Booking.com began as a Dutch start-up in 1996 and since then, has grown into a well-known name within the travel booking agency. Known for their low prices, booking.com claim to offer a fantastic selection of accommodation, low rates, and no reservation fee, but is this all too good to be true? With many complaints and low ratings, booking.com has been criticized as a scam, taking customer money. However, reviews vary greatly, with many happy customers disputing these views. So, is booking.com to be trusted.
Booking.com Company Information
| Official Website: | https://www.booking.com/ |
| Headquarters Location: | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Founded: | Geert-Jan Bruinsma, 1996 |
| Industry: | Travel Agency |
| Ownership | Glenn Fogel |
| Contact | Fax: +31 20 712 5609, Telephone: 020 3564 6725, or via live chat on the website. |
| Trust Score: | Bad |
| Social media: | Instagram: @bookingcom, Facebook: Booking.com, Twitter: @bookingcom |
What is Booking.com?
Booking.com is an online travel booking platform through which customers can book holidays and hotels from a variety of different providers. Its mission is “to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.” Founded in 1996, booking.com merged with Booking Online in 2000 and has grown exponentially. Since its acquisition by Priceline Group, now known as Booking Holdings, in 2005, booking.com has offered over 28 million different accommodations, and its services are available in 43 other languages. They have formed partnerships with many other travel companies, including Panorama Group in 2013, Indonesia’s largest travel company.
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Reviews
Despite their low prices, booking.com has received many bad reviews, being given a 1.3-star rating on Trustpilot. This is mainly due to the lousy customer service and hardship surrounding refunds. Booking.com has been criticized for having a complex and uncertain return policy; this is often being used to scam people out of money. Many complaints pertain to customers having their reservations canceled by the hotel or booking.com themselves, only to receive no refund on the event. As the customers didn’t cancel the reservation, they believed they were due a refund; however, booking.com claimed otherwise, non-refundable reservations do not warrant any refund. Furthermore, customers have complained about booking.com taking more than the agreed-upon amount and never receiving a refund. As customer service is hard to get to, these issues can continue for many months.
Data Protection
As booking.com acts as a middle-man between the customer and the hotel, they have access to sensitive personal information such as addresses and bank details. In November of 2014, booking.com experienced a widespread leak of customer data. For all that were affected, they received a full refund and formal apology from booking.com. However, this occurred again in 2018, booking.com once more being the target of hackers.
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Is Booking.com reliable and trustworthy?
Reputation
Booking.com has received a bad reputation for their services. As a middle-man, they have been heavily accused of raising prices, overcharging customers, and causing issues throughout the booking experience. As they are dedicated to making it easier to explore the world, they seem to not live up to their word, with many customers reporting issues with every booking experience.
Customer Service
The customer service for booking.com has received an awful name. Many customers complain that the company is tough to contact, despite their wide advertising of 24-hour customer service. Mainly when it concerns refunds and cancellations, the customer support seems to be absent or unhelpful in matters, leaving customers unsatisfied and issues unresolved.
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Pros and Cons
Pros:
- A large variety of quality hotels.
- Cheap and low budget prices.
Cons:
- Bad customer service.
- Refunds are challenging to get hold of. Even if promised by the hotel, booking.com may keep the money if it goes against their cancellation policy.
- Promises services that aren’t available.
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How does Booking.com make money?
Booking.com works on a commission-based business model, making money through the bookings they take. For each reservation made on the platform, booking.com takes a percentage from the hotels’ income. This is usually around 15%, with the hotel receiving the other 85%. They also make money through their advertising space, companies paying booking.com to have their adverts featured on their site.
Recently, booking.com has been heavily criticized by reports in Spain. Booking.com has been accused of abusing its prices, charging 40% more than the total price of the hotel rooms purely to increase their profits.
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Best Alternatives to Booking.com
- Airbnb- a free booking site.
- Tripadvisor-posts recommendations and reviews from unbiased sources.
- Expedia- travel booking platform, similar to booking.com
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FAQ’s
What is the cancellation policy?
The cancellation policy varies greatly depending on your booking. For all bookings that have free cancellations, this will be refunded immediately. Some bookings have partial or no refund available. For these types of booking, no cancellations or changes can be made after the booking is made. The details for these will be in your confirmation email when you book the holiday, so check this if you are unsure or contact booking.com.
What is Genius?
Genius is the loyalty program offered by booking.com for repeat customers. Genius has different levels that allow for various benefits that increase as you move up the ranks. Level 1 provides for a 10% discount. Level 2 is achieved after five stays in two years, allowing for a 10-15% discount, complimentary breakfast, and free room upgrades. Level 3 comes from 15 stays within two years, entitling the guests to 10-20% off the price, complimentary breakfast, free room upgrades and priority support on all bookings.
What’s a partner offer?
Booking.com advertises a partner offer. To offer competitive prices, booking.com sometimes partner with other companies, allowing them to offer discounted hotels. These partner offers are paid for in advance and are incompatible with other offers or deals. As well as this, no changes can be made after the booking has been paid for.
How does booking.com work for businesses?
Booking.com advertises strongly to companies, claiming their website is “the everybody-wins travel platform.” This platform allows businesses to book everything all in one go, including hotels, transfers, accommodation, and more. With AI and express checkout, and cheaper offers, it is a highly beneficial service for businesses. There are no booking or platform fees, making it more affordable to travel this way. Through the easy-to-use tool, you can manage all of your company’s travel in one place, creating itineraries and tracking multiple different trips simultaneously. On this platform, there are other benefits and services available for individuals, teams, or whole companies.
What is the policy regarding COVID-19?
On the booking.com website, there is a section where you can look up restrictions and requirements for the specific location you are traveling to. As well as this, there are general guidelines for each region listed below. If need be, customer service can be contacted to advise you on the guidelines. Due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may incur cancellation fees. This has led to severe criticism as some customers have had their trips canceled due to this, receiving no refund as booking.com claimed the reason for the cancellation wasn’t good enough. However, you may be able to rearrange your booking for a different time, although you will need to pay any differences in prices.