Planigo.com - The “Bait and Switch” Company - An experience to avoid
The most recent complaint comes from Willis B of Honolulu who writes:
I followed an internet ad (Planigo.com) for a Best Western hotel in Ville-sur-mer. This ad was for 2 nights for 81 per night, much better than BW best internet price of 93.50. The booking company was Planigo.com. I went through the booking procedure and was promised a voucher for the room within 24 hours. The voucher arrived this morning and it said that they could not book me in the Best Western hotel in that town, but had switched me to another hotel in another town a few miles away, Hotel Artemis in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer at a total of 198.28 for the two nights including service fee. The switch in hotels was unacceptable, the switch in towns was unacceptable and the increased price was unacceptable. In my state of Hawaii, they have defined laws against “Bait and Switch” advertising - usual violators are used car salesmen. I have sent them an E-mail requesting cancellation and notified VISA. The charge had not gone through yet. Hopefully, my E-mail will resolve the issue. I just thought that your organization could include Planigo.com in your file.
Tom W of Epsom and his partner booked through Planigo.com to stay at the hotel Saint Jean in La Ferte Bernard in order to attend the Le Mans 24 hours race. The hotel was booked by description from Planigo. When they arrived, Tom and his partner found the following (his words): ” we were handed a key to our room (Not forgetting this room was described as ’superior’, for which we had paid a lot of money), on opening the door to room number 27 the awful truth began to sink in immediately. The hand basin was absolutely disgusting, so filthy it had obviously not been cleaned properly, dried blood/spit ingrained dirt. Two cheap plastic cups were perched on the hand basin. Next our en suite shower was so poorly built, cheap think polycarbonate sides, after 1 minute the water did not drain away and if left would have flooded the room. Also it was very unclean. Then the bed - I would not ask my dog to sleep on or in it, it was presumably meant to be a four poster, the posts were fence posts, the cross pieces were 3′’ x 1/2′’ planks nailed to the posts, to finish off this utter joke two old shower curtains had been cut up and pinned with map markers to the posts!! The material/sheets/pillows were disgusting. The carpet was filthy, no wardrobe, just an old fashioned hat stand -the room measured approx 10′x10′ maximum including the ‘unsuited’ shower. The electrics were exposed and in my opinion dangerous. No cleaning had been carried out under the bed because we found previous occupants earplugs still boxed. No air-condition. The toilet facilities did not improve either, the toilet was filthy and as it was used by all the guests on our floor it ran out of toilet paper on Saturday evening and was not replaced.” Tom was charged €297.42 for three nights: The hotel room rate published by the hotel: €48 per night - much more than Planigo would have paid! Planigo insist that it is not their responsibility to check the condition of the hotels they sell!
“Not our fault” they will claim! However, a complainant recently started a booking on the internet via Planigo.com. He chose the French hotel he required and completed the request for a booking. A short while later he received an e-mail from the hotel demanding a photocopy of the identity page of his passport and both sides of his credit card! With identity theft growing at an alarming rate, he very wisely refused. However, the hotel charged him a 15% cancellation fee for accommodation he had not booked due to the unacceptable and quite outrageous booking conditions. If you are asked for similar details, refuse to give them.
