Anh T.
Yelp
I'm going to stay 1 night at this hostel in mid-June but I'm writing about my bad experience with my booking with this hostel via Booking.com.
A month ago, I booked 2 nights at Bath Backpackers Hostel through Booking.com because of its "Free cancellation" and "Don't worry -- pressing this button ("Reserve") won't charge you anything!" advertisement. Later on, my travel plan has changed, so I had to change the date and can only stay 1 night; that's why I had to cancel my first booking and make the 2nd one for just 1 night instead of just changing the date of travel in my 1st booking.
Well, on the same days of my bookings, the hostel immediately took payment of 1 night for each reservation on my credit card. Since Booking.com mentioned that the hostel might take a "prepayment" and that there is a "Free Cancellation" until 3 days before my arrival, which is my case, I thought that I would get a refund for the cancelled reservation. However, when I wrote to Booking.com, all they did was to refer me to Bath Backpackers Hostel, and the only answer I got from the hostel was that they don't refund the "deposit", which is the first day of any reservation regardless of your stay. This non-refundable "deposit" or "prepayment" was not clearly stated on booking.com at the time I made the booking and now nobody wants to take responsibility. I ended up paying 2 nights for my 1 night in Bath in mid-June because of this hostel's payment policy.
From now on, I'll think twice every time I see "Free cancellation" and I just hope that other tourists won't fall into the trap of "Free cancellation" and Bath Backpackers Hostel's "prepayment" policy.