What are you calling me for?????

They make the reservation through b ooking or other. Then they call us to change it.
Look, buddy, I paid 15% to them for them to do the work. Call them!
It is a problem that people do not realize the difference between an agent and going direct. How to make it better known?

My simple answer. "I'm sorry, but they own the reservation and only they can change it".

Generic said:

My simple answer. "I'm sorry, but they own the reservation and only they can change it"..

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they hope that you will be softer than "the man" not realizing we set the policies and cancellation so are unlikely to budge! had this yesterday have decided I am not budging (
(10am phone call confirming reservation just outside cancellation policy
8pm cancellation comes through - I charge in full sick of being messed about.
10am this morning my husband has had a heart attack "you MUST" consider my situation (sounded about 20) also it was husband that rang in the morning also sounded about 20 and was visiting parents locally so can't be that old
Its a bank holiday weekend and weirdly its snowing - so they have looked at the forcast and decided not to bother - if they want to pull out they should have cancelled in the morning and there would have been no charge and frankly don't have a lot of patience with people who lie - if he had had a heart attack the last thing you would be worrying about is a hotel reservation!

Jcam said:

Generic said:

My simple answer. "I'm sorry, but they own the reservation and only they can change it"..

Click to expand...

they hope that you will be softer than "the man" not realizing we set the policies and cancellation so are unlikely to budge! had this yesterday have decided I am not budging (
(10am phone call confirming reservation just outside cancellation policy
8pm cancellation comes through - I charge in full sick of being messed about.
10am this morning my husband has had a heart attack "you MUST" consider my situation (sounded about 20) also it was husband that rang in the morning also sounded about 20 and was visiting parents locally so can't be that old
Its a bank holiday weekend and weirdly its snowing - so they have looked at the forcast and decided not to bother - if they want to pull out they should have cancelled in the morning and there would have been no charge and frankly don't have a lot of patience with people who lie - if he had had a heart attack the last thing you would be worrying about is a hotel reservation!
.

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That's what travel insurance is for... tell them to apply under their policy and check if their CC has travel insurance. Of course, they will need the doctor's certificate for that too...

All you can do is work with each guest individually. If you want to be really obx, tell them they must call booking to CANCEL their reservation, pay the cancellation fee, and then rebook. Say they cannot 'change' a reservation made thru a 3rd party service, it must be cancelled. Advise them at that time it's always best to book direct so you always speak with the property and don't get caught in the all the fees involved in 3rd party reservation systems.
If they still insist on you making the changes tell them you cannot as the guest has a contract with the OTA where they made the reservation and you are not allowed to change the terms of the guests' agreement with the Online Travel Agency they used.

Beachie, I sure wish I knew.
This reminds me of a booking last year.
The guy arrives at the airport and is stunned at how much it will cost him to get here without a car. He doesn't drive.
He claimed that my listing showed he could get a free shuttle, though he did not sign up for it at the time. Of course he also claimed he could be shuttled to and fro the big city. I told him to contact he OTA.
He later called back stating he was not aware how far we were from the big city. 'he never would have booked'
Wanting out of his reservation because we lied. I again referred him back to the OTA.
After 2 more calls he finally got the message that he must go through the OTA.
The OTA called me and asked if he was responsible for his stay if he canceled.
I asked them (even though I knew) If a person searches for 'big city' doesn't my listing state how far I am from it? - YES
Isn't there a map showing the distance? - YES
I then asked the OTA about the shuttle he claimed was on my listing. The rep said it is not part of our listing, it is part of THEIR reservation offerings. The rep further stated there is a charge and it is for transportation to/from the airport only.
Some people don't use the senses they were given.