John B.

On 26th April I booked through Agoda an en-suite double room with breakfast for my wife and myself for two nights (26-28th May) at the Swan in Bradford-on-Avon. Agoda took £288.00 from my credit card and e-mailed me on 26th April to say that your booking is confirmed and complete.
On 4th May I received phone calls from Agoda-one from Singapore! I also received an e-mail from Agoda which states that: We are sorry to inform you that your hotel [the Swan] has advised us that they are unable to accommodate your booking as they are already fully booked. As such, we would like to offer you an alternative hotel at no additional cost. They offered Lynchetts Bed and Breakfast but added that this new hotel is subject to availability. Alternatively, I could cancel my booking, they would refund the money I had paid and as a gesture of goodwill would like to provide me with an additional refund of USD36.96 to compensate me for the inconveniences caused.
I had little choice at this stage other than to accept, blindfold, the alternative accommodation as I was booked for a 2-day workshop at the Wiltshire Music Centre.
Later that day (4th May) I was informed that the alternative accommodation was less expensive than the Swan (£190 instead of £288) and that I would receive a refund. This I received.
Also on 4th May I received an e-mail from Agoda asking me to kindly contact Lynchetts Bed and Breakfast and provide them with your estimated time of arrival. An unusual request. However, I phoned the owner to say that I expected to arrive around 2pm but that I would phone her the day before our planned arrival to give her a more precise time.
I therefore telephoned her on 25th May. To my utter disbelief she was not expecting my call and had taken a booking for my room. She explained that the Swan was supposed to have contacted her and given her the money she was due. Not having heard from the Swan and having received no money from them she had assumed that we had dropped the booking. She said she would sort something out for us and ring back later. She was as good as her word. She freed up the room that was originally planned for us.
In the end we enjoyed two pleasant nights in Lynchetts- a grade II listed Georgian house with a large beautiful garden. This we can strongly recommend.
As for Agoda I will never use their services again. They showed an incompetence that put the whole of our weekend at risk as well as using enormous amounts of my nervous energy. If you are going to book a hotel through them, good luck.
As for the Swan I have had no direct contact with them. Overbooking on planes and in hotels is just not acceptable. They have treated our booking with benign neglect and showed a passivity that is Fawltyesque. If you book a room there I hope you dont find other people already sleeping in your beds.