A problem with booking.com
 

I’ve run into a problem with booking.com that I suspect may be limited to those few of us (is it only me?) who still have no mobile phone:

I’ve come across several lodgings that ask for a phone number. When I try to book any of them, I get to a screen asking for my info (which in my case, is all correct – it’s prepopulated on the basis of a longstanding account). But for some lodgings, the block asking for a phone number now carries an asterisk stating, “mobile phone preferred.” (Note: It does NOT say mobile phone REQUIRED.) I’ve tried all my valid phone numbers, I’ve tried the actual mobile phone numbers of friends and family, I’ve tried fake numbers – and nothing works. I spent over an hour this evening on the phone with a booking.com customer representative who was unable to help. Very frustrating!

Have any of the rest of you encounterd a similar problem? Or more to the point, does anyone know a solution?

Thanks!

I can't imagine what the problem is since you've tried entering a valid cell phone # (not yours, but a valid number - right?)

I have not had a problem and seldom provide my cell number on booking.com

good luck

(If it is a place you REALLY want to stay, have you tried contacting the hotel directly and see if they will match the Booking.com rate)

@ janisj: Yes, some of the numbers I've entered have been valid mobile phone numbers, and yes, I've contacted the hotels. Thanks for your good wishes!

What error response are you getting?

Have you tried storing a mobile number in your profile and see if that prepopulates the box asking for mobile phone preferred which you are getting during the booking process?

"does anyone know a solution?" - If it is a bug, only booking.com can solve it or provide a workaround or provide the instructions on what is expected in that box.

No error response -- it keeps signaling that I have not entered a phone number (although one shows) and won't let me go on.

I just tried putting a mobile number in my profile -- good idea, but no, that didn't work either.

This is a long shot--might a country code be missing?

@ abram: I wondered about that, too, and tried various ways of including it, all to no avail... :-( Thanks, though!

Maybe you should call the hotel - if you tried with a lot of phone numbers, you mustn't be the first one with the problem.
Sorry, can't think of anything better...

@ Woinparis: I've contacted a few of the hotels by e-mail, but this snag prevents me from reserving just about anything with booking.com. It's actually rather ironic, because even when I could have saved money by reserving directly through the hotels, I've used booking.com specifically because I value the service it provides and am willing to pay a bit more to support them. Guess that's about to end, even if I do continue to use the service!

Ah. Did you try hotels.com ?
My opinion of their service is as good as booking.com and you get one free night for 10 reservations.
Since the price is usually equal to booking.com, I prefer this site. With booking I just become an 'expert' whatever they call me after 30 or so reservations that gives access to special conditions. On some hotels.

by the way, I canceled my landline 2 years ago, relying only on cell phones for now...

;-)

kja: I'd keep on the booking staff - elevate it if you have to. It sounds like maybe there is a glitch on your account. I at this moment posting from a booking.com hotel and know for a fact I didn't provide my cell #

@ Woinparis: Thanks again! I must admit that I prefer booking.com to hotels.com at least in part because I like the range of offerings and the search options better on booking.com, and until this glitch, I've had much better service through booking.com, whereas I've had problems with hotels.com. BUT time will tell!

@ janisj: Will do!

My pleasure to help.
I've done 120 bookings via booking.com and 150 with hotels.Com. (I've developed a 32 pages of instructions that I sent to 3456,6 people).
Got 2-3 problems with each site (mostly due to my own stupidity) and most were solved.
Have a nice trip !

@ WoinParis: A nice trip is a given -- but I appreciate the good wishes! :-) And on behalf of the 3456,6 people to whom you have sent your 32 pages of instructions, thanks for your generosity! One question: Do your instructions include what to do when strange messages in Hangul appear on your screen? ;-)

@ balajinaidu: Thanks, but I'm actually very happy with my search options with booking.com and have no desire to switch services. I just want to be able to actually book through them -- so they get a benefit from my use of their service!

I wonder if booking has programmed these specific hotels with the asterisk to expect a local mobile number (not a US one). I know in some countries mobile numbers look different (eg specific area prefix that starts with a 9).

When I have run into mandatory mobile numbers (for other websites) sometimes a string of 000's works. Another time I used the mobile number of my arrival day hotel in the same country and said to leave a message. It was however, a hotel that knows me well.

I tend to use booking as my default search for overseas because they seem to have more options where I travel. Not 100% issue free..usually due to a fault of the hotel. Like forgetting to log in that I had showed up, after I paid in cash....so I got charged on my credit card as a no-show. However, I was still in town at a different place so was able to find the desk clerk at the hotel to fix it..Now I am sure to always ask for a cash receipt if I can't pay by cc.

@ mlgb: Interesting idea, so I tested it out. I can't reserve places in the US either, including places I have booked in the past. :-( Thanks, though!

I love booking. They tell me I'm a genius !

Have you tried creating another account? Maybe using your first initial instead of your name?