Review Time
Same as below - got a message from my provider that I had been asked to confirm the table booking (which I already had with the venue), only to then be charged at a premium rate. Very little value in this. This is an unscrupulous way to make a living.
I've booked a very special meal for tomorrow using Open Table. I have just received a text instructing me to confirm by text, which will cost me money, but the text did not specify how much!!!! This has left a bitter taste in my mouth before my special meal. I rang the restaurant to confirm the booking and was told that I didn't have to confirm as I had already made the booking. I gave feedback to the manager that I will not be using Open Table again and I will remember to always ring a restaurant to book rather than use a booking app. I've now learnt that there may be no such thing as a free to the customer electronic booking system!
Annoyed… that I didn’t research OT on Trustpilot (although why would you - it’s the restaurant you’re more interested in, right?) before placing and subsequently cancelling a booking through them via a text. Just discovered two charges of 15p on my mobile bill for the privilege. It really isn’t the money (if I couldn’t afford 30p I probably shouldn’t be going out for dinner! Lol) - it’s the principle! Restaurants are not well-served by paying to use this booking system as it will only drive custom to competitors who don’t use them (eventually!). Steer clear of OT as a booking tool - contact the restaurant directly (using your inclusive minutes in your mobile phone package!) and speak to a human!
They have no customer service. If you are a non-restaurant customer and have issues about points and want to talk with them, or even if you have given up on actually talking to a real person, if you would resort to "chatting" with someone, forget it. You cannot. In keeping with modern day "customer service," they have no one live you can talk to as a mere diner, and their "chat" function is limited to pre-canned responses. I have an issue with points I did not recieve and 1100 points that opentable just up and eliminated. Can I talk to anyone about it? NO! Can I "chat" with anyone about it? NO! OpenTable basically just says F off with that. It is, from my 1.5 hours of trying, impossible to talk or chat with anyone real. So, I say f you to opentable.
I have been using this site for literally 15 years. While it's convenient to book reservations, in 15 years I have never gotten a reward. Not 10 cents. So while they're no doubt being paid by restaurants booked through their site, I think I'm done monetizing them if they can't in 15 years do anything for me. #ByeOpenTable.
Expensive and disingenuousWith the core package for €149/month commissions are not charged if bookings are made directly through your website. However, Opentable put a button on your restaurants Google search panel and on Tripadvisor which drives traffic from your site to their network, resulting in commissions on covers that would have booked through your site already. (when I asked them to take this down, they said it could take up to 6 weeks, blaming Google for any delay (which would conveniently result in more commissions for Opentable) I was given verbal assurances on a number of things by the sales rep before signing, such as that I could change to the basic package (€19/month) if I wasn't satisfied with the service, when cancelling they tried to renege on that promise and if I hadn't had to sense to insist that the sales rep send me that in an email, I would have had to pay over €1300 to exit the contract.If there is a no show, Opentable assumes it was a seated table unless properly cancelled by staff, resulting in commissions.After a customer makes their reservation, they will receive a follow up email suggesting other nearby restaurants, again driving customers from your business to competitors via the opentable network.It seems very clear that Opentable to not have the restaurants interests in mind in terms of how they operate, rather they want to lock restaurants into contracts where they can systematically ensure that they can charge commissions on as many covers as possible.
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