Booked a fully prepaid, non-refundable 5-night stay (Dec 31 to Jan 5) at Seashells Resort in Phu Quoc through Agoda. Paid about $2,300. Booking was confirmed well in advance and we planned an international New Year’s trip around it.
After we checked in on Dec 31, the hotel told us they only had a booking for one night. That kicked off over 6 hours of calls with Agoda on international roaming while both Agoda and the hotel blamed each other. Instead of celebrating NYE, we were stuck trying to figure out where we’d sleep the next day.
Agoda didn’t offer immediate relocation help, even though it was peak season and everything comparable was either sold out or suddenly $10k+. We were told we might have to check out Jan 1 with no real alternatives.
Yes, Agoda eventually refunded us plus 10%, but that came after the damage was done. A refund doesn’t fix being stranded on New Year’s Eve in a fully booked destination. We ended up in much lower-standard accommodation for the same budget, and the whole holiday was basically shot.
This really shook my trust in Agoda. A “confirmed” booking clearly doesn’t mean much when something goes wrong, and support felt slow and reactive when it mattered most. Personally, I’d be very cautious using Agoda for peak dates or important trips.
0