janisj

RoryBr: >> . . . is wrong on every moral, ethical, and professional level.<<

You STILL don't get it. Your <u>contract is with the HOTEL</u>. They absolutely do need your credit card info.

I'd stay home from now on and not travel -- you seem a bit <i>challenged</i>

Odin

It is not wrong to pass someone's credit card details in the case of a hotel booking. It is standard practice. How will the hotel charge a no-show fee if you decide to no-show, or how will the hotel charge a cancellation fee if you cancel too late, how will the hotel charge a deposit or take prepayment from you? For the hotels that apparently do not need a credit card to make a booking, what will happen if you arrive after 6pm, will your booking be released? Personally even if I know I will arrive before 6pm I prefer to guarantee my booking, as I don't know how busy the hotel will be and don't want to risk losing my room if the hotel has overbooked.

The process for booking a hotel via an agent (online or offline) has not changed for decades. Technology has changed and now we can book online, that's all. Whilst nothing is risk free, I feel more secure about my personal details being stored and transmitted appropriately through booking websites which are PCI compliant, use SSL encryption and secure servers then sending unencrypted emails or phoning details through to a person.

Nonconformist

"No they don't. At least one other site doesn't, which I booked with today after validating that they wouldn't pass my credit card details on."

Which site was that?

Christina

I really am surprised that someone would be okay with some "booking site" having their credit card number but not the actual hotel where they intended to stay. This makes no sense whatsoever to me, nor to expect a site where you are booking a hotel room not to pass the CC info on to the hotel. As others noted, they wold need it for no shows or cancellations after whatever deadline that hotel imposes for cancellations without charge. I have booked hotels in the US on the phone and they still require a credit card for those reasons.

I am baffled that anyone would not expect the CC info to be passed on to the hotel where you are booking a room without reading any terms at all. That makes as much as much sense to me as saying you didn't expect them to pass on your name.

If some website doesn't pass CC ddtails on, then I expect you are paying them, but you are still paying someone as they would probably charge you for a no show. Otherwise, there would be no purposes whatsoever for them requiring a credit card number in the first place, this is jsut common sense.

Way back in the day I did book some smaller hotels in Europe that didn't require a CC number, having encountered that in a long time because even small hotels now can hire a company to manage their website, as well as the booking software on the website. Even some that require emails for reservations ask for a CC number. But the ones that don't just didn't have a problem with a lot of no-shows, I guess.

Christina

oh, I just remembered I did stay in a hotel recently in the US that I don't think had my CC info. This was a surprise to me, but I had booked through Southwest airlines to get some FF points. Much to my surprise, they had farmed out the reservation to some other entity (there were two names on the reservation, Orbitz and some other company I had never heard of) and they are the ones who had charged my credit card. In fact, even though it wasn't prepaid as far as I can recall (nor a no cancellation allowed), they charged my card when I made the reservation. I didn't like that but since I didn't cancel, it didn't have any effect on me. This was a small cheap motel in the US where there wasn't anything extra you could pay for anyway (like room service), but if it had any, I suppose I would have had to give them my credit card at the desk. And since the booking site charged the entire amount to my card in advance, they had me if I didn't show up. I presume if I had cancelled within the allowed terms, they would have had to issue a chargeback to my card.

I don't know why anyone would think that system so great compared to a hotel charging you when you checkout, or one night for a no-show, which is what I had expected.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"RoryBr: >> . . . is wrong on every moral, ethical, and professional level.<<"</font></i>

Good grief. The brain of a child. I suggest you bury yourself in a cave and never face the light of day again. With your anti-business paranoia and fear, you need a super-secure safe-room to make sure you're not exposed to any risk whatsoever.

You don't own your credit cards. They are the property of the financial institution named on the front of the card. You signed a contract which authorizes you to use the card, which gives you instant access to borrow fast money that does not belong to you. Your card contract also states what you can and cannot do with your credit card, and also states your liability in the event of loss, theft, or fraud. I'm sure you didn't bother to read that fine print either.

<i><font color=#555555>"I'm raising awareness that booking.com pass credit card details on to hotels."</font></i>

The adults on this forum already know how second-party internet businesses work. If your financial institution had a problem with the T&C of Booking, Hotels, Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, Hotwire, Travelocity, TripAdvisor, etc., I'm sure those warnings are stated in your card contract. Good luck finding them.

RoryBr

janisj: I'm not going to engage with you anymore; no amount of repeating that "the contract is with the HOTEL" will make it relevant.

Nonconformist: I made my most recent booking on Expedia. I found the place on booking.com, and then googled for an alternative booking provider. I rang Expedia before making the booking to confirm that they wouldn't pass my credit card details on.

NYCSnob: I'm quite pro-business Businesses (mostly) pay my income. I'm just opposed to taking pointless, stupid risks, in business or otherwise, and to that end a large part of my job is to balance business functional needs with security needs.

Whathello

Rory

You forgot me, I'm disappointed.

Good that you found hotel.com - they do have another way to work - they get the money then pay the hotel.
The hotel doesn't know who you are until you show up. Which can cause other problems.

But I'm glad it is ok with your paranoia.
Talking about balancing risks, did you read the contract you made with hotel.com this time - or like 99,999% of your transactions, one phonecall is enough or you ?

Nonsense.

Peter_S_Aus

Rory, you are complaining on the wrong forum.

I suggest you try:
flat_earth.org or
donaldtrump_has_a_brain.com or
911_never_happened.conspiracy.org

Those discussion groups are more likely to give you a hearing.

As an alternative, you might just mail a bunch of bank notes to your selected hotel.

RoryBr

I didn't forget you Whathello; you were trolling me, so I ignored you. No - I didn't check Expedia; I figure that any potential problems in the T&C either cost less then my time is worth reading up on them, or are contrary to UK and/or EU law. I had one concern, which I addressed by ringing them.

I don't need to mail a bunch of bank notes to my selected hotel; There's a reputable service called Expedia, which will take my payment details in a secure manner, and won't pass them on to an organisation that they couldn't possibly have adequately vetted.

That booking.com pass payment details on to hotels isn't a consipiracy theory; it's been confirmed by their customer service.

janisj

Do you wonder that every single person posting says you are wrong?????

I know -- don't confuse you with the facts.

jubilada

Rory, congratulations! Smart you has figured out a way to pre pay fully a hotel for a reservation in the future!!


,,,

Whathello

'I figure that any potential problems in the T&C either cost less then my time is worth reading up on them, or are contrary to UK and/or EU law. I had one concern, which I addressed by ringing them.'

'a large part of my job is to balance business functional needs with security needs.'

Here I'm not disappointed :
You are lazy, sloppy and you are not learning from your previous mistakes.

I'm waiting for you to come and explain to us what you'll discover that Expedia does and is totally unethical.

Anyway, thanks for the fun, you are making a fool of yourself with consistency.

Peter_S_Aus

Rory, Rory, Rory, pull out digger

http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/...Bw&result=2391

Peter_S_Aus

Or, to quote another Australian Prime Minister:

Rory - all tip and no iceberg.