Expedia is apologizing after a B.C. man was forced to pay twice for a hotel after he accidentally booked the wrong dates for his trip. “It was an honest error,” said Kenneth McLean.
Back in June, the Vancouver resident was planning a trip to Vancouver Island.
He booked a Victoria hotel through Expedia for the dates of Aug. 3 to Aug. 7, 2021.
However, when he received confirmation from the third-party travel site, McLean says he realized he had made an error by entering the wrong dates. He had accidentally typed in June 21 to 22, 2021. McLean says he reached out immediately, but couldn’t get through to an Expedia representative until the following day. He says Expedia instructed him to call the hotel, but because he booked through a third-party site he was redirected back to Expedia.
McLean called Expedia again and requested the booking be simply moved to the correct dates in August, but was denied. “They say we can’t do that,” he said.
McLean had also purchased the extra trip cancellation insurance through Expedia at the time of checkout but was later informed his policy didn’t cover his situation and reimbursement couldn’t be granted.
McLean was out over $200 and was forced to book and pay for his hotel a second time. “I felt really upset and angry. I felt I was taken advantage of,” McLean said.
Consumer Matters reached out to Expedia on McLean’s behalf. Within days McLean received a full refund of $256.59 and a $50 travel voucher as a goodwill gesture toward future travel.
“We apologize for the confusion and frustration this traveller experienced during the process, at Expedia, we always strive for the best experience,” Expedia said in a statement.
“We understand sometimes these errors occur when booking and always encourage travellers to double-check reservations and reach out to us, as soon as possible.”
It’s important to remember when booking on third-party sites, cheaper rates can sometimes mean non-refundable rates which is why McLean says he will be extra careful the next time he makes an online booking.
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