I have been long time customer of hotels.com since a number of years ago.
I have the Hotels.com app installed on my phone.
I use the mobile phone app to make all my travel bookings, both personal and business.
For staff travel intended for Oct 2023, I searched on Hotels.com for a hotel room in Sep 2023. Travel dates were not finalized. I hold a hotel room in Singapore from 1-14 Oct 2023 using the pay later feature to make sure that if the plan is changed, I can change in time to cancel the booking.
I did not know that in the backend Hotels.com created a guest account for the reservation.
The staff travel plan changed and the booking was not needed anymore. I have been tracking my trip bookings on my app and did not see any booking for 1-14 Oct 2023. I thought then the booking was not in the system anymore.
Then 1 Oct 2023, I received an email from Hotels.com asking how is my check-in experience. I was surprised to read that as it told me that something is wrong.
I was busy and could only call Hotels.com hotline on 3 Oct 2023 telling them the issue. They tried to call the hotel to inform them to cancel the booking ASAP. The person on the line told me that he could not reach the hotel but would follow up and I would be called back within 72 hours.
No one called back for the next few days.
On 8 Oct 2023, I decided to call up Hotels.com to ask if the issue was resolved. I spent half an hour on the phone and eventually, I was told that the booking should have been canceled and I should not see any charge on my bank card.
To my shock, on 25 Oct 2023, I looked at the bank statement and the full 14-day charge of SGD1737.31 was deducted from the bank account. I called up Hotels.com again and am waiting for the issue to be resolved.