I recently booked a hotel through Agoda.com and had a terrible customer service experience and will not use them again. My booking was for FLEXSTAY INN Shirogane in Tokyo Japan.
I was charged as a NO SHOW because I had received an email from FLEXSTAY stating “We’re sorry, but your request cannot be approved at this time“ and therefore I did not show up to the hotel and booked elsewhere. As I had just been on a 10 hour flight and was going through customs in Japan when receiving the email, I needed to book somewhere else without investigating or phoning as to why “my request could no be approved.” The next day I received a NO SHOW email from Agoda and I emailed them to explain that I received an email from the hotel and therefore didn’t stay at that location.
Agoda then said they are “merely a booking platform” and that I would have to deal with the hotel and that Agoda could not help me. I then contacted the hotel and asked why I was charged as a NO SHOW when I was emailed by FLEXSTAY saying “We’re sorry, but your request cannot be approved at this time.” According to the hotel they had meant I could not have a non smoking room after the fact but had not mentioned this in the original email.
I explained to Agoda my situation and each email came from a different customer service agent who said they could not help me as Agoda has a NO SHOW policy and that they are just a booking site. Agoda also stated “We also get your frustration because we are customers as well aside from being one of the teams here in Agoda.”
Finally Agoda stated “Please note that this decision mainly came from the hotel and we at Agoda do not have any control over their decision.”
I would not recommend using Agoda as a booking website as there customer service is terrible and they do not try to help make things right for customers.