I’d like to share a recent experience with Booking.com. I’m not usually one to complain, but this situation was beyond unacceptable. I booked a trip for my wife, her three friends, and their four 3-year-old children to Disneyland Paris, reserving an Airbnb through Booking.com. On Friday, there was an unexpected issue involving an old WW2 bomb, which caused some disruption (thankfully, no one was hurt).
The group arrived at the Airbnb at 9:30 PM. I had changed the booking dates with the Airbnb host back in June of last year, and the changes were confirmed and updated in my app. However, the hosts were not informed of these changes. As a result, my wife, her friends, and four young children were turned away at the door! While I don’t blame the host, they offered no assistance in finding alternative accommodation for the children.
To say I was furious with Booking.com would be an understatement. Thankfully, the group managed to find a hotel. Booking.com apologized for “the inconvenience,” but how anyone can consider turning away four women and four toddlers, leaving them homeless in a foreign country at 9:30 PM, is beyond comprehension.
As a service, I strongly advise against using Booking.com if you value reliability. They only refunded me for the revised booking rate, not the original amount I paid. I requested compensation for the €600 hotel cost the group had to cover to avoid sleeping on the street. Despite being promised a callback twice, no one has contacted me. I also asked for an explanation of their procedures to prevent situations like this, but again, no response.
The fact that Booking.com considers this merely an “inconvenience” speaks volumes about their integrity. It’s disgraceful. I’ll update this review if they ever provide a justification for their actions.
