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Warning against using lastminute.com top secret hotels!!

Warning against using lastminute.com top secret hotels!!

Old Nov 2, 2009, 3:01 pm
  #46  
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Originally Posted by magmax
@sgtryan
did you actually complain at the hotel regarding the cleanliness of the room right when you stayed there? It not, I would recommend that you state that you did when talking to the lastminute.com guys again. European jurisdiction normally is that you have to complain straight away on the site to give them the possibility to correct the deficit.
Believe me I wanted to have it out with the general manager when we got to the hotel but MrsSgtRyan was dead against that as she was worried they might do something to our bags while we out and I didnt want to upset her, so I left it. What can you do? All part of the travelling experience

Still waiting to hear from lastminute.com will update as soon as I have heard something.
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Old Nov 4, 2009, 4:08 am
  #47  
 
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We used lastminute.com and booked the secret hotel for london heathrow - it was fairly easy to tell it was the Sofitel and we paid 79 (I think) for a ncie room in a 5 star hotel which included breakfast (usually 21 pp) - having booked our parking directly with Meteor beneath the hotel we saved a packet on the published prices.

Would I use them again - yes - as long as I could tell the hotel.

It is also worth pointing out that lastminute.com's price is the price you pay, where as on other sites they add in taxes etc., to the final invoice.
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Old Nov 4, 2009, 3:26 pm
  #48  
 
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25 minutes from the Colosseum could very well be described as "Minutes from the Colosseum"? Albeit 25 minutes
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Old Nov 4, 2009, 10:03 pm
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Boddingtons
25 minutes from the Colosseum could very well be described as "Minutes from the Colosseum"? Albeit 25 minutes
Yes, on a 7 hour flight from jfk to cdg, I'm only (420) minutes from my destination before I take off.
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Old Nov 19, 2009, 8:23 am
  #50  
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Hi guys,

Just an update. I had a general email from lastminute.com saying that I would get a reply within 28 days. That was on the 15th Oct. Its now Nov 19th and nothing. Not even an email to say that it might take a little longer. Speaks for its self really.
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Old Nov 19, 2009, 9:47 pm
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OP : Thanks for the post. I will avoid.
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Old Nov 19, 2009, 10:35 pm
  #52  
 
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First I have stayed at far worse places in Italy for over 100 euro per night. You should see what 100 Euro gets you in the center of Venice.
But I think this is a matter of the website you are dealing with and possibly a bit of misrepresentation by the hotel.
You said you had a good experience with Priceline. What does that have to do with lastminute? LastMinute.com is a UK company using European standards for the their hotel. Priceline on the other hand is using U.S. quality based standards when ranking hotels and when they misrate a new hotel they go out of their way to make it right.
LastMinute took over U.S. operations of the formerly great website Site59 but their new system leaves a lot to be desired.
Now here is what the hotel says their rooms look like.
That is very different from your pictures.
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Old Nov 19, 2009, 10:45 pm
  #53  
 
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Hi guys,

Just an update. I had a general email from lastminute.com saying that I would get a reply within 28 days. That was on the 15th Oct. Its now Nov 19th and nothing. Not even an email to say that it might take a little longer. Speaks for its self really.
Sounds to me like they are just going to try to keep delaying you from claiming the stay with your credit card company as a chargeback. A chargeback will get harder the longer you wait, so I wouldn't wait any longer.

Michael
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Old Nov 20, 2009, 1:17 pm
  #54  
 
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Wow, that room truly looks disgusting. Having stayed in over 20 hotels across Italy, I have to say that their standards are simply shocking. I paid 180 euros per night for a supposedly top-rated hotel in Venice, and it was a complete dump (although in a good location). The BEST hotel I've ever stayed in was in Zagreb (Croatia) - paid only 60 euros per night (3* hotel) and it was absolutely spotless and perfect - felt just like a bedroom at home!
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Old Nov 21, 2009, 3:28 pm
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by SgtRyan
Hi guys,

Just an update. I had a general email from lastminute.com saying that I would get a reply within 28 days. That was on the 15th Oct. Its now Nov 19th and nothing. Not even an email to say that it might take a little longer. Speaks for its self really.
Holy $@#$! Wish I had a job where I had 28 days to reply to emails.
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Old Nov 21, 2009, 6:17 pm
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OP, I just wanted to wish you good luck! When I opened your pictures, I kept thinking "ewwwww"! 4* or not, one at least expects the hotel to be clean and to have things in working order. I've stayed in hostels in Hungary that had better looking bathrooms.
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Old Nov 21, 2009, 6:39 pm
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I wouldn't have even stayed in that dump. Told the taxi to take me to another place and then contest it with my credit card. Seriously, the place looked like you could have gotten a staph infection walking around in there barefoot. I really feel bad that you got jammed up like that and hope you can get some sort of refund. Your message is heard loud and clear about that website. We work to hard to get ripped off like that. Good luck
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Old Nov 22, 2009, 5:19 am
  #58  
 
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I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with the lastminute.com secret hotel you choose. Nevertheless I don't agree that you should well clear of them. If you spend some time on the net and do a bit of research you can nearly always pin down the exact hotel and I made some good bargains on beautifull hotels. Although I have to say that I only used it for London.
But 133 Euros inkl. taxes for a double room at The Mayfair in London is what I call a good deal and that was through lastminute.com Top secret hotels.
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Old Nov 22, 2009, 10:37 am
  #59  
 
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whether or not it's possible to get a deal by them with the right research, it's very clear from their lack of any sort of quality customer service with this issue that they are not a trustworthy operation. even if you should find a good deal by them, you go in knowing that if anything should go wrong you have no one to talk to and deal with. i don't think it's worth entering into such a thing, even to save a couple bucks.
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Old Nov 22, 2009, 7:06 pm
  #60  
 
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Originally Posted by holtju2
Actually I do agree with the tinkybelle. In life most of the time you do get what you pay for.

Air/hotel mistakes are NOT Flyertalk.
While quality usually isn't terribly cheap, "you get what you pay for" is typically what people who overpay tell themselves to feel better about wasting money. At least that has been my experience, though I could be wrong.
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