Please don't book Alibi Guesthouse in Phnom Penh
Replies: 13 - Last Post: Apr 1, 2013 5:52 AM Last Post By: belidofan
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Please don't book Alibi Guesthouse in Phnom Penh
I've just came back from my trip to cambodia (siem reap and phnom penh) and would like to share my bad experience with the Alibi Guesthouse in Phnom Penh, which was booked through agoda.com. I made my booking for the guest house through agoda.com in October 2012 for my trip in January 2013 (3 months!) and received confirmation from agoda soon after (payment was made concurrently). However, when i arrived at Alibi Guesthouse in Phnom Penh to check in, the hotel staff was scrambling about and talking among each other in cambodian. Suspecting something amissed, I asked what's going on (note: the staff didn't voluntarily gave me the information. I had to asked a few times.) Only then, i was told that they don't have the record of my booking. As i wasn't feeling well then, I asked on how we can settle the situation to which i was told i'll have to wait for their boss to come. When the boss came (some 20 minutes later), he told me he saw my booking and didn't confirm it (even though he had collected my payment!) and went on the explain that it is because a lot of people made booking but ended up didn't turn up. I was really fustrated then as i was feeling unwell and they weren't trying to solve the situation. not to mention, the whole reason i didn't have the room is because they overbook themself as they claim people normally don't turn up anyway! the boss went on the refund the money collected but i have to go through the hassle of trying to get another place to stay (mind you it wasn't easy as it was peak period). In addition, the guest house;s attitude was not sincerely apologetic. so, unless you want to turn up to the guest house with the risk of not having a room, PLEASE DON'T BOOK THE ALIBI GUESTHOUSE IN PHNOM PENH.4
the hotel staff was scrambling about and talking among each other in cambodian.Yeah, that sounds pretty suspicious... in Cambodia.
Kind of a shady post coming from a first timer. OP is saying that they made an e-reservation through a third party website, then months later didn't think to call the hotel to confirm or at least send an e-mail? Hmmmm. The owner refunded the money, apparently without saying "sorry" enough though? Come on, mistakes happen with e-booking sites all the time – though so does spam between local competitors, especially when proprietors are foreign (French in this case).
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#8, why? OP didn't even stay at the place, and their complaint would look even faker there, where the hotel gets nearly universally good reviews. What on earth would possess someone to ask people "not to book" at a guest house just because their months-old third-party booking got messed up? (If your answer is 'local competitor,' you win a free night at the Alibi).13
I've had the same experience with agoda ; sent a complaint about a Ho Chi Minh City hotel but never saw this mentioned afterwards; i also resent them for crawling all over my laptop screen whenever i dare look up info in their website( 3 to 4 popups at the same time, really....), can do without them.
