How are you taking responsibility for your customers, Expedia?
I have been using Expedia I think for more than 5 years. I usually book flights from there. This is the first time I booked a hotel too, for my recent US trip. I booked "Extended Stay America Suites Boston Waltham 52 4th Ave, Waltham, MA, 02451 United States of America" for 5 days. My check-in was June 3. My flight was supposed to arrive earlier, but it was delayed, and reaching the hotel after completing everything at the airport took time. I arrived around 1 am at the hotel.
I am a frequent traveler, so I have never faced any issues with late check-in. I was not aware there could be any problem. After I arrived, no one was at the reception, and another travel couple was also waiting. In total, three groups were waiting. After half an hour, the receptionist came in. He said they didn’t have any rooms! We said we already paid in advance. I had to search three hotels that night until 4 am, and I couldn’t find a place to stay that night. I directly went to my conference at 7 am without any sleep. It was a huge mental and physical pressure for me.
He asked, “Did you book through the app?” We said yes. He said, “That’s why it happened. They don’t properly communicate with us before selling rooms. If you look for cheaper options, that’s gonna happen.” I said it’s not about cheaper options—I felt it was convenient. He was rude when talking.
I booked this hotel and paid in advance one month before my stay. After traveling from Japan to the USA—a 25-hour journey—I arrived at the hotel around midnight, only to be told by the receptionist that they didn’t have a room available. I explained that I had booked and paid in advance a month ago, but he responded rudely, saying it was my problem for booking through Expedia at a cheaper rate, and that the hotel could not take responsibility.
I asked about the refund policy, and he said they would process the refund after 8 AM the next morning. However, no one contacted me. Since I booked through Expedia Japan, I have tried to reach out to them. First, they told me they contacted the hotel and the hotel said they could not refund because I arrived late! I said I booked for 5 days, and I was not aware that I had to check in exactly on time—it’s not a usual case. During travel, we might arrive late, but as long as I paid the amount, you should contact me via email or phone before cancellation. That should be standard customer service. But if you say, “No, you came late, that’s why we canceled, and we can’t refund, and it was written in hidden conditions,” that’s not standard customer service. It shows you are willing to scam and charge customers without providing service.
I know I am a very small user and not an important person, but as an individual customer, you should give importance to an authentic business service. I still hope Expedia will take the necessary actions to get my refund. Even if the hotel does not refund, you should refund that on behalf of yours, and you should cancel the B2B business policy with that hotel.
If I don’t get my refund, I am not going to use Expedia again in my life. I will see if I can take any legal action in Japan. But more importantly, to do authentic business and to give the highest priority to the customers, big companies should be more conscious about their business policies.
This has been one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had—it feels like a scam by both the hotel and Expedia. I was charged but never received the service I paid for.
Experience Shared by:
Forhad Hossain
Assistant Professor
Sophia University, Japan