Trip.com's booking sent me to fraudulent address where I was lied to about hotel having been renamed (despite fading signage saying Sena Hotel), then I was told that all rooms nearby were full, & if I wanted a bed with the money I had spent, I must hop on a motorbike to an undisclosed location "or you can contact Trip.com" and try to cancel.
As I was a weary elderly Parkinson's patient with no sense of balance, this was terrifying, but the smarmy boss in the "travel agent" desk said that otherwise I could contact Trip.com and find something else (it was 3pm in high season) if I refused.
Sunshine and Sena are a scam network that shuffles solo guests when more lucrative bookings arrive, using sudden cancellations, lies and intimidation. My luggage arrived dirty and apparently dragged by same motorbike later, though nothing was missing it had obviously been mishandled.
I had no idea where I was, except it was no "junior suite" as paid for, and at first the hotel denied me breakfast, as the booking I showed obviously was not for them.
Trip.com was told I agreed to all the changed booking conditions, and after repeated calls to a patient Ms. Christina in Philippines, I was kindly offered Trip Coins ($5) toward another booking!
When I reminded them on 4th csllback that I had defrauded & mistreated in what elsewhere would be a criminal bait & switch con, I received a hang-up call (4-second ring) & final voice message saying my complaint had been noted!
Well, it had, so later a Chinese lady called & offered a larger compensation -- but she said her customer calling department could only forward my assertions to the business department -- which would be told by the scammers that there was no issue, I accepted the rebooking!
Good luck reaching the actual Hanoi Sunshine hotel (its business cards were on the counter where I was told it had been renamed the Hanoi Sena, the center of the fraudsters' network) -- but the better-paying guests who left while I was there had no idea, & said they had no problems at the Sena/Sunshine, as their boikings had been honored.
A routine scam there, if you check Google reviews , but they purge other websites of complaints with shell-game renamings & misidentification so new guests remain uninformed.
Shame on Trip.com for allowing fraudsters to continue bullying & dumping customers, then taking 5 phone calls to offer compensation that would hardly have covered injury on moterbike (I an 66 with no sense of balance due to Parkinson's). Delist them if business ethics mean anything -- but they can rename in a day & keep lying. I am fortunate to have a bed, and I accepted it, didn't I?
What a con, what a nightmare. Service calls & Trip Coins were better than nothing, and callbacks were reasonably prompt -- the problem is in the shady hotel group and its shufflng, lying & putting solo guests at risk on motorbike rides that kidnap them to unknown places they never booked. Buyer beware!
