So, this is what I did: I noticed that the passwords are 5 digit combinations. So I was testing combinations in the range of 00000 to 99999, but that didn’t work. Then I realized that maybe some numbers were repeated, so I started testing combinations with repeated numbers, and that’s when I got in.
As a female solo traveller, I had a few days staying at a hostel. Everything was going fine until the night before, when I got back and tried to enter the premises with the code I had been given. I tried several times, but the door wouldn’t open. I even contacted the hostel owners to no avail. I was so exhausted that I took a power nap in the stairs before going back to test some more codes. Lucky enough, I eventually managed to get in.
The next day, I spoke to the people of the hostel about the incident and they explained to me that they change the code from time to time in case some old residents keep staying without paying. They also informed me that they usually inform the current residents when this happens, but yesterday there were many people and they just omitted it. All I got was an apology, and no reimbursement whatsoever.
I was left wondering how I should go around this. Is it possible to ask for a refund through booking.com? I wouldn’t feel right just leaving a bad review without taking any kind of action.
Many people have asked me how I managed to get in. I was not under the influence of anything, and I had the code note in my pocket. What I did was, after trying the combinations from 00000 to 99999 and with no luck, I figured that maybe some numbers were repeated. So I started testing with repeated numbers and that’s when I cracked the code.
If it wasn’t for my luck and my wits, I would have ended up sleeping in the stairs. That’s why I’m looking into other ways to get some kind of reimbursement for the inconvenience this caused me. I’m considering asking booking.com for a refund, but I’m open to other suggestions.