Has anyone else gotten the bait and switch at Bridge House Dublin in Temple Bar? When we arrived for the guaranteed room we had paid for months in advance, they claimed they were renovating and tried to send us somewhere that was a 20 minute taxi drive outside the city. We protested that a room so far away was not even close to being equivalent and we wanted a refund. The woman at the desk told us that since we didn't stay, we would not be charged. That was not true. We had to pay double for another room and have repeatedly been refused a refund. Expedia has been no help. Looking at reviews, we do not seem to be the only ones with this experience.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
This isn't "bait and switch". It's bait and switch if they advertise one thing and try to make you upgrade to something more expensive when you get there. Unless the second property was also theirs (and you actually went there) they didn't benefit from the more expensive room. If you paid for the room months in advance, as you said, you were already charged - how could they say you wouldn't be? Protest the charge with your credit card since they haven't given you a refund. The additional cost of the second room isn't their concern. There are thousands of choices of rooms in Dublin and you could have found something less than double the cost. I have had guaranteed reservations disappear on me, too, and it's a pain (in one case they gave two of our three rooms away to someone else, and in another, they "lost" our reservation - even though I showed them a print out of the confirmation). One thing you should take from this - don't expect a third party like Expedia to help you if there is a problem. It's always best to book directly.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10215 posts
No matter what it is, it really sucks. I hope you can get some reimbursement.
What I don't understand is why you booked there when the reviews were so bad? They are really dismal. What was the attraction?
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
I ran into something like this where I was charged the full three nights after I had cancelled. I went back and forth with booking.com who couldn't get the hotel to refund my money. They claimed they didn't have my credit card number, etc. I called the credit card bank and they resolved the matter quickly and efficiently.
Posted by
Green Bay
20185 posts
All I can say is, I've never seen a hotel with worse Tripadvisor reviews than the Bridge House.
Posted by
Central Valley, California
293 posts
What Sam said - - really horrible reviews. I travel so rarely to EU, that I carefully research every place I stay, always taking the good reviews with a grain of salt, but always reading the bad reviews: they are the most revealing.
And I plan to travel much, much more in the future, so the reviews are important to me. It's important to see the "trend" of all the reviews. Also, bad reviews will alert us to temporary or relatively new discomforts, such as noisy renovations or a new thumping disco next door.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
sorry this happened to you.. and it does sound like this place should have been avoided at all costs.. and you have now found out why..
This is why I never pay up front .. ever.. one night deposit period. I know some hotels offer a rate that's a bit cheaper if you prepay.. but its not worth saving 10 euros a night for this sort of baloney you have to go through now.
ALWAYS read hotel reviews.. and not just on one site. I cross check reviews on various sites, and you can generally get a fair overview if you do that..
I hope your credit card company can help.. and shame on Expedia ..
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Pat, I don't know that Expedia should be faulted here. It is well known that third party booking sites don't generally assist if there are problems. A travel agent should, but not a third party booking agent. They just hook up Party A with Party B, they aren't the booking police. Looking at the reviews, it does seem that the OP dodged a bullet here.