Gill Charlton has been fighting for Telegraph readers and solving their travel problems for more than 30 years, winning refunds, righting wrongs and suggesting solutions.
Here is this week’s question:
Dear Gill,
Last July I was due to stay in a two-bedroom apartment at the Camaro Favignana Aparthotel on Favignana, an island off the coast of Sicily. I made the reservation through Booking.com which took the full payment of €2,860 prior to our arrival.
Unfortunately, our outbound flight on July 8 was cancelled. I informed the hotel immediately to say we’d arrive a day late and they arranged a new boat transfer for us.
On arrival, we found our apartment had been reassigned. The receptionist could only offer a rather tired standard double room which was unacceptable. We checked out after one night, on being assured that the rest of our stay would be refunded.
I was given the manager’s WhatsApp number to sort out the refund. A few days later, following an exchange of WhatsApp messages, the manager offered us €1,636 after deducting the ferry transfer, one night’s accommodation and Booking.com’s commission. I queried the deduction of the commission, after which I heard nothing more.
At that point, four days after we had checked out, I contacted Booking.com for help. Its agents have since emailed the hotel, as have I, but our communications have been met with silence. Can you help?
– Paul Wareham
Dear Paul,
I asked Booking.com why it had not given you more help. You had paid the hotel via its platform on June 11 and have WhatsApp exchanges as proof that a refund had been agreed with the manager, whose final message said: “I finished the count… it will arrive with you shortly.”
Booking.com says that once the booking is confirmed the customer enters into an agreement with the accommodation which is responsible for the “travel experience”. When there is an issue at check-in, it is adamant that the customer must contact its help desk immediately – certainly while they are still at the hotel – so that it can more effectively advocate on their behalf.
The agency also pointed out that the messages between you and the manager were sent off the Booking.com platform and claims that this made it “challenging to determine their legitimacy”. It also wanted more photographic proof to determine whether the room supplied was inadequate, which you unfortunately do not have. Without it, Booking.com will not reopen your case.
I tried contacting the hotel directly by email but received no response. I tried telephoning but a recorded message now says the number is “not recognised”. But when I sent an email from a private email address asking about a reservation I got an immediate response from the manager involved, asking that I WhatsApp him with the details.
I responded but have heard nothing more. This experience shows the difficulty of trying to resolve this kind of problem yourself, especially once you have checked out or refused to accept the room offered. Booking.com will only help resolve the problem if you contact its 24-hour helpline while still at the property.
– Gill Charlton
Your travel problems solved
Gill takes on a different case each week – so please send your problems to her for consideration at asktheexperts@telegraph.co.uk. Please give your full name and, if your dispute is with a travel company, your address, telephone number and any booking reference. Gill can’t answer every question, but she will help where she can and all emails are acknowledged.