Perils of using www.booking.com - the saga continues

www.booking.com wrote:

In a message dated 12/26/2014 4:42:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, customer.relations@booking.com writes:

Dear Hal Kirven,

Thank you for choosing Booking.com.

We are writing to you regarding your reservation 801045704 at Savannah Marriott Riverfront, check-in date 2014-11-21, and check-out date 2014-11-23 and the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau.

In reference to your comment regarding our website guaranteeing the lowest rates, we do guarantee the rates and should a guest find a lower rate on another website, including ours, there are steps that are followed to insure the information is accurate and valid. When we don't have all the information we need to make an accurate determination of the rate, we must go by the information we find at the time we receive the claim. We also look at other factors when determining whether or not the claim is valid or not, such as the same property, same dates, same room type and conditions, and whether the reservation is still within the penalty-free cancellation and modification timeframe. As this claim was made on the day of arrival, it was no longer considered valid so we were only able to request the lower rate from the accommodation, which they did decline.

In regards to not receiving the correct room type, when rendering our services, the information that we disclose is based on the information provided to us by accommodation providers. As such, the accommodation providers are given access to an extranet through which they are fully responsible for updating all rates, availability and other information which is displayed on our website. Although we will use reasonable skill and care in performing our services we will not verify if, and cannot guarantee that, all information is accurate, complete or correct, nor can we be held responsible for any errors, inaccurate, misleading or untrue information or non-delivery of information. Each accommodation provider remains responsible at all times for the accuracy, completeness and correctness of the (descriptive) information (including the rates and availability) displayed on our website. If the accommodation is unable to provide you with the room you selected, it is their responsibili
ty to either offer you an upgrade at no additional cost, which they did, or to relocate you to another accommodation that is within the same star quality and value as theirs.

Booking.com is willing to offer you a goodwill gesture for the inconvenience caused by this situation. We would like to offer you a refund of $80.

To provide you with this refund as quickly as possible, we recommend the refund be made by credit/debit card.
This refund can only be processed to cards with the Visa or MasterCard logo.

If you accept this refund method, you will receive an email from customer.care@booking.com which contains a secure link. This link allows you to enter your credit or debit card information. The email will be sent to: gagolfer@aol.com.

Please reply to this email by Monday, 29 December to confirm you accept the credit card refund option as described above.

Kind regards,

--
Terri Yaeger
Customer Relations Associate
Booking.com Customer Service Team
Fax : +44 208 612 8005 (Cambridge, UK)
Fax : +31(0) 207 153 073 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

My response:

Terri Yaeger
Customer Relations Associate
Booking.com Customer Service Team

Ms Yeager - your attempt at patronization is pretty pathetic.. it's not about "the money".. it's about your integrity... rather, the lack of it...

Marriott will be the big loser in this but www.booking.com will have this stigma on my blog and with the Better Business Bureau.

Marrioot will lose because except for my wife's annual post Christmas shopping getaway with our daughters m we will exclude Marriott from further use. We will that post Christmas use only because it is at the J.W. Marriott connected to Lenox in Atlanta which enables them to traverse dryly and safely in rain or darkness.

Golf group trips to Bay Point in Panama City will cease, and booking blocks of rooms for family events at local Marriott units will cease, as well as spot bookings on various trips around the country.

Hal Kirven

Columbus, GA.