By Chetan Sharma
Booking.com is under fire as hundreds of complaints pile up against the global travel giant, raising serious questions about its refund policies, customer support and booking safeguards. What might have once seemed like isolated incidents is now turning into a broader consumer trust issue, with regulators stepping in and users sharing increasingly troubling experiences.
The controversy intensified after a shocking case in south-west Sydney, where a homeowner’s property was allegedly trashed following a Booking.com reservation. The host, Joyce Zhang, said she rented out her short-stay accommodation just before Christmas to what was claimed to be a small group of travellers. Instead, the booking turned into a wild house party attended by nearly 200 people.
CCTV footage captured scenes of chaos — partygoers kicking fences, jumping into neighbouring properties and even falling into a swimming pool. The aftermath was worse. Walls were left with holes punched through them, knives were reportedly stolen, and the total damage was estimated at around $15,000. When combined with lost rental income, Zhang’s lawyer placed the overall financial hit at more than $27,000.
What has angered the host even more is what she describes as a lack of proper safeguards. According to her, the guests misrepresented themselves and one of them booked using a nickname despite allegedly living nearby. When she questioned Booking.com about identity verification, she claims she was told that such checks were not conducted due to privacy reasons.
Her frustration deepened when the platform initially rejected her damage claim, offering compensation of only $500 — the maximum allowed under its policy — without a clear explanation. It was only after media attention that Booking.com reversed its decision, agreeing to pay the $500 and stating it would assess if further support was needed.
“It is a nightmare,” Zhang said, adding she would never list her property on the platform again.
Complaints surge as users report refund disputes and poor support
This case is far from isolated. Data compiled across Australia shows at least 842 complaints about Booking.com were lodged with consumer authorities over the past two years. New South Wales accounted for the majority, with 558 complaints recorded in 2024 and 2025 alone. Queensland reported 240 complaints, while smaller numbers came from South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
That figure significantly outweighs complaints against rival Expedia Group, which recorded just 180 complaints in NSW over the same period.
The nature of complaints paints a consistent picture. Customers report struggling to secure refunds, encountering misleading property listings, facing unexpected fees, or dealing with cancellations that leave them stranded. In one case, a traveller said she was forced to sleep in her car during Canberra’s Summernats festival after her accommodation was double-booked and funds were not released quickly enough to secure an alternative.
Booking.com said in response that the customer had been offered a relocation budget and received a full refund, but such responses have done little to calm broader concerns.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann has publicly warned that the company needs to “lift its game,” noting that regulators do not want to become the de facto complaints department for a large multinational platform.
One of the most frustrating issues for users is what regulators describe as a “responsibility loop.” When something goes wrong, customers are often directed by Booking.com to deal with the hotel or service provider. Those providers then send the customer back to Booking.com, leaving consumers stuck in a cycle with no clear resolution.
Fair Trading has even assigned a dedicated officer to handle Booking.com-related complaints, highlighting the scale of the issue.
‘Crickets and bots’: real users share frustrating experiences
Beyond the numbers, individual stories are amplifying the backlash. Western Sydney resident Lesley Dodd, once a loyal Booking.com user and part of its “Genius” loyalty program, said she was left disappointed after a medical emergency during a trip to Japan.
Dodd broke her leg while hiking near Hiroshima and required surgery, spending 17 days in hospital before returning to Australia. She then sought a refund for unused accommodation in Tokyo, worth nearly $2,000, but her request was denied due to a strict “no cancellation” clause.
Despite explaining her circumstances, she said the company refused to offer any flexibility.
“The one time that things went a bit pear shaped, they weren’t there,” she said.
What frustrated her most was the response process. “There was nobody to help you… there was just crickets and bots,” she added, suggesting that much of the communication felt automated rather than handled by real people.
Following media inquiries, Booking.com later reversed its decision and agreed to provide a full refund, though it maintained that cancellation policies are set by accommodation partners.
These kinds of reversals after public pressure are becoming a recurring theme, raising questions about whether customers receive fair treatment only when cases gain visibility.
Scams, lawsuits and growing global scrutiny
The challenges facing Booking.com are not limited to customer service complaints. The platform is also increasingly linked to scam reports. According to Scamwatch data, 515 reports mentioning Booking.com were recorded in 2025, up from 416 the previous year.
In Europe, the company is dealing with a major legal battle. Two Dutch consumer groups have launched a class action lawsuit alleging that travellers paid inflated prices over a 13-year period due to price parity agreements with hotels. The claimed damages are estimated at around €1 billion.
These agreements, which prevented hotels from offering cheaper rates on their own websites, have long been controversial. In Australia, the ACCC intervened in 2016 to remove some of these restrictions, though critics argue that certain clauses still limit price competition.
Booking.com has rejected the allegations, calling them incorrect and stating it operates in a highly competitive market. The company also said that commissions charged to Australian accommodation providers are relatively low, averaging around 15 per cent globally.
A trust test for one of the world’s biggest travel platforms
Despite the mounting criticism, Booking.com maintains that complaints represent less than 1 per cent of its millions of bookings in Australia each year. It also emphasises that it offers 24/7 customer support and that accommodation partners control many of the key policies.
However, for many users, that distinction matters little. From their perspective, they booked through Booking.com, paid through the platform and expected it to take responsibility when things went wrong.
With more than 28 million listings globally and a dominant share of Australia’s online travel bookings, Booking.com remains a powerful player in the industry. But with that scale comes higher expectations.
Right now, the company is facing a clear test — not just of its systems, but of its ability to maintain trust. Because in travel, trust is everything. And as complaints continue to rise, that trust is increasingly being put on the line.
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