Booking.com Reviews 

If anything goes wrong, Booking.com is completely useless. Their Customer Service seems to be purposefully programmed to avoid any help: the AI powerd CS will not let you through unless it is a standard issue where you have all the details, it makes you go round in circles and not resolving anything. In my case, a fake double booking was claimed by the hotel which charged me, and Booking.com denied any responsibility! A CS phone number provided involves expensive roaming charges and you still only talk to AI which is appallingly incompetent. It cost me a fortune to talk to useless AI. Other infuriating tricks involve interrupting the connection during the call, requesting a PDF File without providing a way of responding or uploading, etc. ( you cannot send them an email, and their CHAT has no uploading option). I've wasted so much time and money with this company.

Booking.com is actively misleading customers and running away from consumer protection laws using its "Partner Offer" scheme. I booked a room for one night at Hotel Radha (Spain) through Booking.com. The listing explicitly stated "Taxes and charges included". Upon arrival, the hotel staff forced me to pay an extra tourist tax anyway. After taking the payment and giving me the key, the receptionist finished her shift and left the property. Later that evening, when I returned to my room after finishing my business in the city, I discovered that the listed room amenities were a complete lie. There was no iron or trouser press inside the room (which I urgently needed for my clothes after traveling), and the advertised shower chair was missing as well. Since the staff had already gone home, there was absolutely no one on-site to help me or address these issues. Furthermore, the next shift of hotel workers did not even begin before my check-out time the following morning, making it completely impossible to address or resolve these issues during my entire stay. When I contacted Booking.com Customer Service, they shamelessly replied with a template message telling me to "contact Agoda directly" because it was a Partner Offer. This is unacceptable. My financial transaction and contract were made on the Booking.com platform. Furthermore, Booking.com and Agoda are sister companies fully owned by the same parent corporation, Booking Holdings Inc.! Shifting the responsibility to their own sub-brand while blocking the customer’s ability to leave a review on the website is a direct violation of EU consumer protection regulations.I have full screenshots proving that Booking.com explicitly stated taxes were included, and that they listed the iron under "In-room facilities".
Do not trust "Partner Offers" on this platform. Booking.com will take your money, lie about amenities, and then ignore you when things go wrong.

Take a commission from anyone with no knowledge of their legitimacy. Book a room or house, does it exist?

Booking.com cancelled a booking on 21st July that I made informing me that I would receive a full refund within 24 days ..Two months later I still have not received any communication from them despite numerous attempts via e mails....I even set myself up as a "Host" in order to communicate with them....to date I have had NO response...I reported them to the relevant authorities in Ireland...and they have suggested I contact the European authorities which I have done....this IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND I SHOULD BE REFUNDED MY FULL COSTS....I have now sent them a letter by POST and await their reply.....I WILL NEVER USE BOOKING.COM AGAIN AND I SUGGEST YOU SHOULD RECONSIDER BEFORE USING THEM....I WOULD NOT RECOMMENDED THEM.....

⭐ 1/5 — Repeated promises, missed deadlines and ultimately no resolution
I have used Booking.com for years, but the way they handled a serious complaint regarding one of their listed properties has completely changed my opinion of their customer service.
I booked and prepaid for a specific room type at Sherwood Residence in Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, the property placed us in a completely different room without consulting me. I was away at appointments when my travelling companion checked in. He had not made the booking, did not know which room type I had reserved and therefore had no way of knowing that what he was given was not what I had selected and paid for.
When I later discovered the discrepancy and complained, the room I had actually booked had already been sold.
Sherwood ultimately refused to provide a meaningful refund, so I escalated the matter through Booking.com. This is where my frustration with Booking.com itself began.
I spent an extraordinary amount of time repeatedly explaining the same situation to different representatives. I was told the matter had been escalated and that if Sherwood would not provide a partial refund, Booking.com would provide a solution on their behalf.
Booking.com then gave me 819,376.69 VND in Travel Credits — approximately A$44 — which their own email expressly described as a “token of appreciation.” It was not described as a refund or resolution of my complaint.
The matter continued. I was given a 24–48 hour timeframe for an escalation. That timeframe passed without the promised response. I contacted Booking.com again.
I then received written correspondence from another representative stating that my complaint remained active, that a special request regarding my refund had been sent to the property and that he would personally oversee the matter and take the necessary steps to resolve it. I was again told I would receive an update, this time within 24 hours.
That deadline also passed without contact.
I called yet again and eventually insisted that Booking.com read its own case notes rather than requiring me to tell the entire story yet another time. The matter was taken to management and ultimately to what I was told was the highest level available.
The final answer? Nothing.
Because Sherwood refused the refund, Booking.com said there was nothing further they would do. Their reasoning also included the fact that we had “checked into” the replacement room, which they treated as acceptance of it, despite the fact that I was not present when my companion checked in, he did not know what I had booked and I had never personally agreed to the room change.
I can accept that Booking.com cannot force every independent property to issue a refund. What I cannot accept is the way Booking.com handled the complaint.
Do not repeatedly tell a customer that a matter is being escalated, give them deadlines, miss those deadlines, promise that someone will personally oversee the case and create the expectation that Booking.com will provide a solution if the property does not — only to eventually say there is nothing you can do because the property said no.
If Booking.com had no intention or authority to provide a meaningful resolution without Sherwood's agreement, that should have been made clear from the beginning.
Instead, I spent an unreasonable amount of time chasing updates, repeating information and waiting for promised responses that never arrived.
After all of that, Booking.com's entire contribution amounted to approximately A$44 in Travel Credits, described by Booking.com itself as a “token of appreciation.”
The original accommodation issue was Sherwood Residence's responsibility. The prolonged, inconsistent and ultimately pointless complaint process was Booking.com's responsibility.
One star for the way this was handled.

Booked an airport pickup and drop off on booking.com. My flight departure time was 12:35pm. They told me that the driver will be picking me up at 12 for a 12:35 flight. I told them to change the pickup time to 9am. The customer service rep says the pickup time cannot be changed in 24 hours of departure and that my payment made was non refundable even if I cancel. Flight time changes everyday, people do have delayed flights; things can happen on vacation. It's unfair for you to not change the taxi pickup time a day before departure. DO NOT BOOK TAXI SERVICES WITH BOOKING.COM

I booked for flight with booking.com and did a cancellation for refund on the 20th June 2026. I have been calling them to refund my money they say Emirates airline has not paid the refund. I called Emirates Airline directly and they confirmed on numerous occasion that the refund has been paid. Booking.com is just scamming people, rather book flights directly with the airline. Their consulant has the guts to tell me he doesn't care what the Emirates Airline confirmed with me.

I reserved a reasonably nice roomin Ely Nevada. Booking.com cancelled the reservation without notice or reason. I called the hotel and found out booking.com had overbooked them so I got the boot. I called booking.com and got their AI attendant which didn't recognize any confirmation numbers, refused to transfer my call and hung up on me.

Then they duplicated the reservation, again without notifying me. As I'm writing this I don't know yet how much they have charged me in total, but I know I've been overcharged. The only other room I could fine was $50 more / night.

I WILL NEVER USE THIS BOOKING.COM AGAIN!!!!!

DO NOT USE BOOKING.COM!!
I had a booking that stated payment wouldn’t be taken until check in yet it was taken in the morning of the booking. Unfortunately the day of the booking my mother in law fell ill and I was unable to go to the booking. I contacted the hotel and was advised to contact Booking.com and reschedule the reservation. All dates for the next couple of months said unavailable! So contacted the hotel to be told they had plenty of vacancies! I then put in two appeals first one refused and then the second was also refused with the excuse ‘we are no longer taking in homeless families’!!! What the hell this has to do with my m in l falling ill I will never know 🤬🤬🤬🤬
No refund no re-scheduled booking! Disgusting customer service!
Just a brick wall designed to take money with zero thoughts of the customers needs 🤬

⭐ Very disappointing experience – Not suitable for families

I booked a family room at Hotel Tela Suite, New Delhi for August 25. We arrived around 9:00 PM with our children, but the room provided was in very poor condition. There were cockroaches in the room and the AC was not working.

We immediately complained to the hotel staff, but our concerns were not properly addressed. We had no choice but to vacate the room within about one hour. We also requested a refund, but the hotel refused to return our money.

My children were tired after the journey, and this experience was extremely stressful and disappointing. I don't understand how this type of hotel is being offered for family bookings.

I would strongly recommend that families carefully check recent reviews and room conditions before booking this hotel.

Absolute shambles of a company, it’s so easy to book accommodation. But to use a credit of £46 from a previous booking, when traveling to Australia and booking a lodge for a week with a pool, WiFi, laundry, which it had none. They make it near impossible to use the credit. Bunch of cowboys hiding behind technology.

I wish i had never used booking.com they are terrible! No way to get help from a human and they do not honor their refund policies!

I booked flights to South Africa via a one stop route with Lufthansa. 3 hours before the flight from London to Germany (1st stop) the carrier cancelled the flight due to weather. I chatted to an agent on the Booking.com app & she informed me that i must cancel the return flight as well as they cant get a refund for the first part of the flight. I then told her i would contact them after landing in Cape Town to ensure i can book a return flights as I was already about to board on a new Kenya flight i purchased in a hurry. I got to Cape Town, booked a new flight & then tried to get back onto the app to cancel the original flights. However two factor authentication caused a problem as the second step is a text to my UK number & my phone was not on roaming. One of my friends in the UK called the Booking.com offices in England & my flights got cancelled. They kept me up to date on email regarding a refund from Lufthansa & it was paid out within 10-14 days. I will continue to book flights through Booking.com as they are available 24/7 with a real human person that can assist you which is very different to trying to get hold of an airline. Thank you for the great support!

absolute disgrace, they made a mistake when passing my information to the airline and in 36 hours they were unable to provide any solution what so ever. Many long chats with what seem to be bots and even some phone calls amounted to nothing. I have in writting them admiting that is was an error made by them and still could not get them to do anything about it.

I booked accommodation in Vienna through Booking.com for approximately one month, at a cost of around €1,100. What followed has completely destroyed my trust in the platform. When I arrived at the property, I found it filthy and unsanitary. This was not a case of a few minor cleaning issues or the property simply failing to meet my personal standards. The kitchen and shower were filthy. There were splashes, marks and stains on walls throughout the apartment. There was a strong unpleasant smell, old food had been left behind, including a mouldy lemon and old milk, and there were significant cleanliness issues throughout the property. The apartment was in a very old and run-down building and was in a serious state of neglect. It appeared as though somebody had been living there and it had not been properly cleaned or prepared for the arrival of a paying guest.

I documented the condition extensively with photographs and videos immediately after arriving. I did not stay in the property because I did not consider it acceptable or sanitary accommodation and felt very incomfortable. I left and had to arrange alternative accommodation at my own expense.
I contacted the host but received no assistance. I then contacted Booking.com expecting that, given the extensive photographic and video evidence and the fact that I had reported the condition immediately, there would be a proper process for investigating the complaint and protecting a customer who had paid for accommodation that they could not reasonably stay in.
Instead, the complaint process became almost as frustrating as the condition of the property itself.
I had repeated conversations with Booking.com customer service and was repeatedly asked to provide evidence. I compiled extensive evidence, including photographs, videos, screenshots, correspondence and proof of payment. Despite the amount of contact involved, I was never provided with a clear complaint/case number that allowed me to follow one coherent case from beginning to end. The complaints process seems deliberately designed to be difficult for customers and to make customers give up as it takes so much time and effort and repeated submission of the same information.

The most concerning part of the entire process was Booking.com's repeated reliance on the property responding. I was initially told that Booking.com would contact the host and give him a limited period in which to respond. Later, I was effectively told that they could not proceed without a response from the property and that the final decision rested with the property.
This is the part of the experience that has fundamentally changed how I view Booking.com.
If a guest reports that accommodation is filthy and unsanitary, immediately documents the condition with extensive photographic and video evidence, leaves rather than staying in those conditions, and supplies that evidence to the booking platform, I would expect the platform to have a meaningful process for assessing that evidence. Instead, the host's failure to engage became an obstacle to resolving my complaint.

In other words, despite Booking.com being the platform through which I made and paid for the reservation, I did not experience an effective independent resolution process when the accommodation provider would not meaningfully cooperate. I booked through Booking.com because I believed that using a major international accommodation platform provided some additional layer of protection if a property was seriously misrepresented or unacceptable on arrival. My experience has shown me that I cannot make that assumption. I now feel that booking.com is a completely unregulated platform and they do not care about customer welfare or support. If you have a problem, they will not provide any meaningful assistance. After all of the photographs, videos, correspondence, customer-service conversations and attempts to resolve the complaint, Booking.com's eventual outcome was €27.90 in platform credit.
Not a refund of the approximately €1,100 booking cost.
€27.90 in credit to spend on Booking.com again.

I have now escalated the dispute to the European Consumer Centre (ECC) and the appropriate tourist accommodation regulators in Vienna.

I would strongly advise against using booking.com. There is no benefit as you have no protection and are actually at a disadvantage as accommodation providers get to hide behind booking.com´s policies that protect them and not the consumer. Book directly through the accommodation provider, which is often cheaper also.

With the litany of atrocious reviews seen here, it can´t be clearer that it is a scam company with no regard for its customers.

Was due to travel and stay in a hotel for an event, sadly we had an emergency which forced us to cancel our trip, the hotel called me confirming our cancellation and the reasons for it and offered us a refund via booking.com. Booking.com seem to be completely impossible to contact, this eventually just left us out of pocket. Avoid booking.com, I'll certainly never be using again.

We booked a car in Geneva Airport (Enterprise) via Booking.com. They took our money but enterprise never gave us car because their system couldn't accept our physical Visa card (on other rental services this card never been a problem).

Now for a week we talking to support to return our 319 EUR and no progress.

Guys, I spent tens thousands of EURs on your website to book hotels and tickets. Please tell me, is it so hard to provide a service??? If I not see money returned in coming days, I will cancel all my future bookings with you (I can find by booking ref my account and see what I have booked), make a dispute for 319 in bank and go to use other services which are outside of your group.

This situation is more like to joke!

Lie on the service offered
Unresponsive customer service
No compensation offer

They lie on the service offer. For me safe box is a must and I recommend this to all travelers. So I asked by mail if there was one and got in writing a yes which was a complete lie, just to get me booked. No answer to my email and no compensation offered.
They advertise Free transportation from the airport which I could not get in spite of my multiple messages
By the way if you can quite easily message the property owner though he would answer partially when he does contacting booking is not a small challenge

AWFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!

Manager name - Ahmed

AWFUL SERVICE, hung up the phone on me.

DO NOT BOOK THROUGH THEM. THEY PROMISED TO GIVE ME A REFUND FOR A TRANSPORT IF I GAVE THEM A RECIEPT AND THEY REFUSED AFTER I BOOKED THE TRANSPORT AND SPENT MY OWN MONEY.

I booked a coastal caravan in pourtsmouth. The owner emailed me the day before due to arrive and said there was a issue with my caravan and that will put me in a different one.
On arrival the place was very dirty and not up to health and safety regulations
I went out for the day and contacted the host. She admitted that the people before trashed the place.
I came back told her I would not stay and she offered me a refund but since has block me with no refund. Having contacted customer services various times they are not willing to give me a refund . Even tho after sending photos they agreed it was not up to standards and not what I booked.
They should not be advertising this on there website or using thales host ... absolutely disgusting on book.coms behalf. Do not use they take no responsibility and do not care about there customer