First-
I%26#39;m sorry, I was ripping through dozens of websites and I forgot to write down the name of the company! Me bad!
However-
I was looking at a online booking service trying to find a hotel for Aix-en-Provence. I found a reasonable place and proceeded to booking. I was instructed to give my credit card number. Noticed a teeny tiny disclaimer saying it would take 48 hours to CONFIRM my request.
Hold on. Next I searched the %26#39;about us%26#39;on the site and discovered that this one company operates under six other names, based out of Washington State. But the contact number was only for their London office.
But the REAL clue that the fox was in the hen house was the spelling of Provence. PROVANCE. Huh? Okay, locals, is there another spelling and I%26#39;m just being paranoid? Would that be Provance in Frence?
I also never book through companies based in Malaysia. Any other concerns, experiences or advice about choosing these online services? There%26#39;s thousands of them.
BTW, purchased through Venere. Good cancellation policy and they don%26#39;t charge your card...you settle up once you%26#39;re physically there (like most reputable companies).
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There are many reputable companies that charge your card when you make your reservation - Expedia, among others - along with every airline in the world.
There is a company I use for last minute reservations - www.ratestogo.com - and they operate under several names, depending on where the individual company is incorporated, and whether they started it from scratch or bought out an existing firm.
I%26#39;m seldom able to plan very far ahead, so I have used this company for rooms in a number of cities on each of three continents over more than ten years, and have never had a problem. Each time, each room has been exactly as presented. Cancelation policy has been exactly as advertised, and easy to live with, so multiple names aren%26#39;t much of a red flag item, either.
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1BC
My concern was giving my credit card number on a %26#39;tenative%26#39; basis. Why would any company request this upfront without knowing the property is available? In 48 hours they could be using my info to buy Italian flooring tiles in South Africa! I%26#39;ve always been assured of availabilty with an email confirmation instantly when I book flights and hotels.
Add to that, the incorrect spelling %26#39;Provance%26#39;. A lovely city in Yourupp. At least Expedia and Venere are incorporated under the same name wherever the operate in the world. Maybe if an online company weaves a bigger spider web under different names they catch more flies.
Thanks for the ratetogo.com info. This trip is spontaneous (as are most of mine) Had not checked them out...
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Pity you don%26#39;t remember the name of the website/company. Why don%26#39;t you look in the %26quot;history%26quot; pages of your browser?
microsoft.com/windows/…button.mspx
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