‘They refused to admit their mistake’: Hotel guests' reservation gets canceled due to failed credit card transaction, they demand front desk clerk give them a discounted room

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 11, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

Are you the type of people who book a hotel room at whatever website has the lowest rate, or do you always book it from the hotel's official website? 

Even though it is appealing to pay less, there could be a lot of issues with booking through a third-party website. For example, if the booking somehow falls through, the actual hotel can't do much to help, and they would most likely tell you to contact the 3rd-party's customer service, which can be a lot of pain. 

Another example is what happened to the guests in this Reddit story. They booked their room through a 3rd party, but when they got to the hotel they found out that their reservation had been canceled due to their credit card not going through. Although that didn't have anything to do with the hotel itself, the angry guests started blaming the front desk clerk for the issue. Then, when the clerk offered to re-book the room they wanted, the guests demanded to get the same rate they originally got, even though it was mostly their fault.

Keep scrolling to read the full story. When you are done, click here for a story of a restaurant owner who refused to accept customers's criticism and ended up shutting his business down.

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  • 01
    = HOTEL BOOKING Dates Ock Out "This is your fault, deal with it"
    via Canva
  • 02
    3rd party cancelation and I get the blame
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 03
    A couple decides to check in and I go over to the lounge to connect their passports and credit card. They tell me the name but on our system, they are not under our check ins.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 04
    They show me their 3rd party confirmation number and I log in to the website and find out that they indeed had a reservation but was canceled 8 days before due to their credit
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 05
    card not going through. I go back apologize and explain the situation. They are confused and can't believe that it would be cancelled. The obligatory "I have a bunch of money on that
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 06
    card, how is it possible." I explain that it was the 3rd party website and not us but that we have a room available. It was about $1,100 but I reduce it since it's the last room.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 07
    They began to negotiate with me and saying that since it's the last room they should price match it to the price they had received for the room that was cancelled. They try to tell me
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 08
    that it's probably not going to get rented and I'm better off giving it to them. I tell them I can't and they get livid saying that it's bad customer service and that the hotel has to fix this. In the end, I gave them the
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 09
    hotel wifi password so they can look for other hotels. They asked if they can leave their baggage in the front desk while they search. I said ok.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 10
    3 hours later, they came back. They had left the hotel to go around the city to find another hotel. Once they did, they started talking really fast and complaining to my coworker
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 11
    about how bad the service was that we have them. Since English is not her first language, she just bowed and smiled which ped them off. Why not just accept the fact that you messed up? Guests like that really get on my nerves.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 12
    thedudeabidesOG · 16 hr. ago You did more than obligated. At least you tried.
    via u/thedudeabidesOG
  • 13
    AGuyinahotel · 15 hr. ago "You're our guests, but you're the agency's customers, not ours." the best way make the Karens who have problems with their third-party reservations and get their frustration out of the front desk shut up.
    via u/AGuyinahotel
  • 14
    MightyManorMan · 14 hr. ago I would have told them to call the OTA, because they aren't our customer, the OTA is. The OTA owned the reservation. Last room and they want a discount? Last room in the house usually goes for MORE, not less.
    via u/MightyManorMan
  • 15
    greendev 16 hr. ago "There's no customer. Our service has gone way beyond the call of duty for non-customers.”
    via u/greendev
  • 16
    BluTruDude 14 hr. ago That annoys me too. It shows a complete lack of accountability. It wasn't the hotel's fault, but it wasn't the third party's fault...as much as we hate third parties.
    via u/BluTruDude
  • 17
    The likely situation is that the couple's bank account didn't have enough money in it when the third party tried to take payment from the credit card..... OR the couple's bank or CCI had a restriction placed on it.
    via u/BluTruDude
  • 18
    I fully believe the couple received an email about the cancellation and they just never bothered to check it.
    via u/BluTruDude
  • 19
    Numbrino69 16 hr. ago At least twice a week this happens at my property. Never stops being infuriating.
    via u/Numbrino69
  • 20
    RoyallyOakie 12 hr. ago Start by getting then to call the OTA first. Anything you say or do afterward will be more helpful and intelligent in comparison.
    via u/RoyallyOakie
  • 21
    cassandraterra · 15 hr. ago I've never heard of a 3rd party cancelling a reservation due to credit card declining. They don't give a . I didn't even know that they authorize cards. They may cancel if we ask if WE the hotel asks due to insufficient payment. So I'm just as confused. But we may have a different policy.
    via u/cassandraterra
  • 22
    wombasrevenge OP · 8 hr. ago The reservation was supposed to be pre-paid so I suppose since the card declined and they failed to put up a new card it was cancelled.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 23
    Even worse, she kept saying she wasn't notified, but upon her checking her email, she found it. After that, she just ranted and kept saying how unfair it was and they had just arrived to Japan.
    via u/wombasrevenge
  • 24
    Pleasant_Tennis_663 · 7 hr. ago Always book through the brand .com route or call the hotel directly. If there's a better rate on an OTA or Opaque site, ask the hotel to match it.
    via u/Pleasant_Tennis_663
  • 25
    . 3CreampiesA-Day - 14 hr. ago They didn't mess up though, the third party did... only question is if they were notified it had failed which often doesn't happen
    via u/3CreampiesA-Day
  • 26
    wombasrevenge OP. 8 hr. ago While they were in shock, the woman went through her emails and found the notification that the reservation was cancelled.
    via u/wombasrevenge

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customer service guests workplace-stories clerk employee hotel drama front desk work tales from the front desk reddit story entitled customers entitled Reddit
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