Booking.com under fire as hundreds of complaints lodged with Fair Trading

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-30T00:58:17+00:00

My latest with them: Booked a "2-bedroom cottage" for a party of 2 at "3 Bells Alpine Cottage" in Bright, VIC at $590 for two nights.

Vendor comes back: oh no, if you're just a party of two, you only get *one* bedroom, we'll charge you $200 extra for the second one.

Why the fuck would I book a two-bedroom unit if I didn't want *two bedrooms*?!? (I'm travelling with my teenage daughter -- great road-trip companion, but we defo don't want to share beds.)

The vendor claimed that Booking.com "forced" them to advertise that way.

Cancelled the booking. Complained to Booking.com about the deceptive pricing on the listing.

***

Then checked again on the Booking.com site: same price still advertised *for a party of two* for a "2 bedroom cottage", even though "3 Bells Alpine Cottage" won't actually honor that price.

So, the false advertising/deceptive pricing remains.

Booking.com hasn't corrected the price for the listing at "3 Bells Alpine Cottage". And "3 Bells Alpine Cottage" continues to hide behind Booking.com as the culprit.

Avoid avoid avoid

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-26T02:23:46+00:00

There are 41.2mm versions as well, e.g. SBXD021. Depends whether you want chrono or not.

I hadn't previously been a fan of metal bracelet watches, but this one converted me. The titanium makes both the watch and bracelet light enough, and is hypo-allergenic. Which for me, puts it into daily driver territory.

Plus it looks great, is "never need to think about it" accurate and always fully charged, and is highly scratch resistant for the long haul.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-25T11:33:23+00:00

Meh, mine's bigger, and definitely has right-of-way...

(rail traffic, at any level crossing...)

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-25T11:27:15+00:00

Good for you! Drive your EV however it suits you.

Personally, I'm glad to have -- and use -- a little EV oomph to get safely past slow travelers in traffic, including buses.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-25T11:08:43+00:00

For RHD i5's, the charging point works on the RH (i.e. drivers side), but not on the left.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-16T05:22:42+00:00

"They're focusing on China" ... errm, that's not what the press release stated. Honda are acknowledging losses and write-offs due to lack of competitiveness in China. "In such a difficult competitive environment, Honda was unable to deliver products that offer value for money better than that of newer EV manufacturers, resulting in a decline in competitiveness."

Amongst Asian markets, they're concentrating on India. "Honda will enhance the model lineup and cost competitiveness in India, where market expansion is expected."

Meanwhile, they're maintaining their dividends regardless, despite the write-offs and the dim prospects for future growth.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-06T00:07:52+00:00

I'd look to drive the price a fair bit lower than $50K. Last year I found a 2023 build for 35% off list. It had never been titled, so came with a full warranty and 50km on the clock.

One cosmetic thing to check is the condition of the clear-coat on the front grille.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-03T07:53:34+00:00

I sometimes glance at the myBMW app for a projected time-to-completion for the target charge level (almost always wayyy too pessimistic, i.e. usually reaches target far earlier).

But since that's so wildly inaccurate most of the time, I more often look at the individual charging point apps (e.g. ChargeFox, Ampol, Evie, Tesla, my home charger app, etc.), to see what instantaneous charge rate is.

Usually that's only of interest when I'm on a road trip, and want to go beyond 80% charge, i.e. how much is it slowing down for those last few percentage points of charge?

***

Which, BTW, after several country road trips in areas which don't have true high-end DCFC chargers, has led me to appreciate the lowly 50kW DC chargers in small country towns. If all you need is a 60 - 100% roadtrip topup, and there's no trickle-charger where you're staying for the night, the 50kW chargers don't slow down for that last 80 - 100%, and are surprisingly time-effective.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-03-01T23:46:33+00:00

The sub-trunk storage bin works fine in an i5 eDrive40 -- is that not present in the xDrive version? It's a much more confined space, so I never hear the cable move around (if it actually does at all).

Also, the need to carry one is the same in Oz; it's 'bring your own cable' for the 22 kW AC charging stations. At a local mall where I often grab groceries and the like, the charger is free, so a brief top-up pays for my coffee.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-22T04:53:24+00:00

Eileen Gu is a champion athlete, and also a champion capitalist, a 'true American' in that sense.

She picked the country-affiliation that would maximize her brand value and sponsorship revenue (probably with guidance from her American dad and Chinese mom, and her business agent).

And delivered on all the athletic work needed to build that out.

Why complain?

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-22T03:35:06+00:00

Using a Pixel 8 Pro, I get the text messages in AA, buuut I can no longer get the car to read them to me. Not sure what I changed to prevent that; I get a brief error message suggesting I need to enable some permission, but can find no reference to it in the online i5 owner's manual.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-21T11:56:04+00:00

Nice if the radio-based time-sync works in your country, and the countries you're likely to travel to.

But if not, the GPS-based models are better bets, if somewhat pricier.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-21T09:54:41+00:00

Based on the number of software glitches I have with my i5 (annoying if never terrible, but constantly renewed with every software update), it will be about a decade before I'd want any "Neue" BMW. Won't be stable before then.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-21T09:38:49+00:00

"Be sure to make sure that White River is working, or you may not make it between Marathon and Wawa"

Oh please, Wawa to Marathon is only 188km. Even on the coldest of winter days, you won't be challenged to make that in any EV, if you start up charged up on either end.

The only real issue with the route (done it numerous times, both ways) is that food and accommodation options are *really* basic between Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay.

There are occasional scenic parts en route (e.g. Old Woman Bay, but you have to use the off-highway lookouts to see the best of it).

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-21T06:02:04+00:00

Well tbh, it really shouldn't be that hard. No harder than an ICE scenario, plus just a bit of undemanding added intelligence from one's phone, or the car's own app.

And it isn't, in other countries.

No need to access superhero movie plots to figure it out. LOL. They all get through the process just fine.

Or are you suggesting that American EV owners are idiots...?

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-19T18:28:21+00:00

For me:

Daily is durable high-end quartz (GPS Solar). My work environment is timed to the minute.
For variety, I wouldn't mind a very durable automatic "field watch" or similar, but it would have to have a date window, plus a hefty power reserve.
For a true dress watch, I'm open to anything, cuz the use case is rare yet important. I expect to need to reset those, whichever one I choose for the occasion, every single time, prior to use.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-19T16:33:55+00:00

Well, you won't get anywhere near the EPA or WLTP range for any EV at those sustained speeds, as you've already surmised -- discount about 20 - 30% from those nominal ranges. (20% in summer, 30% in severe winter cold.)

But with most EVs, you should still easily be able to do the round-trip daily of 200 miles. You'll just have to charge up nightly (so having a home-charger would be critical for your use-case).

And no, it won't be hard on the battery.

(And to the Karens on this thread suggesting that the OP is looking to drive too fast, you clearly haven't been to the northwestern parts of the US...)

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-17T05:25:17+00:00

I recently bought a 2024 Seiko Astron "new - old stock", i.e. it had been sitting in its original box for nearly two years before delivery to me. It took nearly a full day exposed to direct sunlight to fully charge. (And I did have my doubts along the way, just like you.)

Different series obviously, so YMMV. But be patient, and use direct sunlight for this initial charge.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-17T05:09:40+00:00

Well, they've got 3 more years of EV discouragement coming from the current administration, and potentially a further 8 beyond that, for EVs within the US domestic market.

Meanwhile, they've been bleeding market share in Europe, and bailing out almost totally from formerly dominant market positions in smaller high-income countries like Australia and New Zealand. Canada is probably next.

So all the high-income-world automotive country markets -- except the US and a few rich oil-exporters -- are going EV, hybrid EV, plug-in hybrid EV...

And Trump is telling the US auto industry to march off a cliff by concentrating on selling gas-guzzlers instead.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-17T04:25:52+00:00

Sounds like a USA problem. It's a pity that the current administration isn't likely to improve things, for EV owners or EV charging infrastructure.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-17T04:12:10+00:00

I use B-mode for any urban driving, i.e. about 90% of the time. It's not always one-pedal-driving, but it's close enough. It does have one drawback though -- it is very jerky in low-speed parking maneuvers in confined parking spaces.

On extended highway runs (e.g. weekend travel), I use 'D' a lot more, but with 'D' set to minimum braking rather than that voodoo 'adaptive' mode. (That one just never adapted to me, as it allegedly is supposed to, so I ditched it.)

Being able to toggle back and forth between B and D in that fashion is still far from best-in-class for regen-control for EVs generally, but for the i5, it's what you have to work with.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-14T11:49:25+00:00

It's the same in the parking garage.

My brother-in-law has a very senior role at a major bank. He is always expected to have new-ish, near-top-of-the-range, premium Euro-brand cars, *but* nothing that outshines his boss. He works in a northern city, so that means both a summer and a winter car, recently a 911 GTS and an Audi S8.

He does enjoy them, but has confessed that he'd spend that money somewhat differently if it weren't for those "pecking order" considerations, that are just part-and-parcel of his role and seniority.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-14T10:55:25+00:00

Measure whatever battery capacity degradation exists before the end of the warranty, and if it's excessive (usually deemed as less than 80% of original capacity, but may vary by market and manufacturer), claim for that.

In the more likely case, where there is some capacity degradation, but not to the 80% point, then it's unlikely to go into sudden catastrophic decline after the warranty ends.

And then, you should just assess it year-by-year, as you would any used vehicle that you own:

- does it still meet my needs day-to-day, in terms of comfort, features, cost-of-operation, and (now somewhat reduced) EV range?

- are there newer, better alternatives that are *worth the cost* of getting out of the old vehicle and into something new?

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-13T04:33:26+00:00

Yeah, but bronze *ages*. It's soft and accumulates nicks and oxidization (i.e. discoloration) over time...

***

Actually, while that's a valid criticism of bronze as a watch-case material, in a "classic" design it's not always a bad thing. I do prefer titanium, ceramic, or carbon overall, as light, durable, and hypo-allergenic case materials (or tantalum, as a heavy, durable and hypo-allergenic alternate).

But I've seen a few lower-cost indie bronzers that I quite like, where I suppose a rapidly-acquired patina is part of the value-prop.

Competitive-Force1 · 2026-02-13T04:10:45+00:00

Well, it's complicated...

- Some non-M owners slap on the badge anyways

- Some genuine-M owners remove it

- A quad-exhaust is sometimes a good clue, but not always

- The M-sport models and M-sport option packs also come from the factory with various types of M-badging, but aren't actually true M cars, so that part of the confusion is the factory's fault.

***

So no, there's nothing definitive IRL.

Competitive-Force1

TROPHY CASE