to stay. Thais do it, why you don't?

Fatfather

Sent from my phone

Yes, if you are travelling a l'improviste, it is fun to just check out hotels when you get there.

But when I have a precise plan, I find it cheaper and convenient (reviews!) to book through a booking site.

Usually I use booking.com, occasionally Agoda - but I have always hated their last moment add ons, and now I read in this tread that they have different prices for different customers.....

You actually rely on reviews?

What are their last moment add ons? taxes?

Good to see yet another experienced traveler

1/ I do not rely on reviews, where did you get that idea? However, as I have an open mind, I do take reviews into consideration.

2 Their last minute add ons are "service charges" that are included in the original quoted price of f ex booking com

3/ About the 'experienced traveler' remark: for starters, that is not relevant, and furthermore I could give you an answer to that, an answer that would make your socks fall off, but I won't, since it is irrelevant in this so called discussion.

4/ That laughing emoticon that you like so much, should be banned or restricted to use in kindergarten.

[HooHaa]

that's the last straw!

I'm voting with my feet.

I'll never stay in a hotel again.

Edited February 28, 2014 by HooHaa

[nidieunimaitre]

that's the last straw!

I'm voting with my feet.

I'll never staying in a hotel again.

What does a poster with a sense of humour do on a forum like this?

[HooHaa]

i try not to weep.

[nidieunimaitre]

i try not to weep.

That does it.

I'm off to buy more Kleenex.

[whoisyourdaddy]

1/ I do not rely on reviews, where did you get that idea? However, as I have an open mind, I do take reviews into consideration.

2 Their last minute add ons are "service charges" that are included in the original quoted price of f ex booking com

3/ About the 'experienced traveler' remark: for starters, that is not relevant, and furthermore I could give you an answer to that, an answer that would make your socks fall off, but I won't, since it is irrelevant in this so called discussion.

4/ That laughing emoticon that you like so much, should be banned or restricted to use in kindergarten.

I see, so because Agoda model is to show nett rate it must be a scam?

Were you aware that booking.com and Agoda are same company? Just different models and target markets.

Were you aware there is absolutely nothing illegal in showing the nett rate? And add ons are taxes which simply included on other sites?

Were you aware all booking engines make hotels sign price guarantee ? Ie prices must be the same on all sites

Were you aware all the booking engines are being sued in US for price fixing?

I am guessing the answer is no to all.

Well hopefully now you are aware and will not continue with the nonsense

[nidieunimaitre]

1/ I do not rely on reviews, where did you get that idea? However, as I have an open mind, I do take reviews into consideration.

2 Their last minute add ons are "service charges" that are included in the original quoted price of f ex booking com

3/ About the 'experienced traveler' remark: for starters, that is not relevant, and furthermore I could give you an answer to that, an answer that would make your socks fall off, but I won't, since it is irrelevant in this so called discussion.

4/ That laughing emoticon that you like so much, should be banned or restricted to use in kindergarten.

I see, so because Agoda model is to show nett rate it must be a scam?

Were you aware that booking.com and Agoda are same company? Just different models and target markets.

Were you aware there is absolutely nothing illegal in showing the nett rate? And add ons are taxes which simply included on other sites?

Were you aware all booking engines make hotels sign price guarantee ? Ie prices must be the same on all sites

Were you aware all the booking engines are being sued in US for price fixing?

I am guessing the answer is no to all.

Well hopefully now you are aware and will not continue with the nonsense

Kleenex, I need more Kleenex.

For different reasons than you do, obviously.

[garrya]

Mate. You might need to come off the stuff, or are you just here to insult people?

Why are you wasting your "precious" time here?

Point of your post is ???

Asking why you are using disdainful, insulting language towards other well-intentioned posters.

Manners?

[Slip]

Could it be that it is also rare for you to understand sarcasm?

And may I suggest you and some other posters look up Monty Pythons "argument sketch"? According to these filosofers, systematically saying the opposite does not constitute a discussion..

Yes it does.

[Edit bold for clarity].

Edited February 28, 2014 by Slip

[ravip]

After all... "English speaking" people are more educated, civilised, superior, richer etc etc to the Thai speaking people.

So, why not enjoy the privilege of paying more?

They are considering them "Hi so"

[whoisyourdaddy]

Mate. You might need to come off the stuff, or are you just here to insult people?

Why are you wasting your "precious" time here?

Point of your post is ???

Asking why you are using disdainful, insulting language towards other well-intentioned posters.

Manners?

If you have a problem with that use PM, otherwise you are just trolling

[chr1st1an]

Knowing Thailand you would never book in advance, you just go where you like to go and find a nice place to stay. Thais do it, why you don't?

Yeah that's what I'm doing now, too, using HotelQuickly. And @whoisyourdaddy - I am of course aware that agoda and booking.com both belong to priceline. And yes, rate parity agreements is also nothing new to me (which is the reason for their "best price guarantee") Still, HotelQuickly is cheaper in every single hotel that I checked, so I guess it's not worth that much.. Still, when I'm trying to pre-book a hotel I have to rely on a website and it just p1sses me off to be cheated by a stock-listed company

[whoisyourdaddy]

Knowing Thailand you would never book in advance, you just go where you like to go and find a nice place to stay. Thais do it, why you don't?

Yeah that's what I'm doing now, too, using HotelQuickly. And @whoisyourdaddy - I am of course aware that agoda and booking.com both belong to priceline. And yes, rate parity agreements is also nothing new to me (which is the reason for their "best price guarantee") Still, HotelQuickly is cheaper in every single hotel that I checked, so I guess it's not worth that much.. Still, when I'm trying to pre-book a hotel I have to rely on a website and it just p1sses me off to be cheated by a stock-listed company

To me more than anything, it sounds like you work for this hotel quicky, why else would you mention it in every single post and why would you go to check agoda when you have your quicky

why not just come out and promote your website, instead of trying to defame others

[chr1st1an]

haha good one. means you work for agoda? or for the ministry of humorism?

[whoisyourdaddy]

haha good one. means you work for agoda? or for the ministry of humorism?

If i worked for Agoda, this thread would have been closed already and you would have been charged and most likely arrested.

Funny thing is, your name here is Christian, and so it happens co founder of your hotel quicky is also named Christian,

[chr1st1an]

haha good one. means you work for agoda? or for the ministry of humorism?

If i worked for Agoda, this thread would have been closed already and you would have been charged and most likely arrested.

Funny thing is, your name here is Christian, and so it happens co founder of your hotel quicky is also named Christian,

I should meet the guy, I like him already

I would have been charged and most likely arrested? Interesting

[whoisyourdaddy]

haha good one. means you work for agoda? or for the ministry of humorism?

If i worked for Agoda, this thread would have been closed already and you would have been charged and most likely arrested.

Funny thing is, your name here is Christian, and so it happens co founder of your hotel quicky is also named Christian,

I should meet the guy, I like him already

I would have been charged and most likely arrested? Interesting

Hong Kong laws are not the same i guess, keep it up, good start for a company trying to defame a giant. I am sure you will do well

[chr1st1an]

haha good one. means you work for agoda? or for the ministry of humorism?

If i worked for Agoda, this thread would have been closed already and you would have been charged and most likely arrested.

Funny thing is, your name here is Christian, and so it happens co founder of your hotel quicky is also named Christian,

I should meet the guy, I like him already

I would have been charged and most likely arrested? Interesting

Hong Kong laws are not the same i guess, keep it up, good start for a company trying to defame a giant. I am sure you will do well

Why don't you send them an email then? I'm sure they're happy to get your feedback. (On a personal note: I'm working for an insurance, based in BKK)