Any experience buying or selling with Roomer?
May 22, 2015, 11:42 am
#61
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Gold, Hertz PC, National Exec
Posts: 6,736
I have another question
Do you have any control over the price your reservation is sold for ?
My reservation happens to be for two dates where hotel prices are sky high
The current going rate for my hotel is 3 times what i paid
Can i have my reservation sell for just 15 percent more than what i paid to cover Roomer's cut ?
Or do Roomer set all prices ?
Do you have any control over the price your reservation is sold for ?
My reservation happens to be for two dates where hotel prices are sky high
The current going rate for my hotel is 3 times what i paid
Can i have my reservation sell for just 15 percent more than what i paid to cover Roomer's cut ?
Or do Roomer set all prices ?
May 24, 2015, 4:07 am
#62
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: World
Posts: 1,647
New to roomer here - from what I can tell the service fully transfers the reservation into the purchaser's name.
Can anyone confirm whether full status benefits / stay earning apply once the reservation is transferred? If so would you receive points based on the original (not discounted) rate?
Can anyone confirm whether full status benefits / stay earning apply once the reservation is transferred? If so would you receive points based on the original (not discounted) rate?
May 24, 2015, 5:50 am
#63
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
New to roomer here - from what I can tell the service fully transfers the reservation into the purchaser's name.
Can anyone confirm whether full status benefits / stay earning apply once the reservation is transferred? If so would you receive points based on the original (not discounted) rate?
Can anyone confirm whether full status benefits / stay earning apply once the reservation is transferred? If so would you receive points based on the original (not discounted) rate?
May 24, 2015, 8:02 am
#64
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: World
Posts: 1,647
"Once we receive your booking details, our system immediately gets to work transferring the reservation from the seller's name to yours. We'll notify you as soon as the transfer is complete."
May 24, 2015, 8:42 am
#66
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
I never gave it a deep thought, but that could've been the reason for my whole issue @westgate. As Westgate mentioned to me after check-out, "Ms.X did show up and stayed at the resort". So, if Ms.X was in fact the original Roomer purchaser turned seller (which I never knew one way or the other), then two suites got used April 5-10. And I couldn't comprehend how in the world I got (criminally LOL) double charged, because I never knew of Ms.X; but Westgate's assumption at a later hour of April 5th check-in date could've been I'm covering Ms.X's stay!! Is this plausible, fellows?
May 24, 2015, 9:06 am
#67
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
I also didn't know until yesterday's post#46 here that Sellers "get paid out through Paypal, 10 days after the stay is complete.". My first thought was "what do stay dates have to do with it?" Now I understand: Roomer covers its butt for Ms.X potential craziness! Having sold her original booking.com stay to Roomer (for $500 minus Roomer fee), Ms.X still showed up - apparently brandishing proof of her prepaid stay via booking.com at $712
Edit: it's also conceivable that Roomer may have sold more than 1 vacancy there, and the party who showed up was a second Roomer buyer (?) Suite is listed "max. 5 person occupancy", so plenty names can be added LOL. Anyone think that's part of Roomer biz model? (In which case, buying out the listings of tiniest discount is progressively more dangerous - as multiple sales by Roomer become progressively less dangerous for Roomer). In any case, all of this gives more credence to Westgate's claim after checkout April 10th that my "money is with Roomer" and I "should get it from them"...Seems my persistence on this forum is finally solving some behind-the-curtain mysteries
Edit: it's also conceivable that Roomer may have sold more than 1 vacancy there, and the party who showed up was a second Roomer buyer (?) Suite is listed "max. 5 person occupancy", so plenty names can be added LOL. Anyone think that's part of Roomer biz model? (In which case, buying out the listings of tiniest discount is progressively more dangerous - as multiple sales by Roomer become progressively less dangerous for Roomer). In any case, all of this gives more credence to Westgate's claim after checkout April 10th that my "money is with Roomer" and I "should get it from them"...Seems my persistence on this forum is finally solving some behind-the-curtain mysteries
Last edited by SinglePapa2; May 24, 2015 at 10:20 am
May 24, 2015, 3:50 pm
#68
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,651
Can you support your interpretation?
1. They checked me in based on "fully paid" printout confirmation, which they DID enclose into my folio, and it was found to be still in my folio at check-out 5 days later.
2. If they suddenly can't find their receivable at any point after check-in, don't they HAVE TO give me a choice of vacating rather than charging their rack rate to my card for ANY future days, without my knowledge??
Frankly, I find your interpretation outrageous - and I wonder if EVERY CRITIC OF WHAT I'M SAYING would like their card to be charged unauthorized (and with no suspicion on his part). Again, when they take your card at check-in, they VERBALLY state it's for "incidentals" (and this verbal statement serves to overrule whatever they may have planted in their standard fine print)
1. They checked me in based on "fully paid" printout confirmation, which they DID enclose into my folio, and it was found to be still in my folio at check-out 5 days later.
2. If they suddenly can't find their receivable at any point after check-in, don't they HAVE TO give me a choice of vacating rather than charging their rack rate to my card for ANY future days, without my knowledge??
Frankly, I find your interpretation outrageous - and I wonder if EVERY CRITIC OF WHAT I'M SAYING would like their card to be charged unauthorized (and with no suspicion on his part). Again, when they take your card at check-in, they VERBALLY state it's for "incidentals" (and this verbal statement serves to overrule whatever they may have planted in their standard fine print)
(See my screen name? The word "editor" isn't there just for giggles. I have a college degree and 25+ years of practical experience as an editor. The precise and accurate use of language is what has enabled me to earn a living for my entire career.)
May 24, 2015, 4:37 pm
#69
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
I have no clue what "interpretation" you're referring to. Are you talking about the English definitions of the word current and the word future? Sure. Look in any dictionary and there's my support. If you think the definitions are "outrageous" then I really don't know what to tell you.
(See my screen name? The word "editor" isn't there just for giggles. I have a college degree and 25+ years of practical experience as an editor. The precise and accurate use of language is what has enabled me to earn a living for my entire career.)
(See my screen name? The word "editor" isn't there just for giggles. I have a college degree and 25+ years of practical experience as an editor. The precise and accurate use of language is what has enabled me to earn a living for my entire career.)
Last edited by SinglePapa2; May 24, 2015 at 5:31 pm
May 24, 2015, 9:55 pm
#70
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,651
Not sure how your (admittedly more educated) post helps members' understanding of Roomer's or hotel's M.O., but assumption that a consumer (who never bought any days at their prices) would appreciate hotel's act of quietly charging his card rack rate 5 nights (that never occurred yet) forward, is OUTRAGEOUS. A consumer should never be taken his rights away (in this case, the right to vacate rather than accept rack rate). Nothing about Apr 6, apr 7, apr 8, apr 9 and apr 10 is "current stay" on Apr.5 (the day my card got quietly double-and-half charged). This was unauthorized charge by any definition, for which the hotel can't possibly come up with explanation. The cardholder was never offered to make an additional $712 purchase; the cardholder was admitted into a suite EXPRESSLY based on his completed and final $500 purchase. It wasn't like: go ahead, but we may get back to you because we can't see your payment. It was: we found your suite, just cross this Ms.X's info, and fill in yours. And yes, we're attaching your proof of prepaid stay to your folio. Enjoy now!
Except that wasn't what my post was about. I'm beginning to think there's a English as a second language/reading comprehension problem going on here. I give up & suggest you do, too. A lawyer, your bank or your state attorney general is probably your best bet.
May 27, 2015, 11:28 pm
#72
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Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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If they simply add the purchaser's name to the reservation, IMO it's a huge security risk. The original owner of the reservation could go to the hotel, check in, show photo ID, get duplicate key cards for the room occupied by the purchaser (because, after all, according to the hotel's records, they are sharing the room), and then proceed to the room to steal the guest's possessions or worse. No thanks.
Jun 2, 2015, 7:24 am
#73
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 84
If they simply add the purchaser's name to the reservation, IMO it's a huge security risk. The original owner of the reservation could go to the hotel, check in, show photo ID, get duplicate key cards for the room occupied by the purchaser (because, after all, according to the hotel's records, they are sharing the room), and then proceed to the room to steal the guest's possessions or worse. No thanks.
1. Person A lists their reservation on Roomer.
2. Person B purchases that reservation.
3. Roomer contacts the OTA or booking center that the original reservation was booked through requesting them to completely change the reservation from Person A to Person B.
4. The OTA or booking center contacts the property to completely change the reservation from Person A to Person B.
5. Once the OTA or booking center confirms to Roomer that the reservation has been changed, Person B received their confirmation email and everything is all set.
The problem is that there are too many points where human error can occur. Most often it seems at the hotel level when the OTA or booking center contacts them to change the reservation. Instead of doing it properly, it seems that many front desk agents just add on Person B as an additional guest. In my instance, my name was only added in the notes. After everything was resolved, the desk agent explained how difficult it is to change the name on a reservation in their system. I suspect that is the same at many properties, or that the front desk agent receiving the call either doesn’t understand/care enough to get it done correctly, hence the relatively high number of problems with Roomer.
So back to your concerns, according to Roomer’s business model, there isn’t anything to worry about. But in the real world, it’s a legitimate possibility. I think that’s a pretty unlikely scenario though. I’m sure most people enter into much riskier situations on a daily basis, but then again, no one should ever do anything they aren’t comfortable with. I’m still keeping my eye on the site for good deals.
Jun 12, 2015, 9:37 am
#75
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 628
Moral of story: don't use a service the business model of which you don't fully understand. It doesn't matter if other people have used it, if you don't understand how it works, use it at your peril.
If I were a major hotel chain I wouldn't touch these Roomer folks with a barge pole. A great opportunity for my staff resources to be squandered as my staff tries to iron out the headaches caused by a transaction in which they played no part whatsoever.
If I were a major hotel chain I wouldn't touch these Roomer folks with a barge pole. A great opportunity for my staff resources to be squandered as my staff tries to iron out the headaches caused by a transaction in which they played no part whatsoever.
Last edited by simpleflyer; Jun 12, 2015 at 9:44 am