Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Based on recent customer reviews, booking.com is described overwhelmingly negatively by South African travellers, hosts and partners. Customers consistently report confirmed, fully prepaid reservations not being honoured on arrival, refunds promised within seven to twelve days stretching into months, and no practical way to reach a human being. Travel Experience and Reliability (0.8) scores least poorly, while Refunds, Pricing and Value (0.6) and Communication and Complaint Resolution (0.6) draw the sharpest criticism.
Top Strengths:
- •Travel Experience & Reliability: The small minority of guests whose property matched its listing describe spacious, beautiful units and genuinely hassle free stays. However, this theme is dominated by misrepresented listings, unhygienic rooms and addresses that turn out to be vacant land or private homes.
TrustIndex
1.6
NPS Score
-92
Recommended: Unlikely
Nov '25 - Oct '26
Frequently Asked Questions About booking.com
What do customers say about booking.com?
Based on recent customer reviews, booking.com is described overwhelmingly negatively by South African travellers, hosts and partners. Customers consistently report confirmed, fully prepaid reservations not being honoured on arrival, refunds promised within seven to twelve days stretching into months, and no practical way to reach a human being. Travel Experience and Reliability (0.8) scores least poorly, while Refunds, Pricing and Value (0.6) and Communication and Complaint Resolution (0.6) draw the sharpest criticism.
What is booking.com's biggest strength?
booking.com's biggest strength, according to Hellopeter's AI analysis, is Travel Experience & Reliability. The small minority of guests whose property matched its listing describe spacious, beautiful units and genuinely hassle free stays. However, this theme is dominated by misrepresented listings, unhygienic rooms and addresses that turn out to be vacant land or private homes.
What are the most common complaints about booking.com?
The most common complaint about booking.com, based on Hellopeter's AI analysis of recent customer reviews, is Booking, Changes & Cancellations. A recurring theme is arriving at a property to be told the booking does not exist, the venue is fully booked, or it no longer lists with the platform. Delisted and ghost properties stay live, and name or date changes are quoted at punitive fees.
Is booking.com trustworthy?
booking.com has a TrustIndex of 1.6 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 536 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked booking.com across 3,001 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Recent reviews (536)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since May 2018
Really disappointed
It's been two months of requesting a refund for a booking with no success. The booking is in December and I'm well within my rights to cancel at no charge but every call is a promise that's never fully fulfilled. Please do the right thing @***.
1 reviews | Active since May 2018
Really disappointed
It's been two months of requesting a refund for a booking with no success. The booking is in December and I'm well within my rights to cancel at no charge but every call is a promise that's never fully fulfilled. Please do the right thing @***.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2022
Shocking service and money taken
Booked for a one night stay in Cape Town and pd the fee. When my son arrived at the property the owner said he had not yet even made his property live with booking.com and now three weeks later and no refund and no correspondence from them. How do we get someone to address this
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2022
Shocking service and money taken
Booked for a one night stay in Cape Town and pd the fee. When my son arrived at the property the owner said he had not yet even made his property live with booking.com and now three weeks later and no refund and no correspondence from them. How do we get someone to address this
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2021
What is the point of booking.com?
I recently booked a guest house for booking.com, as I had done numerous times previously. I didn't give it much thought, especially because I knew the area. The site map is always useful in this instance, and I like what I thought was protection for the stay, especially in cities with some dubious owners. As usual there was a modest discount, but this was also available on-site. While I won't go into all the details of the guest house, suffice to say I was threatened by the owner and staff, left in an unsafe room both in terms of security and health and safety, and it was unhealthy with bugs crawling and biting me all night. Having tried to reason with the owner who hailed abuse at me, I reverted to booking.com, expecting them to resolve the matter (especially because the property wasn't as described either). After some back and forth, they claimed that they can't help because the property has to agree to any refund or compensation (what kind of system is that!) offering me a small amount of 'travel credits' for their site, which was condescending and degrading to say the least. Booking.com is now making me go round in circles. With an operating profit of almost $10 billion dollars on a model where they win-win, you would think customer service would come first and foremost. Apparently not, you can book a property that isn't as described, be threatened by the owner, and be left with bug bites, and they "can't do anything."
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2021
What is the point of booking.com?
I recently booked a guest house for booking.com, as I had done numerous times previously. I didn't give it much thought, especially because I knew the area. The site map is always useful in this instance, and I like what I thought was protection for the stay, especially in cities with some dubious owners. As usual there was a modest discount, but this was also available on-site. While I won't go into all the details of the guest house, suffice to say I was threatened by the owner and staff, left in an unsafe room both in terms of security and health and safety, and it was unhealthy with bugs crawling and biting me all night. Having tried to reason with the owner who hailed abuse at me, I reverted to booking.com, expecting them to resolve the matter (especially because the property wasn't as described either). After some back and forth, they claimed that they can't help because the property has to agree to any refund or compensation (what kind of system is that!) offering me a small amount of 'travel credits' for their site, which was condescending and degrading to say the least. Booking.com is now making me go round in circles. With an operating profit of almost $10 billion dollars on a model where they win-win, you would think customer service would come first and foremost. Apparently not, you can book a property that isn't as described, be threatened by the owner, and be left with bug bites, and they "can't do anything."
1 reviews | Active since Dec 2018
Overcharged and not refunded amount paid
I cancelled a hotel booking and was advised that a full refund would be processed. However, the refund received appears to be less than the amount originally charged, resulting in a disputed shortfall. I believe that the ***, described in the booking confirmation as an amount paid by Booking.com, was nevertheless included in the total amount deducted from their account. As a result, I contend that the refund should have been based on the full amount charged rather than the reduced amount paid. Several follow-up enquiries have been made to Booking.com without receiving a satisfactory response and expresses dissatisfaction with the lack of engagement on the matter.
1 reviews | Active since Dec 2018
Overcharged and not refunded amount paid
I cancelled a hotel booking and was advised that a full refund would be processed. However, the refund received appears to be less than the amount originally charged, resulting in a disputed shortfall. I believe that the ***, described in the booking confirmation as an amount paid by Booking.com, was nevertheless included in the total amount deducted from their account. As a result, I contend that the refund should have been based on the full amount charged rather than the reduced amount paid. Several follow-up enquiries have been made to Booking.com without receiving a satisfactory response and expresses dissatisfaction with the lack of engagement on the matter.
1 reviews | Active since Oct 2026
Booking.com is becoming a ****
I am absolutely fed up with booking.com, the other day i booked a place and got ****med, the place didn't exist, i called booking.com and they said they would refund me and cover ALL extra costs of the new place since i now had to take out extra money to book a new place. We paid R3000 extra for a new place and when it was time for them to refund me the extra costs, they said they unfortunately can only refund it into my account credits, which no one had told me would happen from the beginning. This happened on 4 october, it is now 20 october and after struggling with *** through *** where im being ignored and not given a solution, the credits are still not showing in my account, but they have said at least four times that it is showing, and when i tell them its not they start ignoring me. When is the ******** going to stop ? how should i know who to trust. Booking.com is absolutely terrible with their customer service and doesn't offer any solutions possible.
1 reviews | Active since Oct 2026
Booking.com is becoming a ****
I am absolutely fed up with booking.com, the other day i booked a place and got ****med, the place didn't exist, i called booking.com and they said they would refund me and cover ALL extra costs of the new place since i now had to take out extra money to book a new place. We paid R3000 extra for a new place and when it was time for them to refund me the extra costs, they said they unfortunately can only refund it into my account credits, which no one had told me would happen from the beginning. This happened on 4 october, it is now 20 october and after struggling with *** through *** where im being ignored and not given a solution, the credits are still not showing in my account, but they have said at least four times that it is showing, and when i tell them its not they start ignoring me. When is the ******** going to stop ? how should i know who to trust. Booking.com is absolutely terrible with their customer service and doesn't offer any solutions possible.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2024
Bring back my money
On the 16th of June I booked a holiday for my birthday on the 11th of September until 13th of September then I challenged because I couldn't go for some reason. Then booking.com promised me that I will get my refund which is R6682.97 after 7-14 calendar days but I didn't get it even now. Please help me
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2024
Bring back my money
On the 16th of June I booked a holiday for my birthday on the 11th of September until 13th of September then I challenged because I couldn't go for some reason. Then booking.com promised me that I will get my refund which is R6682.97 after 7-14 calendar days but I didn't get it even now. Please help me