A Singapore traveller has claimed that a confirmed Agoda hotel reservation failed to reach the property in Perth, leaving them without accommodation for several hours and facing more than S$300 in telephone charges.
The traveller reportedly booked accommodation in Cannington, Perth, from 12 to 17 August through Agoda. According to the account shared with The Independent Singapore, the booking was fully paid for and appeared as confirmed on the travel platform.
However, the traveller allegedly received no check-in instructions before arriving at the property. Upon reaching the accommodation, they were reportedly informed that the property had not received the reservation from Agoda and was already fully occupied.
Traveller allegedly spent four hours trying to resolve booking issue
The situation reportedly left the traveller searching for a solution between about 3pm and 7pm during Perth’s winter. They allegedly spent around four hours contacting both Agoda and the property in an attempt to secure accommodation.
Because the traveller did not have an Australian SIM card, they reportedly relied on their Singapore mobile number to make the calls. The traveller claimed the calls lasted more than 65 minutes and cost approximately S$5 per minute, resulting in a phone bill exceeding S$300.
Agoda allegedly offered either a refund or alternative accommodation. However, the traveller claimed that the alternatives proposed were either significantly further away from the original location or lower-end accommodation, as the options had to remain within the original booking’s price range.
Traveller claims Agoda refused to reimburse phone charges
The traveller eventually managed to secure a room at the original property. They subsequently asked Agoda to reimburse the telephone expenses, arguing that the costs arose because of the alleged booking failure.
According to the account, Agoda declined the request, allegedly stating that it had no record of the calls. The traveller also claimed that subsequent email correspondence became complicated because Agoda repeatedly confused the complaint with another reservation.
The traveller said this raised further concerns because the misunderstanding could potentially have affected another booking.
Similar complaints about hotel reservations booked through online travel agencies have surfaced previously. A Reddit user in 2021 claimed that a hotel booking made through Agoda appeared confirmed on the platform but was not recognised by the property when the customer arrived.
Another Reddit user sought advice in 2024 after allegedly discovering that a hotel had no reservation under their name despite having booked through Agoda. These accounts are user-generated claims and do not independently establish that the platform caused the respective booking problems.
Agoda previously faced scrutiny in Singapore
The latest complaint also comes after regulatory scrutiny of Agoda in Singapore. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) previously raised concerns about certain features of Agoda’s Singapore website and mobile application that could potentially mislead consumers.
Agoda subsequently made voluntary undertakings to change aspects of its website and app following the CCCS’ concerns.
For Singaporeans booking overseas accommodation, the incident highlights the importance of keeping booking confirmations, payment records and correspondence with both the travel platform and hotel. Travellers may also wish to contact the property directly before arrival, particularly for important or expensive trips.
While a booking confirmation can provide reassurance, problems can still arise when reservations made through an online travel agency do not appear correctly in a hotel’s own system. The latest account remains an allegation from an individual traveller, and there is no independent evidence in the supplied report establishing exactly where the booking breakdown occurred.