26.08.27SCAM — Extremely Unprofessional and Misleading
This felt like a scam, and it was an extremely unprofessional experience. After reading other reviews following our experience, I was shocked to see similar reports from other customers describing the same type of last-minute transfer. If this is happening repeatedly, it is completely unacceptable.
Shortly before check-in, when our booking was already non-refundable, the hotel contacted me saying they could not charge my American Express. I responded promptly and changed the payment method to my Visa card. They then contacted me again saying they still could not charge the Visa, despite this same card working without issue for multiple overseas Agoda bookings.
I immediately contacted my bank, who confirmed there were no restrictions preventing international transactions. We asked the hotel to retry the payment or allow us to pay upon arrival. Despite multiple attempts to contact the hotel and the booking platform, the hotel stopped responding. Yet, on the day we arrived, the payment was suddenly charged.
The biggest issue was what happened at check-in.
After a long flight, we arrived expecting to check into the hotel we had booked well in advance. A group of approximately six other guests arrived after us, were attended to first, and were given their rooms. When it was finally our turn, we were suddenly told that our room was unavailable because of an electrical issue and that we would be transferred to a “more luxurious hotel.”
This was extremely difficult to accept. If there was genuinely a safety issue, why were we only informed upon arrival, after our payment had already been taken? And why were other guests still being checked in?
The replacement hotel was also not more luxurious in our experience. It appeared to be lower-standard accommodation, with a significantly smaller room and a room configuration that did not match what we had booked.
We had planned and booked our holiday months in advance, expecting a relaxing trip after a long journey. Instead, we were left dealing with a last-minute hotel transfer, uncertainty, and disappointment the moment we arrived. It completely ruined what was supposed to be a well-planned and relaxing holiday.
After reading the experiences of other guests, this does not appear to be an isolated incident. This is extremely unprofessional and unacceptable. Hotels should not be able to advertise and accept bookings for rooms, take payment, and then potentially transfer guests to different accommodation upon arrival under the guise of a “more luxurious” alternative.
Agoda should seriously review this property and consider removing it from the platform. Travellers deserve to receive the accommodation they actually booked and paid for—not find themselves transferred somewhere else after a long flight with no meaningful explanation.
26.08.22자정 넘어 방문, 객실의 전기 배선 문제로 숙박이 어렵다며, 1군 벤탄시장 근처의 호텔을 잡아줌. 숙박을 아예 다른 곳에서 해서 뭐라 평가할 수 없어 모두 별 3개로 통일함. 전기배선 문제가 사실인지 알 수 없으나, 다른 호텔 예약을 직원이 직접 택시를 잡아 함께 이동해서 모든 준비를 해줘서, 불만은 없음.