Booking.com

Dear Sir,
I had a confirmed accommodation approval from your office for the above mentioned address.
On ariving in Budapest, however, I was met by a kind lady, who spoke very little English, in front of the appartment building.

She explained to me that my accommodation was not in the booked place, but elsewhere. She was going to show two alternatives to me !
So after a long drive to Budapest, not knowing any other place to go, I went along with her. We spent another two hours walking around Budapest, and she showed two other appartments to me.
When I phoned the man in charge, Lenard Hofman, trying to explain what was going on, he became very insulting.
As it was getting dark by now and being fairly tired from the trip, I eventually accepted the situation.

So I was placed in a smaller appartment, had a fairly bad and unconfortable bed and had to pay 120 .- Euros per night.
Sorry, but that´s what we call total RIPP OFF !
Obviously, Mr Hofman advertises accommodation which he cannot grant in town.
As I wanted to enjoy my time in Budapest, I did not argue with M Hofman any longer.
However, my decision is firm: I will never ever take advantage of the services of your company again, and will not hesitate to express my utter disappointment when asked.

The address of the appartment was : Baros utca 45, appartment 3a

Sincerely yours

Christian Hardt

We booked two rooms, 1 family room at £125.00 and 1 Double Room at £100.00, we were taken to family room up 2 flights of stairs with a buggy to find the room had not even been made up, we were taken to another room and offered a drink as compensation. The 2nd room smelt of what can only be described as diarrhoea, the tv did not work which when we complained about we were again offered a drink as compensation. There was no heating in either of the rooms and I had to literally sleep in all my clothes (jeans & jumper!). We had a 4 month old baby with us and when we complained about the heating we were told it would come on shortly, it did not! As we had children we were not out all night and to come to your hotel room at 8.30 at night with no tv is not the greatest. When we got up the next morning looking for somebody to complain to there was nobody available! This is probably because they knew what was coming. This hotel appears to be run by young people who quite frankly did not care in the slightest, we believe the unmade room was because of the guys had been "using" it from the things that were said between the staff. We are not complainers by any means but given the cost paid for these rooms and the service that we were provided are on different spectrums of the universe to be honest and we are looking for compensation for turning what we were looking forward to an enjoyable weekend into a slight disaster.

On 5th of January 2018 I booked a stay from 14th-19th of June in Sunny Mogan (Ref [protected]). I decided to book these holidays way in advance because it is a popular area and over the summer prices increase a lot. This stay had free cancellation until middle of April.

On 14th of April, booking.com charged me the whole stay and next day cancelled my reservation without any reason. I contacted the owner of the property and she said that she informed booking.com at the end of 2017 that the property would not been available because it was sold. However booking.com kept allowing reservations and also charging the stays!

After the cancellation, booking.com refunded me the stay but because the transaction was in euros I incurred in an extra cost of £17.36. I contacted booking.com customer service and they told me that I should not be covering any extra cost, as this cancellation was not my responsibility, however now they reject to refund me this £17.36.

Additionally, this is impacting on my economy as I had to book another property in the area and of course (as expected) the prices significantly increased. In fact we could not find a 4 people property at a reasonable price so we had to book two properties for 2 people each, which is costing us exactly double price in comparison with the two bedroom apartment booked in January.

Therefore, I would appreciate that booking.com refunds me the £17.36 and also offer a compensation for the inconvenience caused.

Thanks in advance.

Dear Customer Services,

Booking Reference: [protected],

I am writing to you to raise an issue about Online travel agent at Booking.com on April 30th, 2018.

We booked this villa upon which we made several calls to booking.com to ensure this was not dodgy (the host had contacted us outside of booking.com to ask us to move our booking via a private link she provided on a competitor website that we were even unsure was real). I contacted booking.com letting them know this and asked them to ensure the property actually existed and that we would not be left in the lurch. I was assured by keeping our booking with booking, com meant were covered in the instance that anything should happen or that the host removed our booking, it would be booking.com's responsibility to find us an alternative and we would not be without accommodation. Today I received notification the booking was cancelled and I called booking.com only to be told we just have to find alternative accommodation ourselves (they provided suggestions) and pay any extra (which is coming up to over double the price we had already booked for). Told there was nothing they could do as this property had been listed as 'closed'. We have been left in the lurch even after flagging this numerous times with them only to be reassured we wouldn't be without somewhere to stay - which is now the exact case. Thoroughly annoyed and disappointed.

I would like them to find us alternative accommodation as promised (especially as I flagged this numerous times previously with their reassurance) at the cost we had agreed to pay originally.

I look forward to a prompt response.

Yours faithfully

Savroop Kaur

Reference:
Address: 6 The Curve, London, W12 0RH

My Reservation number is 1630.051.948
Reservation Date April 23-26th
Hotel Metropole Brussels, Belgium

Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip to Brussels. My husband's father died unexpectedly on April 19th. We contacted the hotel, and Booking.com. We understand this was a non-refundable reservation (booking.com said it was because the rate was so low) We were actually attending the Seafood Expo, and after years of doing this, we know how much they increase the price for rooms! Our total loss on this reservation was $1, 717.00. We contacted the hotel and they referred us to you. We were hoping that something could be done. We understand that we can't get a full refund, but were hoping for something...maybe a voucher or discount, we're not sure. This is a lot of money for us. We would appreciate any help in this difficult time.
Thank you!
Mary and Mike Shimchick
Stellar Pacific Seafoods, LLC

Rachel Bruerton
16 Alameda Gardens
Tettenhall
Wolverhampton
WV6 9EX

Mob [protected]
[protected]@gmail.com

23 April 2018

Private and Confidential
Booking.com

Dear Madam / Sir

My refund for booking [protected]

Further to my call with you on Sunday 22 April, I am still dissatisfied with this situation.
On your website when boking this room it states ‘free cancellation' which I believed related to this booking (please see screen shot below).Indeed this misleading statement is still on your website today.

Although I accept that my actual booking states that it was non refundable, by the time I had booked the room, this was too late.
I ask finally for you to resolve this matter with a full refund before I consider my options.
I look forward to your response,
Yours sincerely

Rachel Bruerton

Ref: [protected]
Re the above, I have made 2 enquiries to yourselves to request my money is returned.
I received the attached message to advise that my card details were wrong and that if I wanted to keep my booking, I should update my card details. I had decided to defer my visit for a week, so I didn't cancel as the message clearly stated that unless I updated my details, the booking would not be honoured. I believe that you have sent me the wrong info and you should return my money to me.
If you hadn't sent the message, I would have cancelled on-line.

I am unhappy with my recent stay in Austria.
I stayed in a hotel in obergurgl named Haus Annakogl und Haus Barbara. The room was advertised for $360 aud. The room is infact $434 aud after you add the cleaning fee and the tax per person per night. I think that's a significant difference against the advertised price.
My problem however lies in the payment method. The hotel requires a deposit via bank transfer. I transferred €160 from my Australian bank incurring a $12 fee from my own bank. Upon final payment I found that my deposit had only been received as €137.50 and somehow I was liable for paying the bank fee from the receiving banK.
The hotel owner at first tried to tell me it was my banks fee. So I called my bank which assured me my fee was the $12 and the other fees had been accumulated from her bank.
There is no where on the hotel description that indicates I must pay her bank fees for her decided method of payment... The hotel owner can also not explain to me what the charges are for. Only that I was liable to pay.
I also have this email confirming my total amount was €273 of which I have now paid €295 quite a large fee including my own bank fee. I think they need to update their payment method to make it more fair to both parties and I am rather enraged that I had to pay the bank fees.
Here's my email
Dear Mr. Dungan, € 229, - is the price without the extra fees like local tax and cleaning fee. The price with € with 273 is correct. For further information I am at your disposal. Kind regards, Anja Fender

I want to express my great disappointment in booking.com as it promised that if i refered a friend it would give me 15 dollars! I refered my husband and he did make a reservation and i waited after checking out but i did not get the 15$ nor did he get the 10% back which should be over 35 dollars! It is shamful and disappointing...i wont refer booking to other friends (over a thousand)...i hope you find a way to resolve this issue

We are simply astonished by the absolute lack of booking.com help about reviews. The "kind" guests of the reservation n.[protected] have made of all the colors here, to the point that then we reported them to the Police and the Immigration Office and we then saw a review published in which they came to defamation by giving us racists . Obviously we have also reported them for this. In Thailand, the sentence reaches 2 years in prison. After having requested twice to cancel it, booking.com replied that it was an evaluation of the guests and that if we had insisted on asking to cancel it, they would have excluded us from the site. After a month and a half a Thai guest that we waited for 3 hours after the closing of the reception has thought well to thank us with a review from the score of 4.6 without comments and hiding behind anonymity. Among other things, the score has been entered twice since the booking was made on agoda preferring to pay at the hotel, and only published on booking.com. The reservation is n.[protected]. Contacted by phone Mrs. Thai told us that everywhere goes the same way. No comment.
But is it possible to publish something like that ? Only for the pleasure of doing damages to a resort. In short, guests can do what they want and even defame and the help of booking.com is non-existent. For us it's a huge damage because we work above all with the booking sites and the score is fundamental. First it was 9.6, now it has dropped to 9.1 and we expect the worst since we have a well-founded suspicion that in the second case the guest has been sent by some competitor.

I used booking. com for the first time. My plans changed and I cancelled 24 hrs prior to my trip. I was charged by the hotel. Never have I been charged as long as I cancel reservations at least 24 hrs in advance. I have asked for a refund. I have not heard a word as yet. The Hotels who charged me tell me they can not refund as its being completed to a 3rd party.
This practice is not right.

Subject: *** URGENT AND FINAL REQUEST *** Re: Fwd: The Llandudno hotel (1761.583.564)

I replied on 26th March to agree to the refund of £94.10 ( although it is actually £97.40)
This has now been going on since 23rd February 2018.
You have my details.
Please can you advise me, to why still to this day 6th April, you have not refunded the above funds to my account.
I am very upset and appalled how we have been treated, Do you treat all your customers in this manner?
I ask for the final time, that am I paid immediately and by the end of today.I will have no other option to contact the Financial Ombudsman if this distressing complaint is not rectified by today.

Yours Sincerely
Mrs Jane Lake

Please can someone reply immediately.

I made a reservation back in January for a group of 12 through booking.com
The reservation was for a one night stay March 29 th so there was ample time. While on the airplane I was checking email and was mortified to find the property cancelled my bookings due to non prepayment. I emailed back stating I had a confirmed booking that says I pay when I arrive. They wrote back the following
Booking #[protected]
#[protected]

Makati Tower Condo said:

HelloMelanie Vallejos, We already cancel your booking by Booking.com website. You can't access and visit and enter our private property without our permit today Mar 30. Because nobody pay us your room charge in advance yet. You can ask your bank or credit card company directly. We are owner private property house. And security guard officer they don't know any your name. If you visit our private property today security guard decline at entrance of our bldg. Don't make any trouble at entrance door of our private property. If you make trouble with security guard, maybe they will call police if they need. You can find other hotels with Booking.com employee by yourself. Makati Tower Condo Management Team

I was panicking and stressed. I paid for the WiFi and thankfully found a place that would accommodate all of us. I am angry that the cancelled last minute, that they were rude . We were landing late and if the airplane did not have WiFi I would not know they cancelled and would have showed up to a condo calling the police on us . We are a group of doctors there to help on a medical mission. They should be fined and not allowed to be on booking.com or any online booking service. To make matters worse I received an email the day after saying we no- showed!
Melanie Vallejos

It is a shame that a well-known site like booking.com, with million users, is unable to take the responsibility for happenings like the one described below.

On April 4th I received an e-mail (via booking) regarding my reservation in Niki Athens Hotel (Greece, booking reference [protected]) stating that I needed to verify my credit card details (although the reservation I had made on March 15th did not require pre-payment. I was supposed to pay once I arrived at the hotel unless I chose to cancel my reservation after April 23rd). Once I verified my credit card details I was informed by the bank that my credit card was charged with the amount of 399€! What is more surprising is that the next day (April 5th) I was informed via booking that my reservation was cancelled "due to a problem with the credit card". When I contacted the hotel, however, I was informed that my reservation was cancelled due to the renovation taking place at the hotel. So my questions are:
1. Since the hotel management was aware that my accommodation at the particular lodging was impossible, why did they proceed with the charging of my card anyway?
2. Since there is a renovation is taking place at the hotel and it is impossible to accommodate people, why did the particular hotel appear on booking.com three weeks ago?

Currently, I have no accommodation in Athens and there is a charge in my credit card for 399€. Furthermore, presently, most of the hotels have already been booked and I am unable to make a dissent reservation. I would also like to mention that I am a university professor and that I have to attend a conference on 26-29/04/18. This is a business trip that I cannot cancel!

This morning, I have contacted the customer service in Greece ([protected]) and UK [protected]) to express my discomfort and disappointment regarding the issue and to my surprise I realized not only that both employees had no idea about the whereabouts in Athens (I mean the location of the various hotels) but also they were unable to assist me in any way! I explicitly explained to both of them that I was interested in a hotel in the area Ermou-Mitropoleos-Syntagma (area where my original reservation was located), however, both of them disregarded my request and they suggested a relocation either in Karaiskakis square or in the area of Omonoia. Shouldn't people working for booking.com know the difference between my request and their suggestion? In case they are unfamiliar with the city of Athens and the location of the hotels appearing on the site, they probably should not be working for the articular site. Furthermore, no one bothered to apologize for my discomfort!

Tomorrow is Easter for the Greek Orthodox church, and I am obliged to keep looking for a lodging for my eminent trip in Athens instead of attending the mass. Is this my fault? Didn't I make a reservation using your site 3 weeks ago? Furthermore, there is a charge in my credit card. Therefore my question is "Why should I ever use or suggest booking.com again?'
At present I feel that booking.com is a site that does not respect its users, has no respect for their needs and takes advantage of them.

In case you would like to consider your site a respectable one you should not only respect your customers but also compensate them for any discomfort you may cause them. It is truly a shame I had to spend all day trying to amend your mistakes or trying to contact your representatives! You customer service is a huge disappointment!

I did a reservation from 9-14 April for 2 rooms at easy hotel Amsterdam zaandam, with a total cost around EGY 22, 886 with a confirmation number: 1936.298.982
And another reservation from 6-8 April at the same hotel with a total cost around EGY 6310 with a confirmation number: 1701.564.588.
My reservation was not only confirmed by you as booking.com, but also I sent a request through your website to let the hotel know that I will do the check in by 16:00. And I received a confirmation that my request has been delivered to the hotel and they welcome this at no extra cost.

I arrived today - 6 April- at the hotel, to find out that my reservation was cancelled!

How is this possible? I received a confirmation and I already paid the full amounts through my visa card... so it is a confirmed and already paid reservation.

I tried to contact your customer service, and they say that all they can help me with is to give me an email address to write to, which I'm doing now.

Imagine, that I'm traveling from one country to the other, depending on you that I have an hotel reservation, to find out that I will sleep this night at the street, as no one from your company can help and the hotel is fully booked.

I request the full amount that I already paid to be returned back to my account.
And I request a proper compensation from your side for this terrible mistake.

Awaiting your reply,
Amal Abdelaal.

Toilet was mis-functional (over flow the toilet)
Video taken and sent to the owner via Booking.com
Key returned just after got it with in 30 minuets as soon as problem found
Issue reported to the receptionist
She promised to report it to the management and come back to me

No response

Sent another email to Booking.com about the no response, email received that they will come back to me with in 24 hours

No response after

Another email sent to Booking.com

What to do next?

The issue occurred on: April 1st, 2018

Refund and compensation expected

Booking Reference: [protected]

I had a one night hotel stay in Amsterdam on the 31st March - the payment was taken off my credit card on the 24th March and the hotel checked my card to ensure it was the same one used during booking. I have now been charged a second time for my stay, resulting in over £600 being taken - as opposed to over £300.

I have tried to contact booking.com twice already and have had absolutely nothing back from them! Usually I cannot fault booking.com but now I am of the opinion that they are careless and their customer service is appalling.

I am entitled to receive £15 cash reward based on my reservation [protected].

However, I didn't receive the payment at all. I tried to contact with Booking.com, they can't even tell me which bank they submit the payment, only a ARN reference provided. I have asked all my bank to check with this reference, none of them confirm the receipt of this £15.

Good day

Booking [protected] Cologne Gallery Loft

We checked into the accommodation late yesterday but will definitely be checking out first thing in the morning. We would have checked out 10 minutes after checking in today but we couldn't find alternative accommodation immediately. We are now having to pay for alternative accommodation in Dusseldorf.

After last nights incident we have left the accommodation.
Points of concern:
*the accommodation is in a very shady area.
*the reception is not visible as there is graffiti all over the entrance wall.
*it's right next to a pub.
*the room window is the same high as the street and right next to the intersection.
*the walls in the room are dirty and full of stains.
*the bathroom has a hole in the wall.
*the towels and bedding stinks of smoke (it's really bad).
*the floors are uneven and the sill joining the floor has lifted and one trips over it.
*the shower has a glass wall on the first floor and then you need to walk down a steel staircase with wet feet.
*after 10pm one cannot leave the hotel as the receptionist has left and there is no other access in or out.
*while we where trying to cancel our booking, 3 other potential guests also walked out.
*when entering the hotel it looks more like a brothel than a hotel and looks like these rooms gets hired out by the day.
*the fridge is here for show, it doesn't have a power supply.
*when exiting the back door one has to walk extremely carefully as there is a wooden surface that is uneven and missing some slats.
*room service is not available, as there is non available.
*at 00:50 am we had an attended break in, someone forcibly opened the window, knocking the pot plant off.
*the shower rose is covered in mold.
*the windows haven't even been plastered in on the outside.
We honestly don't understand how this so called apartment could be on booking.com.

We expect you to look into this accommodation immediately and we also expect to be refunded. This is the scares placed we have ever stayed in and we travel often.

**Photos can be provided if need be.

Regards Mike and Irene

I booked two rooms in Pietrasanta (Italy) on March 27th (One for me and my family and one for our friends) for April 1st and 2nd and then read that it would only be possible to cancel the rooms 4 days before arrival, so I had to cancel the same night or they would have taken the entire amount. I proceeded to cancel the room. I received a message saying that the booking had been modified and that my room was cancelled. My friend then booked another room on booking. I received a message on my phone the morning of our trip that they had charged me 133 euros on my credit card. So what happened is that they had cancelled my booking, but they didn't cancel my friend's so I was charged for that. It was written in the email, but it was not clear at all and I would say that it's somewhat of a scam because there was only one confirmation number so once I read that the booking was cancelled I was assured that I no longer had to pay. I called the hotel which was really rude to us, and they only offered to let us stay in their hotel for 90 euros instead of 133 after they received a phone call from Booking customer care, which for me is unacceptable. I think Booking should refund me because of their misleading email. Only if you read the fine print of the email can you understand that only part of the booking was cancelled.