Booking.com
Reviews and Complaints

We booked a hotel stay in Santorini, Greece back in September 9, 2023, and we thought we booked with free cancellation before Sept 27, two weeks before check-in. Two days later we cancelled the reservation, but we found out that the confirmation was non refundable. We lost over US $1334. We contacted Booking.com customer service and it was not help at all. We think the website was cliched or not reliable and what the result from their website.

We attached the screenshot file that was similar when we booked the rooms.

Now we don't recommend anyone to book any travels through Booking.com and you can check other website like, Expedia, Kayak or direct from the hotels since the price at Booking.com was not cheaper than other sites mentioned. Other website might be easier to deal with customer service.

3 Experiences with booking.com

Nov 22. I rented an apartment in Valencia with pictures of a terrace. We arrived and there was no terrace. The landlord said it was a different apartment yet the pictures were on my booking.

Oct 23. I went to Cypress having picked an aparthotel with a pool. The hotel was basically closed for renovations, I could have still used the apartment but chose not to. I walked and checked myself into the nearest aparthotel I could find as I had never been to cypress and did not know where I was.

The original booking was refunded, but I was not compensated in any way for the inconvenience and extra cost I incurred.

Apartment 3 in Turkey, Furnished apartment with pool.

On arrival, the apartment has obviously not been cleaned for some time and the pool was like a pea soup and obviously not safe to use. The landlord sent people to clean, but this should have been done pre check in. After a week I asked when the cleaning and linen service would be. They said there was none...A holiday apartment with no linen service...am I supposed to travel with bedsheets... The landlord agreed to change the sheets only after I advise i would be checking out early. Once again though, root cause, booking.com lack of any kind of QA.

When I made this booking, I also opted for an airport transfer, booking.com booked the airport transfer, TO THE WRONG ADDRESS.

I find it amazing that such an unprofessional organisation like booking.com is actually allowed to survive. I will find alternate booking methods for the future, I would suggest everybody does the same.

host beware. don't use booking. They straight up lie and don't care. they tell you to setup direct deposit then there is no direct deposit. you have to accept cash at booking which it doesn't tell you that on the site. who can be at your house every check in. like everywhere now.

government that condones bad behavior. criminals know this rent your house destroy it then leave. thanks book.com The people at booking.com no clue total different stories but all agreed that this is scam. they didn't agree because the website should be shut down until fixed. The call desk didn't even try to fix they just agree its a scam. first time for everything.

My wife and I booked a self-catering cottage in Somerset via Booking.com

Upon our arrival on 5th August 2923, the place was filthy, smelt musty, and no cleaning had been done. Dirty sheets were still on the bed, old food was in the fridge, etc.

It was not fit for purpose, and we could not stay there.

We had travelled for 7 hours and were tired and hungry. We had brought our food, but the kitchen was dirty, so we didn't want to use it for cooking.

The cottage was in a small village, and there was nowhere to eat as the cafe/restaurant had all closed for the day.

The number provided by Booking.com to contact the owner just kept ringing, and we couldn't get hold of anyone. So we left.

Sitting in our car in a car park, we tried to get help from Booking.com, but sadly, they were useless. They couldn't help us find any alternative accommodation, and they, too, could not contact the owner. Our last call from them as we sat in a car park in pouring rain was from Singapore.

We made our own arrangements in a hotel, and have been trying to get a refund ever since of the £709 we paid. (Booking.com did refund £106, but considering we were charged a cleaning fee of £125 up front, this didn't really satisfy us! We also paid a further £481 for a hotel.)

The cottage has since been removed from the Booking.com website.

No one from Booking.com ever returned calls, and it was a useless experience trying to get anyone who understood adequately. Today, we were finally told by someone from their only contact number that nothing further could be done. There was no complaint system against Booking.com; all calls, including from a solicitor if I engaged one, had to use the only number.

So we are frustrated and unhappy with this company.

They wouldn't provide details of the owner of the cottage, so we have no way of pursuing this against them.

WE WILL NEVER USE BOOKING.COM AGAIN

Their level of customer service is beyond reprehensible.

Hello, I booked at this apartment on booking.com for 30 September 2023 upon arrival the place had no electricity and the pictures of the place where totally different place was smelling everything was very dirty could not sleep phoned host no answer and phoned bookin.com they took complaint upto now when I phone them for my refund they tell me host has not come back to them I want my refund as we ended up looking for another place to sleep which was now very expensive. I have realised everyone who has booked there has never slept in that place the advertised property is not the one physical and the property is disgusting I feel booking.com is letting this host get away with fraud/scam as they still let people book under that host have a look at the reviews

Booking Ref: [protected] pin 5136 guest Shamiso Muwande mobile [protected]

Property address is

I booked a taxi on booking.com's website, in August. I have been trying for nearly 3 months to have payment taken from the bank card and have my Wallet reinstated.

The cost of the taxi was: £411.28 – the full amount should have been taken from my bank card, but booking.com took £410 from my Wallet and the remaining balance of £1.28 from the bank card entered.

I entered my bank card details to pay for the whole taxi journey, for Thomas Goodhead, the passenger. I was logged into my booking.com account at the time, but part payment was taken from my Wallet - £410 below and only £1.28 from the bank card. I did not request payment to be taken from my Wallet, so it was taken in error. I wish to pay for the whole journey with the bank card on the booking, as I need to pay for the taxi with my work bank card, as I entered into the original booking.

The taxi team said that the accommodation team are the only people with access to my Wallet so they cannot reinstate the credit, and the accommodation department keep referring me to the taxi department - nearly 100 emails, I keep being referred to the taxi department. All I want it for booking.com to take the payment from my bank card and reinstate my £411 credit to my Wallet. And a member of the taxi team said he refunded the full amount, but he did not, so who has received my £411 as it wasnt me.

Avril Graham

[protected]

Booking reference: [protected]

Your journey

Thursday, 17 August 2023, 19:00

Tom Bradley International

Thursday, 17 August 2023

1185 Tamarack Ave, Carlsbad

scheduled pick-up

Your driver will arrive at the time you specified and wait for 15 minutes.

Your vehicle

Executive People Carrier · Up to 5 people · 5 suitcases

Provided by: Talixo

Ride ID: [protected]

We scheduled a car to pick us up at our hotel in Tokyo and take us to the cruise ship terminal. When I selected a location for the car to take us to, your website would not accept the addresses I had for the cruise ship terminal which was in Yokohama so I ended up choosing the international cruise ship terminal which it turns out is not the one in Yokohama but is in Tokyo. When I received a text from our driver the night before, I gave him the address where we needed to be taken to make sure he had the right one. When he arrived the next morning, he told me via a translator on his phone that he couldn't take us there because it was farther. I called customer service and they didn't have another vehicle so we had to get 2 taxis as there were 4 of us. I emailed from our ship and explained it to Andrea. She said they couldn't give a refund because the driver was there. I explained that the problem was your website which did not allow me to choose the correct location. It made no sense for us to go to the wrong cruise terminal. I explained this in a second email to Andrea but she never responded. I expect at least a partial refund since the the error was due to your website as it caused me to choose the wrong address. I will say that our experience with the driver who picked us up at the Tokyo airport and took us to the hotel and the driver who took us from our hotel in Singapore to the airport was excellent. However, if we can't find some resolution to this situation, I will not use booking.com again.

For my return to London from NY I received an email from Booking.Com

Booking.com sent me an email last minute stating they were unable to process payment directly to the airline for my luggage which meant I had to pay additional buggage fee to the airline in turn booking.com would refund me. It’s been over 2 months and I haven’t received my refund. I’ve called booking.com several times, raised a dispute form on the company website and still nothing resolved nor have I received any status on the dispute resolution form I completed.

DATE: Sunday 28 May 2023

FLIGHT: 11.35am Fj920

I arrived at early attempt to check my suitcases in but informed I have to book return flight from Apia SAMOA. I inform clerk importance due to attending my Mother Funeral.

I'm informed I need to book return flight first, while attempting to book return flight, I discover I have missed my flight.

I'm informed by Fijian airlines clerk to contact Fijian Airlines; I call them immediately about my urgency to attend my Mother Funeral in Apia Samoa.

Fijian Airlines staff polite and are sorry for my loss, I requested booking the next flight out but was informed no other flights tonight.

They inform me to contact Booking.com and send my mother death certificate and they will contact them to release funds to book another flight.

I call Booking.com immediately after phone call with Fijian Airlines, informing Booking.com about my urgency to attend Mother Funeral.

Booking.com first staff member unsure how to help me, I asked them to please put me through to someone who can,

Next Booking.com staff was more experienced I informed him of urgency to attend funeral of my mother. I emailed my mother death certificate to Booking.com staff.

I attempted numerous times to get my reimbursement with nil success and I missed my mother Funeral devasted and spent that day crying in my room.

Its Sunday 6 November 2023 I still have not received my reimbursement and still struggling with loss my mother unable to attend funeral and then losing my Father Tuesday 8 August 2023

I want staff to know importance of following through with procedures and the heartache it cost customers especially they lose those they Love dearly unable to give close sure.

Hope to get a response soon.

Theresa Tanuvasa

Hello,

I've booked a 5 nights stay (28 Oct. to 2 Nov. 2023) at The Park Hotel (64, Belgrave Road, Westminster Borough, London, SW1V 2BP, United Kingdom), confirmation #[protected], via Booking.com, for the total value of 920€.

The purpose of my trip was to visit a friend who lives in London.

One day before the intended travel, I was informed that my friend has tragically lost his father in the current Middle-East war. Needless to say I had to cancel the entire trip.

I've requested the cancellation of the reservation on Booking.com, via the online form. Having not received a reply, I contacted Booking.com by phone on 27 Oct. evening. I was informed by their agent that they will contact the hotel, and that the hotel "will do the necessary".

Minutes after, I received an email from Booking.com explaining that they approached The Park Hotel on my behalf to request the cancellation, and that the accommodation is unable to make an exception in this case, and I will be charged the entire reservation fee, i.e. the whole 920€.

I have contacted the hotel directly to explain the situation, but they have reiterated their refusal to cancel the reservation, or even part of it.

Considering this is an Act Of God, I believe I should be reimbursed, at least partially, for the reservation.

Let alone enforcing the legal aspect of an Act Of God, I estimate that a human understanding of the tragic situation should be taken into consideration.

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to you to raise an issue about: Online travel agent

The issue that I have experienced was: Dear

Sir/Madam

I done this villa booking in morocco they provided me with the contact details to get in touch to arrange for key collection this user is registered as English speaking before 3 days of arrival I contact the site for key collection and try to arrange a meet up time I ask if I can do early check in the contact agreed I ask for the fees they didn't tell me anything few hours before my arrival the site contact ask me I have to pay 1600dhiram which was nearly 1 day extra price I advice I will come on my normal check in time the contact refused and said I have to pay this extra money as her son is sick I couldn't understand her because she speak Arabic only and I ask my wife to speak with her she started to abuse my wife on this I message her that I will complaint about this to booking.com and on that she advice she had already cancelled my booking and wont let me in that house when I came back for 2 weeks I complaint about this to booking.com and I also have screen shot of conversation but they refuse to refund me my money

It occurred on: 01/10/2023

This meant that my £408 and my day wasted

i just want my money back

I look forward to your prompt response on this matter. As recommended by Trading Standards, I would like to keep a complete record of my case, so please reply to this email address.

Yours faithfully,

BILAL SARFARAZ

Booking Reference 4037.535.605

3796

37 Lansdowne Avenue,

Slough Berkshire

sl13sg

K5H19JG: easyJet flight EZY2264 was cancelled on the 3rd of July 2023 and the booking was made through booking.com, i spoke to booking.com about the cancellation which was made by easyJet and booking.com had not been made aware by easyJet that it had been cancelled, well that's what booking.com told me on the phone.

i was advised i would receive a refund for the flight that had been cancelled within 7 to 14 days once booking.com had received confirmation from easyJet that they had cancelled the booking of my return flight from Krakow to Manchester. well its 31st October 2023 and i have confirmation emails that i would of received my refund going as far back as June 2023 and to this day i have not received a penny back in the form of a refund i have gone to seek legal advice and I'm going to make a claim at small claims court as easyJet have stated that they have sent the money back to booking.com and when i phoned booking.com for a transaction id to confirm that they had refunded me they could not and would not provide me with one.

I booked to them and received official email from them that they need to verify my bank details. Take note that its official email from them with all my records. Then I received message from my bank that I got a deduction amounting x10 of the value. I immediately called my bank to block my card and cancel the transaction and immediately called the hotel and booking.com as well. Hotel informed me that its phishing while booking.com said they will file a complaint. To my surprised the next day, I received a message from booking.com that they are not able to refund it because its Phishing. How the official email from Booking.com became Phishing? The correct term is SCAMMED not phished. Booking.com & Manhattan Guesthouse deliberately scammed me and try to excuse and blame it to me that I've been phished. AVOID using booking.com at all cost. I have attached screenshot of the email received from them as a proof that its them who has a problem and not me. I know that its not the first time that you did this kind of scamming and you are shameless enough to just ignore complaint like this.

Boooked flight ticket for Madurai to HYDERABAD Indigo flight departing at 3PM

today(28/10/23) at about 21:20. Paid through SBI credit card. .

But till now , i have not received the confirmation mail. Please help me. I could not find the MY BOOKED TICKETS option in your site.Please attend to this immediately.

my mail id is [protected]@gmail.com and mobile is +91 [protected]

I showed up at Glasgow airport Europcar to pick up my rental car on Sept 8th.

The agent requested an additional 500 GBP in extra insurance even though I had purchased additional 3rd party insurance and I had an additional $85,000 coverage on my ins card. The agent stated I needed 100,000 GBP of coverage.

I immediately cancelled and went to the next car rental agency.

Europcar said that Booking.com had my money and they could not return it.

Booking.com have made all kinds of excuses so as not to refund me my money

I booked flight from Durban South Africa to Lima Peru

Passenger: Sartorius Kurt Mr

Booking ref: WJGKFK

Ticket number: 118 [protected] - 82

FOID: PP111111

I have been trying to change return date from Dec 5 to Dec 8 but Customer Service in UK insists I must go to airline company who issued ticket

Issuing office:

TAAG CONTACT CENTER ANGOLA, LUANDA

Telephone: +[protected]

Date: 19Jun2023

I live in south africa and cannot contact a local Booking.com customer call center in South africa. My daughter has spent an hour on the phone with UK customer services

I clearly paid GBP 112 for flexible ticket option, why cant I manage booking online?

Hi Good evening,

My name is Rene Llanto I had reservation for 2 person at the Crown Plaza Auckland, an IHG Hotel from October 21 to October 23 when I booked online tru booking.com I didn't receive any deduction in my account I was thinking there is something wrong in my account. We decided not to for check in for the past 2 days there is no payment has been made. Today October 23 I was surprised I received a SMS amounting of NZD 505.47 deducted in my account I called right away the Crown Plaza Hotel but the guy from the reception told me that Booking.com didn't pay the Hotel.

I would like to ask help if possible, to get a refund or I will use the payment for check in instead. I tried to called several times the customer service but no one is picking up my calls.

Please help me to settle this matters.

U can reach me in email at [protected]@yahoo.co.nz / +[protected]

Thanks a lot

Hello,

I canceled the reservation I made below on September 16, 2023, from booking.com on September 17, 2023.

Cancellation conditions included the right for Free Cancellation until July 8, 2024.

Than I cancelled this reservation,

The relevant Hotel debited 45,212.00 Turkish liras from my credit card for 3000 BGN (Bulgarian leva) on September 17, 2023, and the money was NOT refunded after the cancellation.

I request my money to be refunded immediately.

I can't send a message to the hotel from my account right now. The hotel does not appear in the messages section.

I have attached the following information:

Annex-1: I can not send message to the Hotel in messages section in my account. Also can not send message to Customer Servise (Its disabled)

Annex-2: Hotel reservation cancellation information

Annex 3: Credit card statement

Annex-4: Credit card Statement Transaction Detail 3000 BGN = 45212 TRL exchange rate: TRL/BGN = 15.07

Reservation Hotel Name: VILLA RILA BOROVETS MOUNTAIN

Reservation Confirmation Code: [protected]

Pin Code: 4868

Reservation Date: 23 JULY-02 AUGUST 2024

I'm waiting to hear from you... You can also call me on my mobile phone below.

Cemal Balkan

Mobile: +[protected]

It seems that I am the last victim of lisapartment98.

I booked an apartment on booking.com on the 19th of october. The owner asked me to confirm reservation via Telegram @lisapartment98. She sent me a link to pay on booking.com payment platform (I have the screenshots). I proceeded to the paymen, she sent me another message to inform me that the payment was "HOLD" and that her bank needed a screenshot of my credit card (I blured information).

Once I have proceeded to the payment, I tried to contact her but I have no reply...This morning I can see on my bank account that my payment was sent to Cyprus...

I have called booking.com costumer service but thay asked me the reservation number that I never received...just crazy...they confirmed that I have no reservation.

So far as I can see,(previous posts) BOOKING.COM was perfectly aware that lisapartments98 was a scam and they did absolutely nothing. Just a shame..

At the end I lost 1023 euros.

I was charged the correct amount from the hotel but on booking.com I was quoted in GBP and, although the conversation rate was correct, due to being charged in BBD (something they did not tell me they would do) I was charged a currency conversion charge from my bank.

Had I have been informed of this, I would have not paid the 50% in advance as this is supposed to be fully refundable but if I were to cancel I would be left with the conversion charge and probably charged again.

I spent an entire morning on the phone to them and received very poor customer service.

After lengthy discussions about me being charged a conversation rate from my bank - when I was quoted in GBP- I was asked to send proof but I sent proof of this twice already, I can not send this in the form of a bank statement as I will not get a statement for another month and it will not state the reason for the charges as bank statements do not do this.

I have made several calls and was initially told I would be refunded once proof was received, I sent proof and was then told I would not be refunded. Furthermore, if I were to cancel the reservation I would not be refunded the bank charges as these are not included in the price.

I spent 1 hour 11 mins on the phone to one person who was trying to resolve this, I then got cut off by a manager, I did not get a call back, a customer service rep was rude to me on the next call I made and he then hung up on me.

I called yet again and am yet to find a resolution and have been on the phone for over one hour so now I have spent over 2 hours on the phone to booking.com and am left with bank charges for currency conversion which booking.com refuse to take financial responsibility for - despite the cost being advertised in GBP.

They have now offered me internet £25 and only given me £21.75

I feel I have wasted time and money on booking.com and got shockingly bad customer service- this is not the same service as what booking.com used to provide years ago, it was once a very good service which is why I used them frequently, something I am apprehensive to do again as this has left me upset and out of pocket.