Hotels.com and N-Self Catering - a black spot in the hospitality industry

On August 31, 2018 I made a telephonic booking through Hotels.com for N-Self Catering situated at 11 Sylvan Street Durban, KZN, RSA.

The booking was for a period, September 28, 2018 to October 02, 2018. The booking was for myself my wife, my 18; 10 and 3 years old daughters.

I favoured hotels.com with my bank account and they immediately debited it for the required amount. Hotels.com send me an electronic confirmation on my email address 911tjpgmail.com

I trusted and believed that all my bookings were in order as confirmed by hotels.com.

We left Bloemfontein on September 28, 2018 trusting that everything was in order.

As we were passing Howick, I called N-Self Catering to inform them that we were on our way. I spoke to the lady by the name of Qobile at ********** 260, who explained that N-self Catering was fully booked, she only had one room left and there was a huge misunderstanding.

On our arrival at N-Self Catering, it was indeed not meeting our needs. There was one room that I was expected to share with my wife, and my daughters, worse we were expected to share the kitchen, two toilets, one shower and a sitting room with eight (8) other people.

After realising that N-Self Catering was not meeting our requirements, we decided to leave and I called Qobile and hotels.com to no avail.

At N-Self catering there was a lady, Bonang, who stays there on "permanent" basis whom I handed a key to and requested her to explain to Qobile that I couldn't stay even for a night at N-Self Catering as it did not meet my requirements.

After checking a number of areas, we drove to Manning on the Deck and got accommodation from September 28, 2018 to October 02, 2018. We had to pay for the new accommodation.

I sent Qobile an SMS to explain to her my decisions and request for a refund. She averred that hotels.com undertook to relocate me and she further claimed that the money was still with hotel.com.

Since my return from Durban, I called hotels.com and Qobile to no avail. I sent Qobile SMS' to which she elected not to respond to.

I also called and sent emails to hotels.com to no avail.

To date I have not been refunded by Hotels.com or N-self catering.

If you ask me, please stay away from making any bookings through Hotels.com, do not even attempt to stay at N-Self catering in Durban.

Even the Consumer Goods & Services Ombud couldn't locate them.

What a terrible experience

T Phahlo