Booking.com review: never give your credit card details to booking.com 235

Hi andrej, booking number is [protected]. I was promised a response just this monday, and got nothing. Its been weeks and nothing but empty promises.

I am the newest victim this month! They are robbers!

I am Verna Hiyao. The Booking.com advised in the website you can cancel the booking 3 days before. However, you will not notice that you have to cancel it at 0:00 hours which is completely impossible so your credit card will be charged! They are fraud. BEWARE Customers. I was charged with Php 42, 000 for their strategy. Then they will withhold any responsibility and will say you call hotel directly which is unreachable!

BEWARE!

Tal,
My booking number was [protected]. I appreciate you looking into this and I will post again to let people know what the end result is.
Thank you
Marty K

I too am in the process of being robbed by Booking.com! I cancelled a booking at the IBIS budget Luxumbourg, and recieved all the cancellation confirmations from Booking.com. They have basically blamed the hotel, and told me too ring the hotel with MY BANK DETAILS for a refund!
Naturally I have refused, and told booking.com that as my travel agent they should be working to resolve this issue...they have not replied yet!

I think that this is a standard response from Booking.com. This has happened to me twice. I too refused to contact the hotel direct and complained to Booking.com. They eventually sorted it out for me but it took about 4 weeks to resolve. You do not say how long ago contacted them but perhaps they need more time. I took a belt and braces approach and asked my Credit Card Company to dispute the payment on my behalf. Booking.com have now agreed to refund payment.

I have only been arguing with them for about 4 days, but it was obvious from the onset as to how it was going to pan out! I have now told them that I am going to a) post a link to my complaint on facebook, b) contact BBC watchdog, and c) set up a free blog containing all of the correspondance between us!
It may only deter a few people from using them, but at least it is something, and it will make me feel better! I know 4 days is not long, but they were quick to dish out my details, so they should be quick to refund me.

Hello Konstantina, my reference is [protected]. I have sent a message to you again this morning, and several times yesterday, however none of your unprofessional team has bothered to contact me in relation to this at all.
So all can see, I would like you to tell me ON THIS FORUM, what booking.com are going to do to adequately correct this issue.

Many Thanks.

As promised I am posting the results of my further dealing with booking.com.
Booking.com have sided with the hotel over me. At this stage I am accepting the loss of 625 Euros, I still feel like I have been robbed.
I repeat my earlier advice. For anyone thinking of using Booking.com - You may save some cash, but please be aware of the risk you are taking, they will hang you out to dry.

You have indeed been robbed by Booking.com. Booking.com receives a substantial fee from the hotels it advertises. Therefore, it is complicit in any fraud that the hotel is involved in. They are "an accessory to the crime".

Write to their CEO, Darren R. Huston
Booking.com B.V.
Remembrandt Square Office
Herengracht 597
1017 CE Amsterdam
Netherlands

Booking.com is indeed a partner in FRAUD. My recent experience: I booked KARE SUITE NISANTASI thru Booking.com. Upon arrival, I found a "hotel" located in a maze of dark alleys. The Hotel had no sign that said KARE SUITE NISANTASI anywhere, just a door in a graffiti-covered blank wall. I "checked" out the second night because I felt unsafe in the neighborhood and the hotel. The hotel is NOT "in the fashionable area of Nisantasi" as is advertised on Booking.com. It is in a garment district where everything goes dark at 6 PM. The only people on the street are ragpickers sorting the discarded piles of fabric remnants. It was a good 500 meter walk from the nearest major street, thru dark and dirty alleys, to the "hotel". I felt unsafe.

The hotel advertises 24-hour reception. There was no reception. A young man took my passport information sitting on his bed in Apt. 1. Upon leaving, I had nowhere to "check out". I told the young man lounging about the front door that I was leaving.

The hotel has no business licenses anywheren on its walls. A normal hotel has them in the reception area. I am sure this hotel is an illegal and unlicensed enterprise. The other "guests" at the hotel were young men lounging on their beds who closed their doors when they saw me pass.

My room was a fourth floor walkup, up a narrow winding staircase. I looked for a fire escape, nonexistent.

There was NOTHING about this hotel that matched the hotel pictures or description that Booking.com advertises. An example, even though the hotel advertises as self-catering, my room had no tables of any kind: no bedside tables, no occasional tables, no tables at all.

When I complained to Booking.com, they told me that the hotel and reported me as a no-show and charged me the total room fee for the entire nine nights. And that I should sort it out with the hotel!
I would not have known about this hotel nor stayed there had Booking.com been the middleman to entice me to that hotel. Booking.com at least has the responsibility to provide their customers with what they advertise. Yet, they take no responsibility for what they advertise. This is called false advertising, and at least in the European Union and the USA meets the definition of FRAUD.

I

we booked hotel El Canario Boutique Hotel in Puerto Rico. At the end we arrived hotel was overbooked and they transfer us to "branch of El Canario Boutique Hotel" which in reality was completely different hotel. Just after 4 days when we booked same hotel where we had transferred - we realized that this is half price hotel of El Canario Boutique Hotel.
We tried to solve this issue with Booking.com and El Canario Boutique Hotel directly - but no refunds...

I was taken into hospital after suffering a miscarriage at 5 months on the morning of my stay at West Beach as you can imagine calling to cancel the hotel wasn't on my list of priorities whilst receiving a blood transfusion and lead in a hospital bed. Once i was home from
hospital I called bookings.com to explain the situation and to ask for help and asked for them to contact the hotel and ask them to kindly consider refunding the money taken from my card, due to what had happened I wouldn't be at work for a good few weeks and wouldn't be paid and £140 was a lot of money, all I received was an email back refusing to refund the money and quoting t&cs.
I am disgusted and so upset with the way this has been handled and unless booking.com together with the hotel find some humanity and offer me a refund I will never consider using them again.
After all this wasn't just a "guest that forgot to cancel their reservation" situation have some kind of decency.

Hi Sergejs, my booking number is [protected] .
I am very upset and this hasn't been dealt with any discretion or in an appropriate manner.
I look forward to hearing from you.

On 6 june 13 i had online booking hotel stay at Melaka through Booking.com
Price stated 2 days 2 night rated RM 3xx but the hotel charge us RM 6xx which is double the rated.
We had an argument but the receptionist said this Booking.com problem not hotel which public wrong price of selling.
We want this answer.

cc ntv 7
cc Tribunal

Regards,
TJ Lee
[protected]

I booked two rooms in the Merchants Hotel in Manchester at a cost of £204 for two nights for three people. I requested a double room and a room with twin beds, which we didn't get - they told us when we arrived that they couldn't give us a room with twin beds. The hotel was dirty, old and needed a complete refurbishment. The carpets were stained, the walls were splattered with something - not sure what that was. The bathroom and shower cubical was old and flaky paint and grime was everywhere including the shower head and around the bottom of the cubical. The photographs on Booking.com website were much superior to the actual inside rooms and the outside entrance. The entrance was down an alley and was full of water - it smelled of urine and we were suspicious that it was being used as a toilet. We complained at the time that the fire alarm was covered by a plastic carrier bag and was told that the rooms had been recently fumigated. The bag was not removed during our stay. In Manchester on that particular weekend there were at least two events - one was the Bupa 10K, which was the reason for our stay, and the hotels were quite busy. We arrived and on seeing the state of the place and knowing that we were unlikely to get our money back and that the other hotels were full, we decided to stay. I have since written a review and sent it to Booking.com, which does not appear on their website, although they assure me that it will. I have sent them photographs which on two occasions they say they haven't received and I have now sent them a third time. I have asked for a complete refund and they have offered me 10percent. The hotel is a fire hazard and shouldn't be allowed to get away with continuing to take people in. I can send photos to you if necessary.

WOW booking.com is not at all like the reservation as far as their values and business ethicists. Indian PALMS Vacation Club is the best, but Booking.com does not share their values. I so regret doing business through them and gave them my cc info. They have complaints from years ago up untill yesterday. Too bad I love the reservations or else I so wanted to cancel on them.
They don't send confirmations on the same day and hit you with extra charges later. Don't deal w them if you can they give American business ethics a bad name. Now real nervous any my cc info. Great job booking.com, you gave my vacation a great start by being so manipulative.

Further? What the point of your response if your not gonna fix anything. Total means total, total does not exclude tax and service charges. If you ment the room price you should just say the room prices is as such and then give total. And the fact that you don't even mention those wile taking my information makes you a crook, the fact that you respond to people's complaints does not mean your not. You don't care about these complaints the customer service girl said so. Please don't write a response If your just gonna respond and do what's financially feasable for you. ToTAL MEANS TOTAL...

Booking.com took deposit for my guesthouse booking, £67.80! and the guesthouse advised afterwards they don't do Amex. Where did my money went? Just sent an email to customer service, will see if I get response... probably next year! Laura

I have used booking.com only twice and on both occasions my credit card was used fraudently shortly afterwards. These were the only times my card has ever been compromised. Fortunately, I spotted it quite quickly and was able to cancel my card both times before too much was spent and was reimbursed by my bank. However, it seems obvious to me that booking.com online is NOT a secure method of using a credit card. I will not be using this company again. KPS

i had the same problem with booking.com so the act like this to take money from us

i had the same problem cancelled within the proper period and charged my credit card i want to complaint this can anybody help me?

i booked and before the date that i allow to cancel i cancelled my recervation at the hotel. but unfortunetely my credit card charged for the first night 121 euro. when i call booking they told me that i never cancelled the booking and if i have evidence i have to sent to them (like screen save) thanks to God i save their anwer of cancelation and i sent it to them. but they said to me that their is not date on it. after that i found from my history the exact date of the cancelation with the time . but also they find stupid reason refuse to return my money back. pls help me. where i can complain officialy.

Mac from Booking.com team states 'Please note that when you make a reservation your credit card details are transferred via a secure connection.'
This is technically correct, your credit card details are transferred from your computer to Booking.com via a secure connection.
However Booking.com then send your credit card details to the hotel. At this point they have no control over who has access to those details, who the details are passed to and what charges are made on the card.
The hotel staff use the credit card details to charge the customer, not Booking.com.
If I am wrong on this, please explain booking.com ?

i agree with all negative feeling towards booking.com, i booked a hotel in Blackpool in Jan 2013, then cancelled it 2 weeks later, i had been asked for my credit card details, but after emailing them to cancel, i didnt think anymore of it, but they took the money out of my bank account, even after cancelling, i have been emailing to no avail, and im being told, that my email didnt get there/i should of called! How rude. I have been in contact with the hotel, but they have told me the booking was still live and i was a noshow...even though i have cancelled, so im out of pocket, im so angry and will be warning friends and family not to use them, its a scam!

the exact same thing that happened to BORA happened to me! i am furious with booking.com and had so many good experiences with them but this has really really really angered me. I also cancelled my reservation timely due to a change in my travel plans, but did not screen shot the page (my mistake, i usually do that for everything i book) --- it was DEFINITELY an EARLY cancellation and it was clearly stated that would NOTE be charged for this cancellation. But now I see the hotel charged the full fee! I will be calling booking.com to ask what on earth is going on. I am so upset i thought i could trust the site :(

My booking number is [protected], i also recieved an email from booking.com to say the complaint has been resolved?! By whom?! NOT ME! I will be taking to take this further, this is on going probelm not just with myself but many others who have also have money taken after bookings have been cancelled. You contact the hotel, they say its Booking.coms probelm, you email them and they say..we didnt recieve your email, even though i had it forwarded it to them, its a list of excuses and bad company policy out doing travellers by basicially stealing money from their bank accounts, even though you have tried to cancel!

I too did not confirmation for a hotel booking in Avignon France booking . Com passed on my credit card details to the hotel
As a no show .
I had made other arrangements and am being charged for not going to the original enquiry hotel . Why would I make another booking if I had confirmation I had one.
Do not give booking . Com your credit card details as they are not safe or responsible people to deal with. Hopefully I may have blocked card charges in time.

Hi Bora, i havnt recieved a refund, and it looks like im not going too either, i did email them to cancel andl post it on here, but it wont make a difference, theres so many complaints about the same thing, people not getting there confirmation emails of the booking, and the money being taken, people cancelling and the money still being taken, Booking.com ask for proof, How are you
going to have it when it was never sent in the first place, i did make a note of my booking number and even though i never recieved a confirmation email after giving my debit card details., still emailed and cancelled, but was told by Booking.com that i had not accessed my Acount, now, how would i know that when the correct information wasnt sent to me in the first place. I HAVE PROOF OF MY CANCELLATION EMAIL THAT I SENT, however that is not good enough, i stand by my comments and still say this is STEALING!

Joseph, sounds like you had the exact same problem I had. You did not receive a confirmation and were charged as a no show.
How can it be fair that you have to chase Booking.com for a confirmation email?
The confirmation when they take your credit card details is simply a web page with a unique reference for booking.com.
It is NOT an email from booking.com that you could use as a receipt.
Please post your experience as to how Booking.com proceeds, good or bad.
They make all the right noises on this forum, however an update as to the actual result is important in order to inform people as to the risk they are taking when they book with this company.

they stil think they are right they are charging all their customers tax in case of no show. and is it really submitted as tax to authorities ?Authorities don't expect tax in case of no use of service so where all tax money is going collected on behalf of tax department
of every country.
they claim they know danish law but i wish they know what is right what is wrong

they collect from every customer in case of no show the room rent and tax.
In world every body knows that tax is paid only when services are used.
so they collect tax assuring customer that they pay to tax department and they dont
pay. i am chasing from long time and now i have already collected the information from associates of hotels in case, if guest no show they charge room rent only to booking .com
So where is the money collected as tax ?

now my next steps is to contact tax departments in thw world.

they have done for me in shalimar hotel of sri lanka

i am holding all their emails.

so i request all, proper address and email of tax authorities of their respective countries to clarify the issue.

thanks and best regds
motiani365@yahoo.com

We reacently booked through your site to a premire inn the price we agreed with you was not the price we had to pay we ended up paying for a extra breakfast which was surpossed to be inclued on the booking on arrival to the hotel they informed us u had only booked for one adult and one child but we booked two adults and two children which we printed off on the comformation form so we r not happy at all and will not be booking with u again unless something is sorted please get back to me as i have got both prices of paper the booking form and the piece of paper that we ended up paying

I have the same experience. I booked Hotel Du Square for 2 days with pre charge 1 day. But the hotel charge me full day. I am disappointed with this and cancel my booking with no cancellation fee, but the charge still in my credit card. I sent email and call to hotel customer service, but no respons. Then I complain to Booking.com and they promise to fix this problem. After ten days they sent me a link to refund my credit card. After I fill my credit card number and waiting for 3 days. My Money has come back. Thanks to Booking.com and becareful to Hotel Du Square.

I also cancel my book to West Side Inn Hotel Amsterdam with the transaction in my credit card. But after I contact to hotel customer service, they delete the transaction immediately. Good customer service.

I used booking.com for a hotel in NY, I canceled it and never receive a confirmation. As I have never used it before, I though it was ok. My mistake, I was charged by the hotel and booking.com says they can do nothing because I cannot prove I canceled. Furthermore, they told me to resolve it with the hotel, that will probably do nothing, because they probably never received my cancelation. Booking.com, never more again, and I'll make sure people around me don't fall in their ###!

Hello Andrea,
my booking number is [protected].

BOOKING.COM --highway robbery!

I made a reservation with them for a hotel in Israel (Ritz Hotel in jerusalem) and was told I could cancel up to five days before if I had to. In fact, due to health problems, I had to cancel FIFTEEN DAYS BEFORE the date I would have gone to the hotel.

I cancelled through BOOKING.COM and they confirmed the cancellation.

However, I was very surprised and upset when I saw the Hotel had debited the total amount of US$ 1, 340 for the ten days i did not use the hotel, and their answer is that I had made A NON-REFUNDABLE reservation! Of course, Booking says this is not their responsibility but when they ask for the Credit Card number, they assure you that it will not be charged before your arrive at the hotel!

How can I defend my rights? It is very easy to close a deal with a client by assuring there will be no problem to cancel but then the hotel has the guts to charge right away, once the reservation is made! I hope this helps people to avoid falling into such traps.

astrid@greatstart.com.br

Yes I do confirm the bad policy of Booking com. In December 2012 I booked from abroad by booking.com the hotel in Eindhoven (Netherlands) for January 21, two overnights and have given a credit card number the name of a holder expiry date and cvv number only to secure the transaction. At the hotel I payed by cash. It was a card which i have not used for years, kept in the drawer. In October 1st somebody fraudulently have used four times my card buyng goods in VD Amsterdam and Omoda Zerikzee and stolen nearly 2000 euros. I claimed transactions in my bank but aldo have sent an e-mail to booking.com. They gently asked me for details. When I send details by e-mail there was no answer the only what i got was a decision from booking com that I have 10% reductions for further transactions. And I wonder if this reduction is worth of a cleaning out of my account in future by fraudulent use of my ceedit card?

Teste

i booked a hotel in Thailand for December and 2 weeks later someone ran up a bill to apple for nearly £250, the bank refunded the money but thats not the point, some ### in thailand got off with the fraud

I booked a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand and someone ran up a bill to Apple store for nearly £250, the bank eventually refunded me the money but thats not the point, some hotel owner/employee got away with robbing me and i wont be using booking.com again, they clearly gave the hotel all the information to commit the fraud