I made a booking through hotels.com and booked it starting a Friday night. Then after looking at flights realized, it would be cheaper to fly in on a Thursday instead and pay for the extra night at the hotel. Since my booking through hotels.com offered changes and free cancellation I went to the site to change my booking. However, was unable to modify the booking and had to contact the customer service department through chat.
Hi, I'm your Virtual Agent Just a moment while I get your information.
Give me a second to gather your info.
I see you have this booking.
What can I help you with?
Me: Change booking
Your estimated wait time: 1-2 minutes.
Would you like to continue?
Me: Yes
Help is on the way!
Connecting you with an agent as soon as possible.
Please keep this chat open. If you leave this page or make other selections, you could lose your place in line.
Then I received a real person.
Agent: Hi, This is ___ Please allow me a moment whilst I review your conversation. As I see you wish to make some changes to your reservation?
Me: yes. I booked from Friday to Sunday and should have booked Thursday through Sunday However, when I select change booking it is greyed out and doesn't let me change the dates
Agent: Is this the reservation you're talking about?
Interestingly enough, she sent me the only booking I have with them. What else would I be talking about?
Agent: Please allow me a moment, while I quickly check the hotel policy and availability. Also keep the chat window open, so that we stay connected.
This took a really long time by the way. Then she came back with.
Agent: Upon reviewing , I would like to inform you that the booking type you made that is hotel collect, unfortunately, in such type of booking we're restricted to make changes from our end. I would request you to once get in touch with the property and ask them to make the changes of the dates on there end manually
Me: What's the point of offering change booking if you can't actually change the booking?
Agent: I apologize, but inaccordance to the booking type that you made that is hotel collect, changes is not possible from our end.Sure, I can cancel the booking if you wish to.
For the continuation of the conversation, I’ll admit I was being a jackass. She is some person working in a customer service center most likely at a low salary, whose job is simply to try to help people if she can. I’ve worked in large companies and know full well that she would have no way of answering me or understanding on why companies like hotels.com design the functionality of their website.
Me: you didn't answer my question. what's the point of offering change booking if you can't actually change the booking?
Agent: I understand, but changes cannot be made on this booking type. That is why were suggest customers to make manual changes with the hotel.
Me: still not answering my question. why offer something you can't do?
Agent: May I please know do you wish to cancel it?
Me: I'd also like an answer to the question of why hotels.com offering a service that says "change booking" but then can't actually change the booking. shouldn't you just not offer it at all
Agent: I apologies, but this is not in my hands I would have made the changes for you from my end, but I would be because in the hotel collect booking type the system doesn't not make changes.
Me: well, since you can't explain why the company you work for offers something but then can't follow through with that offer, yes cancel my booking.
Agent: Sure, I will just cancel
This is to inform you that your reservation has been successfully cancelled.
Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Based on my previous behavior, she should not have asked this question as it could have led to me continuing to ask a question, I knew she was low enough in the corporate pyramid to answer. But I decided to stop making her life difficult, and simply said “no.”
Agent: OK!
I then received the pop of asking, “Do you have a minute to answer 3 quick questions? We’ll use your feedback to improve the experience.”
Q1 Did we answer your question
A1 Yes.
Q2 Based on this conversation, how likely are you to recommend Hotels.com to a friend, relative, or colleague?
A2 I said 5 out of 10
Q3 Additional feedback (Optional)
A3 The agent was friendly and offered the best service she could. I would have given her a higher rating. However, I have an issue with the design of your website and offered services. The reason I contacted the agent is I needed to make a change to the booking. The website has an option for that but it was greyed out. So why offer it? Also, when contacting the agent, I was told I would need to contact the hotel. Also, annoying and making your companies services pointless. So, at the end of the conversation, I had to cancel the booking entirely and book through the hotel directly. So, you lost the money from that booking and had to pay a customer service agent to tell me she couldn’t help me.
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