Mary Anne Morgan wants a Booking.com refund after the online agency charges her twice. Why won’t the company help her?
Question
I need your help with a Booking.com refund. A few months ago, I stayed at the Rigdon House, a boutique inn in Cambria, Calif., which we reserved through Booking.com. I indicated I would pay for our accommodations at the time of arrival.
I paid the hotel when I checked in. Then I got a second charge on our bank statement that was generated by Booking.com.
I’ve spent five weeks trying to get Booking.com to refund the $1,057 that they billed me. I’ve communicated via emails, chats, and phone calls, all with different sales reps who requested we send the same documentation. And I’ve sent the documentation three times now.
Booking.com assured me a manager or supervisor would get back to me. But no one did.
I’ve talked with someone at the hotel numerous times as well, and they even contacted Booking.com on my behalf. Booking.com told the hotel that it had processed my refund. But it hasn’t.
I want a refund for the $1,057 that Booking.com incorrectly charged me. Can you help? — Mary Anne Morgan, Berkeley, Calif.
Answer
Clearly, you shouldn’t have been charged twice, but equally clearly, you were. Someone at Booking.com should have reviewed this and fixed it quickly. Instead, the process has dragged on for months, and you’re still out $1,057.
How did this happen? You can make a reservation on Booking.com and pay when you arrive. But in your case, it looks like someone — it’s not clear who — made a second reservation in your name. Both the reservations were in the Booking.com system, and Booking.com charged you for both. (Related: Charged twice for my airline tickets to Budapest. What’s going on?)
Can Booking.com reverse this double charge?
Although your case is complicated, a knowledgeable agent at Booking.com could have probably resolved this quickly. But as far as I can tell, Booking.com sent you a series of possibly automated responses in response to your complaint. The representatives did not fully understand your problem. (Related: My vacation rental owner told me to cancel. Why can’t I get a refund from Booking.com?)
To break through the automated emails and the AI customer service, you have to appeal your case to someone who can help. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the top Booking.com executives on this site. I also have a detailed explanation of the Booking.com refund process to help you get through it. (Related: Booking.com lost my reservation! Can you make it pay?)
You reached out to my consumer advocacy team. I contacted Booking.com on your behalf. (Related: Look out! This Booking.com scam is coming for you.)
“We wanted to clarify that this was a case of the guest double-booking the property using the wrong email address,” a representative told me. “Payment for both reservations ultimately came out, but Booking.com didn’t catch it, nor did the guest. The guest proceeded to reach out to Booking.com customer service to adjust the email address, but that was all that was flagged. From this point, an incorrect charge procedure was initiated, but there was a hold-up in the process at Booking.com, which required the Booking.com customer service team contacting the Booking.com finance system to move the process forward.” (Related: Double-billed by Avis for a van returned after hours.)
Less than a week later, you received a full refund. (Related: I paid twice for my hotel on Booking.com. Can I get a refund?)
