So my Family is coming next month for a Vacation. As a family this would be our first big over seas trip (well im already here as a language student). As usual we were going through different booking sites to find the best places and deals.
We come across an apartment on agoda. Perfect spot a few hundred meters from Shibuya crossing. Good enough for 6 people. It’s on a discounted deal. Major Rookie mistake, as we were rushing since we saw a few Airbnbs we really wanted to get booked just before we were going to, we book this place and it’s nonrefundable because of the big discount.
Due to our major rookie mistake we didn’t see the fine print in this apartment’s rules. apparently, all the guests have to be over 33 years old. I would’ve accepted this rule if they didn’t allow minors to enter. But that still wouldn’t make sense for an apartment that doesn’t even contain a shred of anything NSFW. A room has clouds painted on the ceilings like a kid’s room.
So here we are negotiating with this lady on the platforms chat. I’m doing my best with the help of translators to get a proper translation of what we want to say to her. We presented two options only the 4 people over 33 years old stay in the apartment, or I did the sob story I can speak some japanese and it would be better for me to be there and hope they allow us all to stay option. So they take that second option and ask us to pay 60000 yen more. all that and they still have the option to cancel our reservation all together with no refund. What sucks is Agoda’s hands are tied on this one they can’t refund us and they just say well its the owner’s rules nothing we can do about it.
I know I know you should’ve read the fine print. We admit that mistake, but still 33 years old and over rule? come on?? that’s such a random age to limit entrance to something. I’m wondering if anyone else has encountered something like this
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18 comments
Don’t see how this is even legal.
Probably it’s because residents complain about noise. They may think 33 year+ will be less likely to cause issues.
Looks like your only choice is a chargeback at your bank if possible and cancel it
Personally I would have not said anything, and if found out, bow lowly and apologize.
Try owning property and dealing with crappy tenants. Their property, their rules. Complaining about their requirements is pretty moot. Chalk this up as a learning moment ; always read TOS and fine print.
what payment method did you use for this? try to get a refund through your credit card or bank account. any company and especially greedy landlords will swear that there’s no way to refund your money, so you gotta take matters into your own hands.
Where exactly near Shibuya crossing are we talking about ? because there are not a lot of “residential” places near the crossing.
“All guests must be older than Jesus”
maybe 33 deemed as mature enough to not party and crash the place? did they check your ID?
I feel like most of the rules in Japan are arbitrary, and there are plenty of them, some written but most unwritten.
This is an absolutely stupid rule, but because it’s a private place the owner is free to make whatever arbitrary and random rule they want.
How do they know the ages of all of the guests?
Just say you don’t want to pay the money and only the above 33 will be staying. Let them do the check-in and take the key. Most likely no one will check who goes in/comes out of the apartment so you can all stay together after.
Agoda is fucking trash. They deliberately hid the fine print and extra costs to get “the cheapest advertised prices”.
I refuse to use the pricks.
Oh yeah, by the way that 33 thing is just a religious nut. Yup, I once went to an estate agent, to get a place and wait for it, it was apartheid 2.0; The rule of that agency was no people from other countries allowed to stay in their apartments. Now if that isn’t racist, I don’t know what is. He made some made up flimsy excuse that people from abroad would not know how to separate the garbage, as if all Japanese people did it perfectly hahahaha and Fortunately, it was only one place that made that rule. I should have gone straight to a lawyer and sued the pants off him because I know that that kind of rule is against the law nowadays and he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in court. That estate agent probably went bankrupt by now from lack of customers.
人種差別主義者の不動産業者様見ろ
Rascist Estate agent please read
I don’t know how they come up with the number 33, but if they’re setting this rule and don’t make it bold with a large font size on the desrciption, then they’re probably doing this on purpose for the canceling fee or the extra 60000 yen. it seems like an arbitrary age limit meant to catch people off guard.
Paid with credit card?
Charge back, tell Agoda to get bent and you’ll sue if they pursue this any further, never speak to Agoda or the host again. Arrange for different accommodations on a different site.
This is fraud. If the fine print is only available for viewing *after* you paid, then this is plain run of the mill fraud.
Its these rules that are so random and arcane that you couldn’t even have imagined that they were a thing you needed to look out for that always get you.
Yeah I would just not say anything and if they call you out on it say you didn’t notice that, act really surprised and confused and apologize a lot.
Just be quiet and respectful. My guess is they don’t want rowdy young adults and children being loud and making a mess.
Unusual rules can be frustrating. Communication with the landlord might help clarify the reasoning behind it and find a solution.