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Appalbarry [appalbarry.ca] writes:

A small BC boutique hotel [moonwaterlodge.com] has discovered that travel site Expedia had been misleading potential customers. Owners Lori and Randy Strandlund say that for the past two years potential customers clicking on (the Expedia link for their lodge) were told "rooms are unavailable for your trip dates on Expedia," no matter what date was entered.

The Strandlunds believe they're the latest victims of an online issue that landed Expedia in trouble in France and is the subject of a potential class action lawsuit in the U.S. [topclassactions.com] — the travel site allegedly posting hotels that aren't its clients, listing them as "unavailable," then re-directing customers to member properties that pay Expedia a booking fee.

Expedia has denied wrongdoing in each case.

When CBC tried to bypass the erroneous online search results by calling the phone number listed until recently alongside the Moon Water Lodge address on the Expedia site it rang through to an Expedia call centre — in Cairo, Egypt, who told them that Moon Water Lodge was "updating their inventory," he "couldn't access their system right now" and offered to find "other similar hotels in the area."

Lori Strandlund says she hopes to launch a Canadian class action lawsuit against Expedia — if other small hotels in this country report similar problems.

Postscript: if you Google "Moon Water Lodge" [google.ca] today the paid Expedia listing for the lodge is the very first listing.

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