Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
Dear Andrew and Michelle,
We are very regretful to read about your experience.
Our reservations team was in touch with you as soon as they were notified about the incident, we are sorry your calls to the accommodation were unanswered. If we were called right away we might have saved you from this hardship. Nevertheless we feel responsible.
By the way, we would like to explain that we don’t have a 24h helpline. As we explain in our website, our lines are open from 9:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 19:00 on weekend.
As you may know, we contacted the Apartments requiring an explanation as soon as we were aware of the incident. After several emails from Easytobook, the apartments replied us explaining that they canceled your reservation due to an electricity problem and in consequence, they offered you 3 nearest Hotels. As you explained us later, the solution wasn’t feasible because the Apartments offered you one hotel which was also full, a second one that was miles away and you don’t recall anything about the third option. EasyToBook.com would have been happy to relocate you to any of our almost 1000 accommodations in London, which would have suited your needs.
Despite it was a shortfall of the Apartment, we regret that we could not have been more helpful and we trust you understand that we aim to offer our best. It is for this reason that we have contacted you to compensate you for the unforeseen expenses you incurred. We hope to be of service to you again in the future.
We are very regretful to read about your experience.
Our reservations team was in touch with you as soon as they were notified about the incident, we are sorry your calls to the accommodation were unanswered. If we were called right away we might have saved you from this hardship. Nevertheless we feel responsible.
By the way, we would like to explain that we don’t have a 24h helpline. As we explain in our website, our lines are open from 9:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 19:00 on weekend.
As you may know, we contacted the Apartments requiring an explanation as soon as we were aware of the incident. After several emails from Easytobook, the apartments replied us explaining that they canceled your reservation due to an electricity problem and in consequence, they offered you 3 nearest Hotels. As you explained us later, the solution wasn’t feasible because the Apartments offered you one hotel which was also full, a second one that was miles away and you don’t recall anything about the third option. EasyToBook.com would have been happy to relocate you to any of our almost 1000 accommodations in London, which would have suited your needs.
Despite it was a shortfall of the Apartment, we regret that we could not have been more helpful and we trust you understand that we aim to offer our best. It is for this reason that we have contacted you to compensate you for the unforeseen expenses you incurred.
We hope to be of service to you again in the future.
I couldn't see the comments but I could see the 5 thumbs down.
From what I have read in other reviews it seems to go something like this:
1 You book a hotel or apartment
2 3-4 hours before you arrive or after you have they tell you there's a problem but not to worry - they have booked you a different hotel.
3 You turn up at the new hotel and it's a fleapit.
That is exactly what happened to me.
I complained to the highest level but all emails and phone calls were ignored.
It is difficult to know where to start so I will explain our plans and list the problems we had:
BACKGROUND:
We were due to attend a white tie function with the Lord Mayor Of London on 26th Jan.
I am in the process of being made a Liveryman and a Freeman of the City of London so this was a VERY important event..
We booked an apartment as our intention was to have a relaxing morning the following day. With this in mind we packed a selection of cheeses, pate, champagne, bread, etc.
ON THE 26th
We were close to pulling in at Paddington Station when we were telephoned by easytobook.com. We were told that the heating had failed at our apartment and that we had been booked into a hotel.
As the train was noisy it was hard to hear the address properly. The person on the phone said she would text the address to us. She didn't.
We had planned to take the underground as we knew where the apartment was located. With a partial address we were forced to hail a cab and with the help of a cab driver eventually found the hotel.
It was a Travel Lodge. Renowned in the UK as being the worst hotel chain.
When we walked in the hotel looked tired and dirty. The Manager was arguing in reception with a guest who had not been given any towels and the receptionist was dealing with a customer who was complaining about a dirty room.
We soon found that there was no reservation for us and the hotel was full.
We phoned easytobook.com and after a lot of trying, finally got through. The easytobook operator spoke with us and gave us the reservation number etc. Then, as we could not make progress with the hotel, I asked the easytobook operator to try. She spoke with the hotel receptionist but made no progress either. As this was on my mobile phone bill I asked easytobook to call us back. This they did and continued to speak with the receptionist arguing about who messed up the booking. This was a complete waste of everyones time as the hotel was full.
After a while I stepped in as the discussion was clearly going nowhere, we obviously could not book into a full hotel. I asked easytobook.com to get us an apartment as that is what we had payed for. We wanted to be away from hoards of guests and had a lot of perishable food with us. They said they would call us back.
So there we were, in the reception of a hostile Travel Lodge, our evening wear and food in bags, time until our dinner flying past, no room, no apartment, in the middle of London just waiting for a phone call.
As the time went by I left more messages and put easytobook on speed redial. They didn't pick up.
Easytobook eventually called back and gave us an address for another apartment. I confirmed the address twice to make sure we had the correct one.
We hailed another cab and gave the address which the driver had never heard of. We kept calling easytobook but there was no reply. I tried directory enquiries to check the address and the cab driver looked it up on his Blackbury. He found a similar address which we had to assume was right (as easytobook were not taking my calls or calling back) and we set off.
When we arrived at the apartment it appeared to be a residential street. I phoned easytobook but there was still no reply.
I banged on the front door and rang all the bells – no reply.
Time was getting really short now and we were getting very stressed indeed.
Back in the cab we kept dialing easytobook but there was no reply.
We drove up and down looking for the apartment speed-redialing easytobook – there was no reply.
I had an idea they were avoiding our calls so I used a different phone and they picked up immediately.
The person I talked to claimed to have no details of us, our booking or the apartment details. He asked if he could call back. As we had virtually no time and I had experienced easytobook's call backs I said I would hold..
He got his colleague off the phone and managed to piece things together. He told us that we were at the correct address. The address was the one the cab driver found NOT the one easytobook gave us.
The easytobook phone operator eventually found the telephone number of the apartment and gave it to us.
I called the number and a very strange person picked up and answered as you would a residential number. After a lot of questions I ascertained that this was the number for the apartment but as their English was so poor it took a lot of effort to understand them. They informed us that the check-in address was over the other side of London. There was no way we could drive across London, get the keys, drive back and still make our appointment.
We tried to call easytobook but even using both phones on speed redial the number was not answered.
We left a message asking them NOT to call us that night as our patience had been completely exhausted but to call us the following day to discuss the situation.
They didn't call the following day.
We left a message the following day ourselves asking them to call us – It's nearly a month later and we are still waiting for a reply.
We ended up finding our own hotel that was close to the location we had been left in by easytobook.
We got ready in 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes for the two of us to prepare for a white tie function. NOT ENOUGH TIME!
LORD MAYOR'S WHITE TIE FUNCTION
Very stressed, very annoyed and very flustered we made our way to Mansion House.
We had missed the reception.
We had missed the receiving line
We were obviously late and it was noticed. This is considered to be very bad form – especially for someone who is looking to be accepted as a Freeman and Liveryman.
My partner has stress related epilepsy and we were forced to leave very early as she suffered a seizure.
When we were on the street she became disorientated and fell. She badly cut her elbow and damaged her dress.
EVENING
Our evening was spent in a B & B type hotel in a bad area of London.
We threw all the food away as there was no fridge (our apartment would have had one).
I could not leave my partner until I was sure she was settled and was going to be okay, because of this I was unable to get an evening meal until around 11pm. As I am recovering from a stroke and have to take regular medication with food, this was a very bad situation.
ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER THE EVENT
I rang easytobook.com on the 27th Jan but the call was ignored.
I contacted easytobook.com via email on the 27 Jan but it was ignored.
I contacted the Office of Fair Trading and was informed that we had an excellent case. I was given the contact details of their European sister body.
My partner then contacted them on the 1st Feb asking for details of eastobook.com's UK office.
She received an answer on the 2nd Feb informing her that there was no UK office but there were offices in Amsterdam, Israel and Switzerland. She was not given an address and the only telephone number offered was the one for reservations.
On 8th Feb she emailed and asked if there was someone responsible in the UK for complaints.
She received a reply on 9th Feb stating that any complaints were to be sent to mia@easytobook.com and an international telephone number. Again no address was given.
As we are not prepared to spend our time and money on an international call, we have now sent you this email in the hope of finding a resolution to our problems.
SUMMARY
The evening was a disaster and it was all the fault of easytobook.
We are out of pocket for:
Train fares
Cab fares
Hotel room
Food that had to be thrown away as the hotel had no fridge (the apartment would have)
White tie hire
Dress and accessory purchase
Evening meal purchase
White tie evening tickets
Hairdresser
Breakfast purchase
As we had not had any satisfactory communication from easytobook.com to resolve our issues, we were left with no choice other than to contact the Office of Fair Trading who has put us in touch with their sister body in Europe. We are prepared to take our complaints to the highest level if necessary. However, we are reasonable people and would be prepared to consider any offer of compensation for out of pocket expenses, stress, pain and suffering that you may offer.
Please remember that Easytobook.com left a stroke survivor and his handicapped partner stranded in London and did nothing to help them despite many calls. They didn't even have the courtesy to call them back when asked to!
We have sent numerous emails and are still waiting for a reply.
Add a comment about this blagger
Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
We are very regretful to read about your experience.
Our reservations team was in touch with you as soon as they were notified about the incident, we are sorry your calls to the accommodation were unanswered. If we were called right away we might have saved you from this hardship. Nevertheless we feel responsible.
By the way, we would like to explain that we don’t have a 24h helpline. As we explain in our website, our lines are open from 9:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 19:00 on weekend.
As you may know, we contacted the Apartments requiring an explanation as soon as we were aware of the incident. After several emails from Easytobook, the apartments replied us explaining that they canceled your reservation due to an electricity problem and in consequence, they offered you 3 nearest Hotels. As you explained us later, the solution wasn’t feasible because the Apartments offered you one hotel which was also full, a second one that was miles away and you don’t recall anything about the third option. EasyToBook.com would have been happy to relocate you to any of our almost 1000 accommodations in London, which would have suited your needs.
Despite it was a shortfall of the Apartment, we regret that we could not have been more helpful and we trust you understand that we aim to offer our best. It is for this reason that we have contacted you to compensate you for the unforeseen expenses you incurred. We hope to be of service to you again in the future.
Best Regards,
Joana Fuster
EasyToBook.com
Easytobook at 31st Mar 2010, 06:02AM
We are very regretful to read about your experience.
Our reservations team was in touch with you as soon as they were notified about the incident, we are sorry your calls to the accommodation were unanswered. If we were called right away we might have saved you from this hardship. Nevertheless we feel responsible.
By the way, we would like to explain that we don’t have a 24h helpline. As we explain in our website, our lines are open from 9:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 19:00 on weekend.
As you may know, we contacted the Apartments requiring an explanation as soon as we were aware of the incident. After several emails from Easytobook, the apartments replied us explaining that they canceled your reservation due to an electricity problem and in consequence, they offered you 3 nearest Hotels. As you explained us later, the solution wasn’t feasible because the Apartments offered you one hotel which was also full, a second one that was miles away and you don’t recall anything about the third option. EasyToBook.com would have been happy to relocate you to any of our almost 1000 accommodations in London, which would have suited your needs.
Despite it was a shortfall of the Apartment, we regret that we could not have been more helpful and we trust you understand that we aim to offer our best. It is for this reason that we have contacted you to compensate you for the unforeseen expenses you incurred.
We hope to be of service to you again in the future.
Best Regards,
Joana Fuster
EasyToBook.com
Easytobook at 30th Mar 2010, 01:33PM
I couldn't see the comments but I could see the 5 thumbs down.
From what I have read in other reviews it seems to go something like this:
1 You book a hotel or apartment
2 3-4 hours before you arrive or after you have they tell you there's a problem but not to worry - they have booked you a different hotel.
3 You turn up at the new hotel and it's a fleapit.
That is exactly what happened to me.
I complained to the highest level but all emails and phone calls were ignored.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :(
BACKGROUND:
We were due to attend a white tie function with the Lord Mayor Of London on 26th Jan.
I am in the process of being made a Liveryman and a Freeman of the City of London so this was a VERY important event..
We booked an apartment as our intention was to have a relaxing morning the following day. With this in mind we packed a selection of cheeses, pate, champagne, bread, etc.
ON THE 26th
We were close to pulling in at Paddington Station when we were telephoned by easytobook.com. We were told that the heating had failed at our apartment and that we had been booked into a hotel.
As the train was noisy it was hard to hear the address properly. The person on the phone said she would text the address to us. She didn't.
We had planned to take the underground as we knew where the apartment was located. With a partial address we were forced to hail a cab and with the help of a cab driver eventually found the hotel.
It was a Travel Lodge. Renowned in the UK as being the worst hotel chain.
When we walked in the hotel looked tired and dirty. The Manager was arguing in reception with a guest who had not been given any towels and the receptionist was dealing with a customer who was complaining about a dirty room.
We soon found that there was no reservation for us and the hotel was full.
We phoned easytobook.com and after a lot of trying, finally got through. The easytobook operator spoke with us and gave us the reservation number etc. Then, as we could not make progress with the hotel, I asked the easytobook operator to try. She spoke with the hotel receptionist but made no progress either. As this was on my mobile phone bill I asked easytobook to call us back. This they did and continued to speak with the receptionist arguing about who messed up the booking. This was a complete waste of everyones time as the hotel was full.
After a while I stepped in as the discussion was clearly going nowhere, we obviously could not book into a full hotel. I asked easytobook.com to get us an apartment as that is what we had payed for. We wanted to be away from hoards of guests and had a lot of perishable food with us. They said they would call us back.
So there we were, in the reception of a hostile Travel Lodge, our evening wear and food in bags, time until our dinner flying past, no room, no apartment, in the middle of London just waiting for a phone call.
As the time went by I left more messages and put easytobook on speed redial. They didn't pick up.
Easytobook eventually called back and gave us an address for another apartment. I confirmed the address twice to make sure we had the correct one.
We hailed another cab and gave the address which the driver had never heard of. We kept calling easytobook but there was no reply. I tried directory enquiries to check the address and the cab driver looked it up on his Blackbury. He found a similar address which we had to assume was right (as easytobook were not taking my calls or calling back) and we set off.
When we arrived at the apartment it appeared to be a residential street. I phoned easytobook but there was still no reply.
I banged on the front door and rang all the bells – no reply.
Time was getting really short now and we were getting very stressed indeed.
Back in the cab we kept dialing easytobook but there was no reply.
We drove up and down looking for the apartment speed-redialing easytobook – there was no reply.
I had an idea they were avoiding our calls so I used a different phone and they picked up immediately.
The person I talked to claimed to have no details of us, our booking or the apartment details. He asked if he could call back. As we had virtually no time and I had experienced easytobook's call backs I said I would hold..
He got his colleague off the phone and managed to piece things together. He told us that we were at the correct address. The address was the one the cab driver found NOT the one easytobook gave us.
The easytobook phone operator eventually found the telephone number of the apartment and gave it to us.
I called the number and a very strange person picked up and answered as you would a residential number. After a lot of questions I ascertained that this was the number for the apartment but as their English was so poor it took a lot of effort to understand them. They informed us that the check-in address was over the other side of London. There was no way we could drive across London, get the keys, drive back and still make our appointment.
We tried to call easytobook but even using both phones on speed redial the number was not answered.
We left a message asking them NOT to call us that night as our patience had been completely exhausted but to call us the following day to discuss the situation.
They didn't call the following day.
We left a message the following day ourselves asking them to call us – It's nearly a month later and we are still waiting for a reply.
We ended up finding our own hotel that was close to the location we had been left in by easytobook.
We got ready in 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes for the two of us to prepare for a white tie function. NOT ENOUGH TIME!
LORD MAYOR'S WHITE TIE FUNCTION
Very stressed, very annoyed and very flustered we made our way to Mansion House.
We had missed the reception.
We had missed the receiving line
We were obviously late and it was noticed. This is considered to be very bad form – especially for someone who is looking to be accepted as a Freeman and Liveryman.
My partner has stress related epilepsy and we were forced to leave very early as she suffered a seizure.
When we were on the street she became disorientated and fell. She badly cut her elbow and damaged her dress.
EVENING
Our evening was spent in a B & B type hotel in a bad area of London.
We threw all the food away as there was no fridge (our apartment would have had one).
I could not leave my partner until I was sure she was settled and was going to be okay, because of this I was unable to get an evening meal until around 11pm. As I am recovering from a stroke and have to take regular medication with food, this was a very bad situation.
ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER THE EVENT
I rang easytobook.com on the 27th Jan but the call was ignored.
I contacted easytobook.com via email on the 27 Jan but it was ignored.
I contacted the Office of Fair Trading and was informed that we had an excellent case. I was given the contact details of their European sister body.
My partner then contacted them on the 1st Feb asking for details of eastobook.com's UK office.
She received an answer on the 2nd Feb informing her that there was no UK office but there were offices in Amsterdam, Israel and Switzerland. She was not given an address and the only telephone number offered was the one for reservations.
On 8th Feb she emailed and asked if there was someone responsible in the UK for complaints.
She received a reply on 9th Feb stating that any complaints were to be sent to mia@easytobook.com and an international telephone number. Again no address was given.
As we are not prepared to spend our time and money on an international call, we have now sent you this email in the hope of finding a resolution to our problems.
SUMMARY
The evening was a disaster and it was all the fault of easytobook.
We are out of pocket for:
Train fares
Cab fares
Hotel room
Food that had to be thrown away as the hotel had no fridge (the apartment would have)
White tie hire
Dress and accessory purchase
Evening meal purchase
White tie evening tickets
Hairdresser
Breakfast purchase
As we had not had any satisfactory communication from easytobook.com to resolve our issues, we were left with no choice other than to contact the Office of Fair Trading who has put us in touch with their sister body in Europe. We are prepared to take our complaints to the highest level if necessary. However, we are reasonable people and would be prepared to consider any offer of compensation for out of pocket expenses, stress, pain and suffering that you may offer.
Please remember that Easytobook.com left a stroke survivor and his handicapped partner stranded in London and did nothing to help them despite many calls. They didn't even have the courtesy to call them back when asked to!
We have sent numerous emails and are still waiting for a reply.
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