G s
Google
This experience was particularly upsetting because we had stayed here about two years ago and had been extremely happy with our stay. That positive memory is exactly why we chose to book again.
Unfortunately, after cancelling our recent reservation in full compliance with the cancellation policy, an amount of 9,964.5 NZD was wrongly charged to our credit card. This corresponds to 351,458 Philippine pesos, which is a very large sum to have taken in error.
After contacting the property by phone twice, the issue was corrected and the refund was processed in 2 days. However, when the money arrived, the refunded amount was 348,062 PHP, meaning 3,396 PHP (around 96 NZD) were missing.
This loss exists only because the property made an error in charging the card. If the incorrect charge had never happened, there would have been no currency conversion and no financial loss at all. The situation — and the resulting loss — is therefore entirely due to their mistake.
What is most disappointing is not that an error occurred, but that no responsibility was taken for its consequences. Despite the issue being clearly caused by the property, we were informed that the missing amount would not be reimbursed.
Going from a previously excellent experience to losing money because of an internal error, and then being told to simply accept it, was extremely disheartening. This is not the level of accountability one would expect from a property of this standard, and it is not an experience I would wish on other guests.
EDIT TO REPLY:
To clarify, there is no ongoing private resolution. The matter was closed by email when I was informed that the exchange rate loss would not be reimbursed. My reservation had been cancelled well in advance, yet a large amount was wrongly taken from my credit card. I contacted the property immediately upon receiving the bank notification, as nearly NZD 10,000 had been charged. During that call, I was initially told the charge was valid, which understandably caused concern. The funds were not returned immediately and I had to follow up again. Because the charge was made incorrectly and reversed only after a delay, a real financial loss occurred due to exchange rates. Human error can happen, but when a business makes a mistake, the customer should not lose a single euro or dollar because of it.
In ten years of running my own hospitality business, I have never passed the cost of my own mistake onto a guest. That is the core issue here.
Before leaving any review, we attempted repeatedly and in good faith—through multiple emails—to resolve this directly. The review was written only after it became clear that we were expected to absorb a loss caused entirely by your error.
Rather than criticizing reviews, it may be more constructive to reflect on how this situation was handled. A mistake can happen; asking the customer to pay for it should not.
