If you booked a trip through Tripadvisor and found a surprise charge on your bill you believe is a mistake, you could get your money back by disputing the charge. To start the dispute, contact a Tripadvisor customer service representative. If that doesn't help, go to your bank and initiate a chargeback dispute. Last of all, you can file suit in a small claims court.
If you make a reservation through Tripadvisor, you should have all of the fees and rates explained to you upfront, so you should never find a surprise charge on your bill for that trip. However, if you found a surprising charge on your bill, then there are a number of reasons why it could be there, ranging from you ordering extra services to somebody in billing making a mistake. If you think this charge was made in error, then you need to dispute the charge if you want any chance of getting your money back.
If you want the best chance of getting your money back, you need to collect all the evidence that you can find that you could use to support your case. If, for example, you were charged for a trip you never booked, find pictures of you being somewhere else at the time. If the charge is for damage that was already there when you arrived at your destination, find people who saw the damage to testify for you. You should also make records of conversations about the charge with Tripadvisor employees.
After you collect the evidence, you must start the dispute by contacting Tripadvisor's customer service department. Talk to a representative there about the charge and why you think it was a mistake. While the representative might be able to get you a refund, they might need to get a manager or review board involved. Be prepared for this to take a little while.
If Tripadvisor wouldn't refund the charge, the next step is to take the dispute up with your bank. A dispute with a bank about a charge it processed is called a "chargeback." After initiating a chargeback, your bank will start investigating your claims. If it believes the charge was inappropriate, it will refund the charge, no matter what Tripadvisor says. You have to start the process by talking to Tripadvisor, though. You can't just start with the chargeback.
To begin, contact a customer service agent at your bank and explain why you think the Tripadvisor charge should be refunded. Tell them about the steps you have already taken to get the matter resolved. This process will probably take a while to complete as well.
During the investigation, your bank could issue a provisional credit to use while it investigates. If your bank decides that the charge was not inappropriate, you will have to return the provisional credit, though.
If the chargeback doesn't result in a refund either, you can file a lawsuit against Tripadvisor as a last resort. Find the rules and fees for filing suit on your court jurisdiction's website.
Contact a Tripadvisor customer service representative to start disputing the charge. You can reach one by phone or use the Tripadvisor help forum.
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