Booked and paid for accommodation through VRBO/Expedia, owner cancelled 6 days later then relisted property for 3 times the price on AirBnB. We lost $100 in credit card fees and exchange rates, owner would only offer us a credit in compensation. We are based in NZ not Australia so unsure if this is considered a breach under Australian consumer law but we don’t feel this is fair and reasonable and particularly difficult for overseas visitors to make right. It looks like from our investigation so far that this is a pattern of behaviour. She believes she has a right to chase seasonal prices and we don’t disagree with ‘surge pricing’ but believe you should honour a booking already paid in full.
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Welcome to the community @KiwiAussietraveller
Have you raised the issue with Expedia directly?
Each accomodation provider has a nominated management team within the group, and Expedia has a list of contact numbers into the business including Australia. Unfortunately no NZ number that I could find on the NZ web site. Perhaps the Aussie team can provide or assist more directly. You may have recourse under NZ consumer law if your booking and payment was made through Expedia in NZ
It will also be useful to the discussion to indicate which state the accommodation was booked in. In respect of what Australian consumer law provides each it is typically enforced at state or territory level.
EG for Victoria the following re accommodation booking cancellation offers some guidance, but may vary elsewhere. Tourism industry support | Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions
Checking what was in the terms and conditions provided through VRBO/Expedia and by the accommodation prior to your booking confirmation is important. At least from the Victorian example it indicates as a customer recovering other indirect costs is possible. One on line doc I accessed (legal relevance unknown) supposedly related to Expedia’s advice to hosts is they can cancel a booking without reason and re-list at a higher rate. Expedia suggested hosts do so at their own risk.
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Hi @KiwiAussietraveller, welcome to the community.
While it is unlikely to be a breach of the Australian Consumer Law, it is poor form by the accommodation provider.
Booking platforms allow hosts to cancel bookings. This can be done for a number of reasons such as an emergency closure of the accommodation, from accidental double booking (esp. if the provider doesn’t use a channel manager to manage bookings over a range of booking platforms) etc.
If a provider ‘forgot’ to adjust their prices for a particular time, then this is something outside the control of the booking party and a reasonable accommodation provider would honour the booking at the booked rate. It is poor form if they cancelled a booking because they forgot to set a new rate for the time in question, so that they could then set a new rate.
I would be lodging a complaint with Expedia and also show the evidence you have that they cancelled so that they could significantly inflate the room rate. Also indicate your out of pocket expenses as well. Expedia might take action as it is also their reputation which can be impacted by a accommodation provider advertising on their platform, and doing the wrong thing by the booking guest.
The best way to contact them is through their customer service portal - chat function:
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Hi guys, to answer a couple of questions and to provide update. It was an Adelaide Booking. I have contacted Expedia as suggested above, they directed me to HomeAway call center (bad call line so guessing it is an internet line based in Philippines but lady had an American accent) she confirmed that they would investigate. She did make a suggestion that in future I contact the owner first and this may head any problems off at the pass however while she was on the line I accessed the website and there was no function to contact the owner only to book, when I queried this she said that she had nothing to do with the Expedia website but on the STAYZ website this was an option. This prompted the conversation to try to understand that links between Expedia/VRBO/STAYZ/Homeaway (and probably many more) and how most properties list across multiple websites that all have slightly different functionality and T & C’s which makes it incredibly difficult to get a positive result initially and in terms of problem solving any issues. Makes it easy for all parties to ‘pass the buck’. They have said they will investigate and update me but I won’t hold my breath. She also indicated they don’t control the exchange rate (which I understand) but still not sure why it is ME that has to be out of pocket through no fault of my own. Unlike to to get any further with this but I have learnt a few things along the way!
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Hi @KiwiAussietraveller, thanks for the information on your contact with Expedia/Stayz.
If you hear back from them, it would be great if you let us know what transpired.
If they had reversed the credit card transaction rather than provided a separate refund, you may not have been out of pocket. If they call you, let them know that this should be the case and what should have happened.
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Two useful general observations about Expedia.
Firstly Expedia manage each property through a single management team independent of the brands Expedia owns. Each brand is purely a marketing tool. Hence whether one books a particular accommodation provider in Adelaide based on a listing on Wotif, VRBO, STAYZ etc, there is only one member of Expedia and one team leader responsible for managing all relationships with that provider.
A second point relevant to confirmation of acceptance of a booking suggests Expedia take responsibility for the confirmation to the customer. There may be weasel words in the fine print and T&C’s that vary the intent. To the average consumer it seems a very clear message. If Expedia takes the responsibility to confirm a booking, would a reasonable person expect Expedia to take responsibility for a provider cancelling, especially without due cause?
Worth a Choice Shonky nomination if this one example is typical of how Expedia responds or allows providers to abuse customers booking through Expedia.
The content above is sourced from information Expedia provides to prospective and existing providers. Your Partner in B2B Travel Solutions | Expedia Group
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Another lesson learnt, I wasn’t given a choice in regards to the refund, the first I knew of it was an email saying owner had cancelled due to personal reasons and the refund had already been processed. I will feed this back to them if I ever get a response to the investigation.
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All very interesting points, when the rep that I spoke to suggested that I contact the owner of the property next time before booking and I pointed out that that was not an option provided when I booked with Expedia she did a quick shuffle and palmed it off saying that it was an ‘Expedia issue’ and she was with HomeAway/Stayz/VRBO, when I questioned why I had been put through to her with my complaint for an Expedia issue she then said that they managed only certain sections. Seems like a great way to claim ‘get out of jail free’ for them. Round and round the garden… I thought it was interesting that it says 'Collectively, our sites cover virtually all aspects etc, this explains how no matter how much I try to avoid these websites and go direct, I am unable to!
In regards to your second point, I agree ‘any reasonable person’ would expect if you book through a certain site that they take responsibility for it, not palm it off on subsidiaries and confusing company structures.
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On two occasions we have made bookings with businesses believing we were booking directly with the specific business only to find we were booking through a booking agency.
It is made impossible to change, defer or get refunds.
There is often an assertive NO with no discussion or a complicated difficult to negotiate procedure to go through.
We need to know exactly who we are making our bookings through.
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Welcome to the Community @KateJ
I have moved your post into an existing topic that has mirrored in it, some of the concerns you raise in your post.
Thank you for taking time to post of your experience.
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Welcome to the community @KateJ
What types or examples of bookings are you referring to.
My thoughts go to bookings to attend a live performance. It could be Ballet, Footy or a Popular Singer/Act. One form of Agency. Alternately travel, tours and accommodation also have bookings. Although in most instances the Agencies are readily apparent. In either instance the T&C’s provided when booking should be consulted before completing or agreeing to payment. They may not be what you expect. The ACL (Australian Consumer Law) will apply noting it does not assure any protection if one changes mind or personal circumstances change.
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Hi @KateJ, welcome to the community.
This is concerning and unfortunately is becoming more common.
With our own business, have noticed the increasing number of onselling businesses. I’ll try and explain our understanding of how they work:
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We own an accommodation business where travellers can book directly on our website. Like most accommodation providers, we also advertise through a limited number of recognised booking platforms.
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These booking platforms (Booking.com, Expedia etc) operate under a number of different online websites. An example being Expedia owns Wotif, and booking through Wotif the booking is through Expedia. Likewise with other booking platforms.
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There is a growing number of ‘agencies’ or unrelated businesses which allow booking through their own websites. These ‘agencies’ then book through a major booking platform (e.g. a traveller books through the ‘agency’ which then becomes the booking party with the booking platform, not the traveller). These ‘agencies’ have their own terms and conditions, separate from the booking platforms. They also mirror information from the booking platforms, and look very much like a booking platform, but they aren’t. It is worth noting that an accommodation provider sets some of their own terms and conditions (cancellation policy, extra person policy, payment policies etc) within the rigid framework of the booking platform. The accommodation providers have no control over the terms and conditions of the ‘agency’ when bookings are made through them.
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Accommodation providers have no control of the agencies on-selling their services from a booking platform. These ‘agencies’ are cowboys operating as they see fit. They often impose conditions contrary to that of the accommodation provider and have been known to have their own fees as charges, often hidden in fine print and are charged after a booking is made.
We have concerns in relation to our own business, with travellers being able to book our service through an ‘agency’ we have no control over. For our own business, there is significant risks on our reputation, as their interests are very different to our own. We also can’t stop who onsells our services, as most are foreign businesses outside Australia’s legal jurisdiction. We also can’t block the onselling of our services through these ‘agencies’.
The only advice I can give is to try and book directly with a provider. If one can’t book directly, only then book through known and reputable booking platform.
If one sees accommodation on unknown websites, do not use them. It isn’t in the interest of the person making the booking, nor the provider.
While our example is for accommodation services, the same also applies for a range of other services such as events, foods, car hire, airfares etc. These ‘agencies’ also onsell services from many industries.
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Further to the above post, the other way ‘agencies’ might be involved in an accommodation booking, is real estate agencies. Real estate agencies have been known to advertise short term accommodation on booking platforms, such as Stayz, AirBNB etc. There have been the odd report that this has been done without the knowledge of the property owners. If they don’t know, this is also risky for an owner as their insurances might not cover for short term accommodation.
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