Are Singapore hotels legally obliged to honour the rates that you have booked? I'm coming over in November on holiday/fact finding mission and spotted what I thought was a great rate. About a week later I contacted the hotel on a number of matters and one of their employees confirmed (in writing and I have empoyee's name) the price was indeed correct. Now 6 weeks after making the original booking, the hotel has just contacted me to say the price I paid was a mistake and demanding I pay the difference. It is $40 SGD per night extra which is not a massive amount but I am not happy about this additional charge.
The obvious solution would be to stay at another hotel but having just looked at my credit card, the hotel have already taken payment because it was a prepayment rate. The whole ethos of prepayment rates are that you pay in advance to supposedly get a much better deal but you can't change your booking once it is made and don't get a refund if you don't turn up. It's a bit damn rich that this does not apply both ways !!!
Should I simply contact VISA and get them to refund me as clearly the hotel has no intention of honouring the booking that I originally made but I am wondering if Singapore has some sort of government backed trading standards organisation that deals with businesses who try these sort of tactics? I don't like getting taken for a ride but knowing very little about Singapore and it's legal system, I don't know if I can report this hotel to anyone.
Finally I wondered if I am just unlucky or are these type of bait and switch tactics relatively common in Singapore? I've had this tried on me in Hong Kong but in shoe shops and not hotels.
