I depended on the star rating to book a hotel in Virden, Manitoba through booking.com.
The star rating was 3; when I arrived and stayed there, it was obvious that it was a 1 to 2 star hotel with a gravel parking lot full of potholes, the front window of the room had a hole in it patched with peeling transparent yellowing tape, the towels were blue (generally easier to see if white towels are clean), the room decor was 1950's or 60's, etc. The 'breakfast' consisted of a loaf of bread laying on a table, with some boxes of cereal, paper bowls, and a jug of milk. I didn't bother.
I relied on 4 things to make my booking at booking.com.
1) The star rating which I assume is going to be generally accurate plus or minus 1/2 a star rating
2) The reviews from previous customers
3) The price
4) The photos (which are often misleading)
So I didn't expect the Taj Mahal, but I thought that a 3 star rating would be reasonably accurate and so I risked booking through booking.com
NEVER AGAIN.
My experience with customer service showed me that all they are permitted to do is mouth platitudes, and parrot the party line.
"The star rating is supplied by the hotel owner, sir"
O. K. But hotwire asks me if the star rating is too high, too low, or just right. Could you do that in future?
"The star rating is supplied by the hotel owner, sir... you should have relied on the guest reviews, not the star rating'
Yes but could you post information to that effect beside the star rating? Something like 'the star rating is supplied by the hotel owner, and booking.com does not verify whether this information is correct or not'.
"The star rating is supplied by the hotel owner, sir"
THANKS. I GIVE UP AND WILL NEVER USE YOUR SERVICE AGAIN.
Thank you sir. Have a nice day.
Hello Norm,
I would like to be given the opportunity to find a solution to your dissatisfaction if possible. I would like to investigate this matter further, and would appreciate if you would share your booking number. Please reply to this comment, or send an e-mail to customer.web@booking.com referencing this review.
Regards,
Salvador
Booking.com Customer Service Team