Agoda first emailed me confirming my…
Agoda first emailed me confirming my hotel reservation. More than an hour later, they sent another email stating that my booking could not be confirmed and included a different confirmation number. Based on that email, I booked another hotel through a different company. I later discovered that Agoda had, in fact, confirmed the original reservation—but it is now considered nonrefundable. When I contacted Agoda and explained that their contradictory emails caused me to book a second hotel, they refused to correct the error or provide a refund. After multiple emails back and forth, Agoda initially told me that the hotel would not provide a refund and offered no alternative solution. However, this was not the hotel’s fault—it was Agoda that sent me two conflicting communications: first confirming my reservation and then, over an hour later, stating that my booking could not be confirmed. I repeatedly explained that I should not have to pay for two hotels because of Agoda’s error and asked for either a refund or, at the very least, a credit. Only after I provided proof of my replacement hotel booking did Agoda finally agree to issue a credit. Unfortunately, the credit is only valid for six months and comes with restrictions, unlike a refund, which would return my money and allow me to access it immediately. This means I am still required to book through Agoda within a limited timeframe to recover the value of money I should never have lost in the first place. Although I appreciate that a credit was eventually provided, it should not have taken multiple emails, repeated explanations, and proof of another booking to receive a reasonable resolution. This entire situation was caused by Agoda’s conflicting messages and was handled very poorly.