Complaints
This profile includes complaints for HotelPlanner.com's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1,154 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 651 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/21/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I cancelled a reservation and was told i would recieve a refund . Its been 30 days and nothing
Business Response
Date: 03/21/2023
Greetings ******,
Your refund was processed as requested. As is advised to all of our guest, please follow up with your bank if it has been beyond **** business days.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us at *************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Customer Answer
Date: 04/17/2023
Complaint: 19631042
I am rejecting this response because:I recieved i e mail from bbb and i read the message . Thats the same thing they keep telling me but it does not ad up . They claim it will take 2 to 10 days and it has been 27 days now .they keep trying to say it is my bank . Ive talked with them and there has been no deposits made by hotel planner or anybody else .guess i will try and reach out to the ***** Not sure if they have any to do with it or not .
Sincerely,
*************************Business Response
Date: 04/18/2023
Greetings,
Once we have refunded the money, we can no longer assist you. The refund for one night was processed back to the original form of payment on 03/16/2023, at 2:57PM. The bank will have to assist you further.
Regards,
*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/20/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I used this company (*************) to book a local hotel Home2suites in *************** ********. I arrived the Home2Suites location and found I did not have a room available. The reservation was cancelled. ************* took my money $198.84. I was informed that I would get a refund. I did not get a refund. It is has been close to 30-days. I called again and was informed it will take **** days for a refund. Do not use this company. I should of know as I had to submit my credit card over the phone using a unique process. I want to report this business to the Better Business Bureau.Business Response
Date: 03/20/2023
Greetings ****,
Your refund was fully processed on 03/02/2023 at 1:12PM. Since it has been beyond the "**** business days", please reach out to your back for further assistance. After we refund, we have no more control over when and how the money gets to you.
If you have any further questions, please reach out to *************************.
Regards,
*****************************Initial Complaint
Date:03/17/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On Jan 21, 2023 I called *************** in ********* and instead got these thiefs and paid &***** for 7 days with the provision I would have a smoking room, guarantee. At the same time my daughter and her friend checked the rates and wanted to see a room. They found the daily rate to be $74 a night and they had no smoking rooms. She immediately called me and I cancelled the reservation with Hotel Planners within an hour. *** made many calls to them and always get the answer that I should have a credit to my Credit Card within 3-7 days Since January 21st 2023 to this date, March 16, 2023 just promises and no credit to my card I want my $***** ASAP as I am entitled to it without crazy fees deducted. I was deceived and lied to when i made this foolish reservation.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2023
Greetings,
After looking into your complaint further I can see that a full voucher was issued first. Please accept our sincere apologies about the delay surrounding your full refund. Please be assured a full refund has been issued. It will take about **** business days to see that refund reflected on your account. If it is beyond 10 business days, please follow up with your bank.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Kind Regards,
*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/17/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On Sunday, March 12, I Googled Hampton Inn and the first website popped up and I called the number on it to book a reservation for two nightsTuesday, March 14-Thursday, March 16, 2023. My credit card was promptly charged $295.66. I arrived at the Hampton Inn on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The front desk attendant told me there was NO reservation for me. I told her that I had a confirmation number and that my credit card had been charge. She told me that HotelPlanner was a scam and the hotel had never been paid for my reservation. So I had to pay again for a two night stay. I called HotelPlanner that evening and talked to a very unhelpful person named *****. He told me he could not do anything and that the Tickets Team had to email me. I asked for a telephone number for the Tickets Team or an email addressArvin could not provide either. He actually told the Tickets Team did not have a telephone. Now that is totally unbelievable. I did receive an email and was asked to explain what happened, but so far have not received any other communication nor a credit for the $295.66. The Itinerary Number: H6370519 and Confirmation Number: FPH1325M73P.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2023
Greetings **********,
Let me first apologize about the hotel not honoring your reservation. To explain the process a little bit better: the hotel and a rate supplier privately negotiate a price. Then, the supplier and ************ agree on a price and we sell the rooms. ************ has to charge the guest right away, because the supplier wants immediate payment (that is why it's called prepaid). Then the hotel is suppose to charge the card that is provided by the supplier. The hotel is suppose to be responsible for honoring the rooms they provided to the supplier.I am so sorry about the complications surrounding your booking. The reason for the delay is we were trying to reach out to the supplier for an explanation to see if we could get the hotel to honor the (lower) price you already paid.
In order to not further delay your refund, we have processed your refund. Please allow **** business days to see that refund reflected on your account.
The customer service number is **************. If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at *********************************
Regards,
*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/15/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
CANCELLED 4 DAY RESERVATION AT *********************************************** IN **************** ********** HOTEL ONE WEEK BEFORE CHECK IN DATE OF MARCH 9 BECAUSE OF SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING PREDICTED FOR CENTRAL COAST ********** WHICH DID OCCUR RESULTING IN ROAD CLOSURES, WAS REFUNDED $1207.56 BUT TOYAL CHARGE WAS $1610, SO NEVER RECEIVED THE REMAINING $402.22, CALLED MULTIPLE TIMES TO ***************************** NO RESOLUTION. CONFIRMATION NUMBER WAS H6177369Business Response
Date: 03/16/2023
Greetings ******,
We are sorry to hear you weren't able to make your reservation.
After looking into your reservation, I can see the cancellation policy is: Bookings cancelled before 03/02/2023 6:00 PM ************ time) are subject to a fee of 1 night's room and tax per room. That would mean your penalty would have been for one night plus tax which is the $402.22. Although this is the policy to which you agreed, the remainder of the refund has been processed. Please allow **** business days to see that refund reflected on your account.
If you should have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/10/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
RE: Conf: ************** H6341794; Hotel Planners On the evening of March 7th, I looked on the internet specifically to make a reservation at the Fairfield Inn located in **************, ** for Memorial Day weekend. I somehow go re-routed to a site. It said it was the Fairfield Inn and it asked for hotel stay dates. I entered them and called the 800 number provided.I was under the impression that I was speaking directly to the hotel and was quoted a price for three days at a charge of $1170.66 for the entire stay. I was also told that the charge would NOT appear OR be CHARGED to my account until the day I checked into the hotel. I asked the reservationist over and over and he kept assuring me that it would ONLY be a HOLD until I checked in on May 26th. That was a complete LIE and a FARCE because when I checked my BANK account on Friday, March 10, 2023, I learn that the company had debited my card for $1170.66. This is outright FRAUD and a SCAM!!!The day I made the reservation, I was told, over and over [because I kept asking] OVER THE ****** by the reservationist that I had up until April 24th to cancel for a FULL REFUND. I was hesitant about making the reservation. However, my friend who was in earshot of the entire call advised me to go ahead since the reservationist had provided a date in the remote future for me to cancel without penalty.On Friday, March 10, 2023, I decided to call and cancel this reservation. I spoke with a customer service agent by the name of ***. *** put me on hold for a few minutes while she called the hotel who informed her that the reservation could be canceled without penalty. She then proceeded to tell me that she would request a full refund through an escalation team and that they would be emailing me but that they may NOT ***** me the full refund, and may charge me 33%. I told her that I had never received a confirmation. So she resent one while I was on the call and the cancellation policy appeared, conveniently, under their cancellation policy in the email. I am requesting a FULL REFUND of monies because I felt that I was SCAMMED AND LIED TO. Had I been told about the cancellation policy; I would have NEVER made this reservation or agree to have that much money taken out of my account as it nearly ran my account into OVERDRAFT causing me to have to transfer funds from my savings into my checking account.Business Response
Date: 03/13/2023
Greetings,
Please accept our sincere apologies about your experience. Your entire refund has been processed. Please allow **** business days to see that refund reflected on your account.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************Customer Answer
Date: 03/13/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*********************************Initial Complaint
Date:03/10/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
We thought we were booking with Holiday Inn Express North ******, ************* directly. Evidently there was a popup ad that took over the reservation. We were charged $81.60 per night for taxes and other fees times 3 nights for a total of $244.79. We questioned the fees and were told they charge sales tax plus up to $***** for entire transaction. This would total $571.23 (3 nights at ******) plus sales tax of ***** and a fee of ***** for entire transaction. This would equal ****** at most. We called the hotel they said these are 3rd party vendor fees so we called ************ and talked to ***** a customer rep to get the above information. Our total charge was $816.03 (overcharge of $163.40) with no more explanation.This company is scamming customers by throwing in unexplained fees. If I cancel the entire reservation within 24 hours of booking they charge 1 nights stay, in this case $******.Their email is secure2.hotelplanner.com/Res/Our dispute is a total of $163.40 of unexplained fees.Thank you for your time.Transaction date was March 9, 2023Business Response
Date: 03/13/2023
Greetings *****,
We are sorry to hear you feel this way. When using a booking service, there are 3 places involved. Supplier, booking company (**) and the hotel. The hotel and the supplier negotiate and come to an agreement on a price. The supplier sales us the rooms along with a list of taxes and fees we must charge. Please see below for our company taxes and fees explanation.
The tax charge on *************** transactions is a recovery of all applicable transaction taxes (e.g. sales and use, occupancy, room tax,excise tax, value added tax, etc.) that we collect from customers and pay our vendors (such as hotels, etc.) in connection with our customers purchasers. We are not the vendor collection and remitting such tax to the applicable tax authorities. The vendors bill us for applicable taxes, and we remit such amounts directly to our vendors. We are not a co-vendor associated with the vendor with whom we book to reserve our customers travel arrangements.Taxability and the appropriate tax rate vary greatly by location. The actual amount paid to a vendor may vary from the tax recovery charge, depending upon the rates, taxability or other factors in effect at the time of the actual use of a given travel service by our customers. We do not incur the cost of sales tax from the vendors located in ******, ********, ************* and ******, as these states do not impose sales tax. Also, certain jurisdictions impose a hotel occupancy tax or other type of transaction tax upon the renting of a hotel room, an automobile, etc. The type of tax collected by a vendor will vary by service and location. We use third party distribution channels for individual reservations.
We are going to refund the requested amount. Please understand that it is as a gesture of good will on our part.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Customer Answer
Date: 03/13/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***************************Initial Complaint
Date:03/09/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My husband made a reservation online at a hotel for 3/3/23-3/4/23 and thought he was making it directly with the hotel. He was not. Hotel Planner makes it look like youre booking with the hotel. (Even when you call customer service, the recording states Thank you for calling our customer service. They do not identify themselves. He never got a confirmation of the reservation and was never able to see the proposed fees. He wasnt even sure the reservation had gone through! He called the hotel and they said that we must have booked with Expedia or a third party, and that they did see the reservation. We thought all was good. Upon checking out, we were charged almost $500 for a two night stay! They charged a nightly room fee that was higher than advertised and then on top of it charged $97 additionally each night for fees. He never agreed to that, and we would have immediately canceled our reservations through them if we had received a confirmation. We tried to call customer service as soon as we saw the charges hit our credit card, but no one answered and no one has returned our call.We are seeking a refund or adjustment to our bill with appropriate charges. When I asked the hotel what their rate was for those nights it was $115.00/night. I have attached the receipt that we received once we checked out. Again, please note that their business name is nowhere on the receipt.Thank you for your help!Business Response
Date: 03/10/2023
Greetings *****,
After looking into your complaint, I can see that you left a voicemail at 9:10AM on Sunday. One of our agents responded via email at 9:17AM asking for a photo of the charges in question. There was no response to our agent.
When trying to book directly with the hotel, it is imperative that you book directly from the hotels website found when you ****** the hotel name. Often times people will scroll looking for the best rates and end up booking the best rates instead of booking directly with the hotel. All polices, prices and information must be confirmed via a check box before confirming the reservation. Once the reservation is completed, you are held to the policies to which you agreed.
As an explanation of the taxes and fees: The tax charge on *************** transactions is a recovery of all applicable transaction taxes (e.g. sales and use, occupancy, room tax, excise tax, value added tax, etc.) that we collect from customers and pay our vendors (such as hotels, etc.) in connection with our customers purchasers. We are not the vendor collection and remitting such tax to the applicable tax authorities. The vendors bill us for applicable taxes, and we remit such amounts directly to our vendors. We are not a co-vendor associated with the vendor with whom we book to reserve our customers travel arrangements. Taxability and the appropriate tax rate vary greatly by location. The actual amount paid to a vendor may vary from the tax recovery charge, depending upon the rates, taxability or other factors in effect at the time of the actual use of a given travel service by our customers. We do not incur the cost of sales tax from the vendors located in ******, ********, ************* and ******, as these states do not impose sales tax. Also, certain jurisdictions impose a hotel occupancy tax or other type of transaction tax upon the renting of a hotel room, an automobile, etc. The type of tax collected by a vendor will vary by service and location. We use third party distribution channels for individual reservations.If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Customer Answer
Date: 03/14/2023
Complaint: 19560883
I am rejecting this response because: A confirmation was never sent at the time of booking. If the confirmation had been received, we would have had an opportunity to cancel and correct our error and book directly with the hotel. Also, an email was not received after my call. Why wasn't I called back?
Sincerely,
***********************Business Response
Date: 03/14/2023
Greetings,
Please see attachments to see the emails were sent.
The reason the agent did not call you back is we would have needed to see a photo of the charges. We would have needed you to send a photo of the charges for further review. The agent requested that to try to speed the process for you.As a gesture of good will, I can offer a voucher for $75.00 for future reservations. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Customer Answer
Date: 03/15/2023
Complaint: 19560883
I am rejecting this response because: I have had such a terrible experience with ************ that I have absolutely no plan to use this business again. I would request that the $75 voucher be turned into a $75 refund. Thank you.
Sincerely,
***********************Initial Complaint
Date:03/08/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Request for the formal invoice with the business HST number for a stay on September 10-11,2022.I tried to call, email and chat online, and no one could help to provide this basic tax information. Itinerary Number:H5140879Business Response
Date: 03/16/2023
Greetings,
I am looking into this information for you. Please email me your booking information to **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/07/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
This company fraudulently posed as the DoubleTree hotel reservation desk when I was trying to book a reservation under my daughter's soccer team tournament block. The person (who did not have access to the block information fraudulently claimed that the block was full). I was unable to get a full refund and this company charged my credit card on the day I called (not the day of the reservation which is 3/17/2023. My credit card description falsely shows that it is a DoubleTree and arrival of 1/26/2023. They are posing as a company they are not. The DoubleTree confirmed this and it has been reported to their corporate office.Business Response
Date: 03/08/2023
Greetings,
We are so sorry to hear about the issues you encountered when booking. We definitely take complaints like yours very seriously. You were issued a full refund as of February 28. It does take about **** business days to see the full refund on your account.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.
Regards,
*****************************
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