Bondi overcharging

Friends of mine stayed at the Bondi over Christmas. They booked a long time in advance and were quoted 880 baht a night. When they checked out nobody around who spoke any english, and they were charged 1300 baht. a night. They were not very happy - also said that the breakfast was pretty poor, after one day they went elsewhere( for breakfast)

[TrongpaiExpat]

That's funny, I have a friend that wants a room at the Bondi and if your friends left that should have freed up a room but I was told last night that they are fully booked through the new year. I called again now and again they said, no have room.

I see the web site has three room categories. Looks like they were given the "one bedroom suit' at 1100 plus two breakfast, that comes to 1300.

[allieb]

Friends of mine stayed at the Bondi over Christmas. They booked a long time in advance and were quoted 880 baht a night. When they checked out nobody around who spoke any english, and they were charged 1300 baht. a night. They were not very happy - also said that the breakfast was pretty poor, after one day they went elsewhere.


1) I think Trongpai Expat has done his sums correctly and they probably had a better room. 2) I cant understand how if they only discovered on check out, the price was higher than quoted, they decided to leave. It doesn't make sense, they were leaving anyway.

On another note. where in the world would you get a room over Christmas for 1,300 Baht (19 pounds or 35 USD) including two breakfasts? I wonder if your friends are the type who return home to wherever after their vacation in LOS and tell everybody how cheap Thailand is or will they say its expensive and that they got ripped off.

[jinks]

Strange but true....

This morning I was presented with my bill for 1250 bhat per night.

I just said "check original reservation"

The bill returned at 1100 baht. :cheers:

I don't know the guys at The Bondi but I di think it's bad to publish bad reports about a place without having advised those in charge.

I will copy them on this page.

It may have been TWO honest mistakes. It may have been a dishonest staff member.

...they finally have breakfast!
When I stayed there last June I had to go to Two Faces to get my 2 eggs and sausage early in the morning. :sunny:

....I wonder if your friends are the type who return home to wherever after their vacation in LOS and tell everybody how cheap Thailand is or will they say its expensive and that they got ripped off.

Please do not change the subject matter. The point here is dishonest Thai bussiness practice (if the original posting is true). It has nothing to do with the room being cheap or expensive.
A $35 room is over-priced and over-charged if it should have been only $25.

I wonder if your friends are the type who return home to wherever after their vacation in LOS and tell everybody how cheap Thailand is or will they say its expensive and that they got ripped off.

Actually, they live in Thailand full time. The point I was making was the difference between the agreement (unfortunatley verbal in this case) and the final demand for payment.

[Smiles]

My 2 baht worth: just ended a 5-day stay at the Bondi in one of the end suites (Room #9) and was charged the web advertised rate of 1100 baht a day. I did not notice anything on the web regarding "breakfast included" probably because we already have a few favourite breakfast places in Jomtien (one of then now sadly closed).

This is not exactly on topic, but may as well add a few observations regarding the Bondi. Virtually nothing has changed fundamentally since the new owner (Geoff) took over ~ I believe last spring. We've stayed there once before about a year and a half ago.

Suite rooms are very large with the (also large) bedrooms divided off from the living room and washroom by a large blacked-out glass wall with a patio-style sliding door. The place is spotless (my number 1), the bed mattress very confortable. TV and DVD player in the living room, and oodles of space if your interested in extreme S&M games which require a lot of chasing and general running around. As we are not of that sort (I think jinks is though) the extra space went rather unused.

The hong nam is unfortunately on the more thumbs down side. Also spotless, it is the size of a small closet. Showering together can be accomplished, but if you are as huge as some of the behemouths observed most days at Dongtam beach you may as well forget it. Water pressure in the shower was excellent, and the toilette came with the sadly-often-missing little asshole squirter, which I suppose saves on the Charmin bill.

The air conditioner was quite powerful and easily adjustable by remote control (a nice luxurious touch when curled up in the hypothermic fetal position around 3 in the morning) . . . but, it was no good at all if one leaves the sliding door open expecting it to cool off the entire suite.
Both the living room and the bedroom have good-sized ceiling fans which help, and both rooms have old fashioned windows to the air which swing out very widely indeed . . . hanging 10 pairs of underwear and socks out to dry was a breeze. The view out the back is no sreaming hell.

Service was mostly "OK", without being memorable.
One minor bitch I would say was that after a long hot drive from Hua Hin ... with both of us carting two bags each plus a hanger-full of shirts ... we were taken upstairs (3rd floor, all climb) smartly by the young floor man who carried: the extremely heavy key!
We lugged everything up ourselves (both in pretty good shape), and we entered the room after our Thai porter (the door was held open) tongues hanging out. Then .. the Tip Expression. Sorry buster!
If Wowpow is sending this thread to Geoff, he may want to address this kind of stuff.

But, to be fair, that was the only real annoyance with the service ... and I'm pretty easy to please under most circumstances.

Cheers ...

Thanks for forwarding the articles about over charging received from one of our guests and for your information i have attached an email from the person involved i received this morning and our reply.

We are really sorry that the people didn't seem to enjoy there stay here with us because we all do try our best to make sure that people do enjoy coming here and staying here and want to come back again.

The majority of bookings we receive and in fact are staying here with us now are repeat bookings and they normally go away from here completely satisfied.

We have offered to refund he difference to Bernard for the room rate charged , as u can see and we are really disappointed that they did leave not appear to enjoy there stay with us on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Thanks once again, take care and have a great New Year



===========================

Subject: Re: Cancellation

Sorry to hear u were not very happy with the manner in which u were treated in relation to daily room rate you were originally quoted and subsequently charged. We are also surprised and sorry to hear that you think the normal daily room rate is not good value and of course that you were not happy with the breakfast you were served.

I can assure u that we do take your complaints and any other complaints seriously and if u send me your address i will send u the difference between the daily room rate you were quoted and that paid.

The daily room rate at this time for a one bedroom suite is Baht 1250-00 per day which most people consider to be good value and all our food is freshly prepared on the premises to order and can honestly advise u that the majority of people do enjoy it.

We do check that people are happy and satisfied with whatever they have selected and the service we provide because we do want people to enjoy coming here and obviously want them to keep coming back. If we do find any problems or receive complaints about the quality or service we provide we do try our best to address this immediately and all constructive criticism is welcomed and is acted upon.

If u had advised us that u were not happy with the breakfast food your were served i can assure you we would have tried our best to make u happy because we do truly want everybody to enjoy the service we provide and visiting us here.

Sorry once again that u did not enjoy our stay with us at the Bondi and as requested we have now cancelled your New Year booking and please send us your address and we will remit the difference for the room rate charged as indicated above

Take care and hope you both have a very happy New Year.

===============================


When we booked out this morning we were charged 1250 baht per night, a total for the two nights of 2500 baht.

When we booked the rooms we were told it would be 890 baht per night, we also checked this with you by telephone since then when we confirmed that you were still holding the booking which was made with Colin before the change of ownership.

We also asked you during our stay and we were told by you that if that was what you had quoted that would be the price.

When checking your website we also did not find any reference to 1250 per night.

We requested a receipt when booking out and were told by the staff that they did not understand us, there fore we did not get one.

We consider that the cost of 1250 is expensive for the accomodation, we can get cheaper and higher standard rooms, including a good English breakfast, very near to the beach in Pattaya.

Can you therefore please cancel the booking for New Years Eve.

X

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

and not just Thailand. Booking via the net can create Miss-understandings..always print out any time you book and keep it as evidence. It's happened to me at the best hotels and the smallest and invariably it's a mistake ( yours).

I doubt the Bondi would want to bilk anyone for the sake of a few hundred baht...mind you I'm not too crazy about their rooms ( although I am crazy)..they're nice..just not my style.

If in doubt-do as I do and refuse to leave the manager's office-settle in for the day and they soon come around to your point of view.

better still-let someone else pick up the tab ( highly recommended)

[lonelywombat]

We consider that the cost of 1250 is expensive for the accomodation, we can get cheaper and higher standard rooms, including a good English breakfast, very near to the beach in Pattaya.

Can you therefore please cancel the booking for New Years Eve.

X[/quote]

My God what do people want in extremely high season Xmas

It appears that the room is for 2 people, and includes breakfast for 2

AND THEY ARE COMPLAINING

They would not be happy in backpackers. What you did not tell us we would have to share!!!!!

[TrongpaiExpat]

I'll take that room at the Bondi over New Years but just called again and the Thai answering the phone said, no have rooms, good bye.


We consider that the cost of 1250 is expensive for the accomodation, we can get cheaper and higher standard rooms, including a good English breakfast, very near to the beach in Pattaya.

Ahh, the problem is they are British. Not been happy since the decline of the empire, poor dears.

Have stayed in Bondi a few times and can only say good things about it. Even the stairs! Used them as part of the daily excercise regime.

......
The hong nam is unfortunately on the more thumbs down side. .....


Smiles' review is pretty much how I found the place when I stayed last June. The only real complaint I had was the lighting in the bathroom was more suitable to a Vampire. Unless they've changed the lightbulbs I'd suggest bringing a flashlight, some candles or maybe night-vision goggles in order to shave in the morning. :geek:

As for not getting the "quoted price" I would suggest one should always correspond by email and bring a printout when traveling. That way there is no question about what one was quoted.

At least from Wowpow's post the management are willing to step up to the plate and refund the disputed amount -some $25 I figure. Hardly worth fussing about. I wonder if they ever found anything cheaper, better quality and closer to the beach?

... this sort of thing happens time and time again everywhere in the world, not just Bondi, its a sign a bad management, it generally happens in small to medium businesses that are owned or managed by just a few people, and the right arm doesn't know what the left arm is doing. The end result being "sorry" etc etc. In a 6 star establishment, generally, this does not happen (I'm not just talking about room rates, I'm talking about the "whole service") and if it did happen in a quality 6 star establishment, generally, people complain there and then and it is dealt with, probably due to a "corporate" image.

However, when it comes to establishments run and owned by just a few managers/owners, there is obviously a lack of communication with each other. The times I have been to establishments and I have had to say "but so and so said differently". Similarly, in these type of establishments and more so in the lower end of the market, one would probably not complain and be two-faced and complain on a board like this and understandably so, in fear of what could happen. Obviously, I'm talking generally here, and there is always the exception to the rule. We all know what happens if we complain to an air hostess on a plane, even though they are supposed to project a "corporate image" as they are a large corporation.

This is just my opinion of what I see frequently happening in establishments, in general, all over the world. However, I don't believe in moaning about something without offering a solution to a problem, which is simply that management/owners should communicate more with each other and offer a consistent and obviously good service to customers.

In the case we are on about, the damage is done now, it has been posted on here and the hotel has been labelled. I have no idea what the hotel is like, but people are very fickle when finding out bad reports about establishments, and the "scene" is very small and they remember.

In the UK (EU?) we are required by law to:

1) clearly quote the tariff for any booking and what it includes plus any mandatory charges. e.g. Price includes 10% service and 17.5% VAT and Full English Breakfast. I think now they have to make all quotes include VAT which was the case for many years for food and drink.

2) confirm the price in writing on arrival which is usually done on a key card. With the plethora of prices that rooms are sold at I can understand why this is now done less.

3} provide a VAT tax invoice on payment of the bill.

These communications seem to be very rare in Thailand even in quality hotels, particularly 1 and 2.