janisj

I personally would not worry about booking.com based on one semi-undecipherable post on an internet forum.

Traveler_Nick

There is a scam going around. It seems some hotels have been hacked. The hacked hotels will send out a message using the booking messaging platform asking you to log into their website and send your credit card information.

If you receive anything similar contact booking . DON'T click the link. The one common part I've seen/heard of is the link includes the word guest and a number. But the rest of the link varies. I guess the servers are getting shutdown so they keep changing.

The link I received was for a server hosted in Korea. Pretty strange for a Spanish hotel.

OliviaRawlings

I'm always wary of 3rd party online travel sites.

menachem

Sounds like a scam tbh

Travel_Nerd

Perhaps it is. But OP has not been back to clear up the many observations and questions we had...

janisj

Absolutely nothing in the OP or subsequent posts indicate a scam is or isn't happening here. What happened remains entirely unclear. Until the OP can more clearly explain the situation we're all shooting in the dark.

dfourh

I was recently double-charged by a hotel in Venice, and wrote to them, and there was a back-and-forth between the hotel, Booking.com, and me. But both Booking.com and the hotel wanted to see my bank payment information. I took a screenshot of the duplicate charges as they appeared on my credit card statement, and that made it the double charge perfectly clear, as it included all transaction information. But it did not include my credit card information except for the last four digits. Got the refund - - no scam there.

MichGuy

I was hit by this scam. I had a reservation for a hotel in Cortina Italy in September through Booking.com (and had a wonderful stay there). In June or so, out of the blue, I received an email asking for credit card information to "verify" the reservation. It came in the Booking.com format but didn't look right -- Booking.com has never asked to verify a CC after the reservation is made. Except once when my CC went out of date. So I ignored it, planning to contact Booking.com if it persisted. But within a day the hotel itself emailed me and told me it was a scam, and don't follow it. Happy ending.

Travel_Nerd

I'm confused, OliviaR, first you say you have always used Booking...and then next you say you are wary of "third party sites." If you're so wary, why have you used them?

travelingmom72

I really do not know what your experience with BOOKING.COM has been but mine has been a NIGHTMARE. I accidentally booked something for 70 nights for a YEAR from now and the credit card payment went straight to the hotel (I was price shopping and did not mean to hit book as I was trying to get a total in dollars from pounds and see what the VAT tax was all in). Because I canceled it right away when I made my mistake Booking.com sent the money to the TITIWANGSA ONE Paaddington hotel right away and told me to dispute it with my credit card. They then fought the credit card dispute because they money had already gone out. They said it was at the hotels discretion to allow the booking to be canceled and the hotel said no. AND because I canceled the reservation I am out $9200 and the hotel wont honor the original reservation either. NIGHTMARE! HORRIBLE COMPANY

dfourh

That's true of all non-refundable bookings - - once you click purchase you've purchased it. Depending on where you are making a booking or a purchase it will state outright that once you click the sale is final. If you were to book through Priceline or Hotwire it would be exactly the same: once you pull the trigger you have committed. Booking.com is simply the conduit and it is the hotel that makes the rules, and you are at the hotel's mercy. One time in England there was a blizzard and I could not make it to the city where I had a non-refundable booking, and Booking.com interceded by asking the hotel if they would allow me to cancel without penalty - - but it was entirely the hotel's decision - - and that hotel was kind and allowed me to cancel without penalty. It sounds like the hotel where you booked is instead playing hardball, but all Booking.com can do is ask the hotel if they will be lenient, and apparently this hotel chooses not to be. The money, once you click 'reserve' (and if you were to go back and look, there would have been clear statements that your purchase is final and non-refundable once you click 'reserve') does indeed to straight to the hotel - - Booking.com does not hold onto your money for a while, and then send it to the hotel when they feel like it. Your booking is instantaneous and it is a contract with the hotel, not with Booking.com. The same goes if you booked it through any other portal, like Expedia or Travelocity. It would be nice if Booking.com could bail you out, but they are a site that lists hotels, and facilitates the interaction with the hotel, but it is no less instantaneous than if you had booked directly on the hotel's website. Sometimes they can be great at helping out - - like if the hotel overbooks, Booking.com will go out of its way to help get you accommodation for the night. They really do try to help if it is within their power. But they can't tell the hotel that the hotel should bend their rules, and refund a nonrefundable booking. That is entirely up to the hotel.

travelingmom72

Yes, this has been a nightmare and there is no consumer protection on these NON REFUNDABLE rooms, even when booked by mistake. It is predatory in nature and something that needs to be addressed. While they say you have entered a contract when booking, a contract needs to have intent, which clearly I did not have.

janisj

There is nothing predatory. You need to be really careful when dealing with Non-refundable bookings, as-is sales, etc. Booking.com has done nothing wrong that I can see. Your issue is entirely with the hotel.

"They then fought the credit card dispute because they money had already gone out. They said it was at the hotels discretion to allow the booking to be canceled and the hotel said no."

The money has just about always gone out when one resorts to a credit card dispute. That isn't a reason -- what did your credit card issuer say?

I'm not victim blaming here but how does one accidentally book a SEVENTY night stay?

Travel_Nerd

When did your situation occur? Because, even if you did not "intend" to book a 70-night non-refundable stay, the website requires active participation by the user before booking. You first have to use the "drop down" arrow to select the amount of rooms you want and THEN click on "I'll reserve." Feel like there are some details missing from your story here.

I do not know what consumer protection laws will prevent this. Seems as if the fact it requires active participation AND confirmation of a non-refundable reservation before the booking is finalized, it meets the requirements to properly notify the user and therefore no additional protection is needed.

janisj

travelingmom72 started a thread on the Travel Tips board with the title "Booking .com steals $9200 for a reservation a year from now". I'm sorry this happened, but IMO that is outrageous. Booking didn't steal anything!

dfourh

It's the hotel that milked it. You have to be careful what you click on, and read very carefully precisely what the conditions are. Booking.com shouldn't have to be out $9200 - - to take that loss - - because someone didn't read what is not the fine print, but what is clearly stated inbold print. I think all of us who use these reservation tools are super super careful to make sure we have the exact dates right, and are very clear what the conditions are, before clicking on what is clearly stated as what becomes our contractual obligation.

Traveler_Nick

You didn't accidently hit book. You hit book. You got sent to a second page to check everything. You accepted that. It takes forever for me to get from the initial click to the final.

The price in $ should have been visible before hitting anything. If US$ is your home currency.

lcuy

I almost always use Booking.com. I don't understand what is going on in OP's case, but booking.com is not as accurate as some are saying here. I can't remember the details, but twice they really overcharged me. Once had to do with a hotel in Singapore, and they charged me in some odd currency, when my reservation confirmation clearly stated it was in Singapore dollars. The overcharge was several hundred dollars, and it took me weeks of phone calls and emails to straighten it out. Booking kept using that "local taxes may be applied ..." when it had nothing it do with taxes.
Another time, the hotel showed my reservation was for several months BEFORE I showed up at the hotel. I had booked the room (and gotten a confirmation notice) only a couple of days before I arrived. Booking.com insisted that couldn't happen on their software, but it did. Only when I asked visa to intervene did Booking.com admit it was a glitch in their system.

Traveler_Nick

Oh I've seen problems with accuracy. I had one hotel charge me LESS. The reason being the way Booking calculates the city taxes doesn't take into account everything. My stay was long enough I only had to pay the tax for the first few days.

I had to figure this out myself because the hotel just said pay X while my booking was higher. I wasn't going to argue with the hotel and accepted the lower price.

bilboburgler

the UK has some very tough consumer protection legislation, so much so that various Fodorites from other legislative countries often cannot believe it.

A "nightmare" over a uncancellable £/$70 booking that couldn't be cancelled.

Wait.... I'll ring my MP (sarcasm)