Breach of consumer trust and failure in service delivery by Booking.com

On 1 February 2025, I made a non-refundable booking via the Booking.com platform, for a total amount of AED 4 023.26, paid in full via a credit card. This payment was processed successfully, and I received a confirmation pin. The booking clearly stated that it was non-refundable and non-cancellable, a condition which I fully accepted and never intended to violate.

In preparation for our travel, I app**** for visas through Emirates Online Visas on 15 June 2025. Emirates' DVPC required the names of all three travellers – myself, my partner and his son - to appear on the booking confirmation. On 16 June at 16:46, I contacted Booking.com via email to request that the booking confirmation be updated to reflect these names. At 17:16 the same day, I received written confirmation from a Booking.com representative that the guest names had been successfully updated.

At no point during this communication was I advised that an additional charge of AED 85.25 would be levied for this minor administrative change. The change was actioned based on my original, fully paid booking, and I reasonably expected that such a routine amendment would not attract additional fees—particularly without prior disclosure.

Unfortunately, the booking was later cancelled due to “invalid card” when this uncommunicated charge was processed. This occurred despite the fact that the booking had already been fully paid on 1 February 2025. I wish to clarify that this card has since been cancelled due to *****ulent activity, which is why the subsequent unauthorised charge failed. To summarise: • The name change was confirmed by Booking.com with no mention of an additional charge. • The charge of AED 85.25 was app**** without notice or consent. • The booking was cancelled due to non-payment of this undisclosed charge. • The payment method used originally was no longer valid due to *****-related cancellation.

It is unfathomable that such a basic modification – merely reflecting the correct names of guests on a booking that had already been paid in full – would unilaterally trigger an amended payment or initiate cancellation protocols. I categorically reject the notion that this was transparent or justifiable.

To be absolutely clear: • Why would I jeopardise a fully paid booking over an unknown, minor charge of only AED 85.25? • Why would I continue to correspond regarding arrival times and airport transport, if the booking had already been cancelled? • Why would I proactively reach out to ensure guest names matched passport and visa documents, if I had no intention of honouring the reservation?

Worse still, on 21 June at 13:51, upon following up in the app regarding our check-in request, I discovered that the reservation had been cancelled. No alert or push notification was sent to my phone via the Booking.com app. I subsequently discovered that an email was sent to an old Gmail account on 18 June at 01:12, stating that the booking had been cancelled due to an “invalid credit card,” and that AED 3 628.51 would be retained as a cancellation fee.

This booking was paid in full and confirmed in February 2025. I never authorised or requested a cancellation. I did not receive any prior warning or opportunity to remedy the alleged card issue via the app. There is no legal or moral justification to withhold AED 3 628.51 from a loyal customer based on a system-triggered cancellation that arose from Booking.com’s lack of transparency and internal error.

Furthermore, I reached out to the property directly, and they confirmed that they had availability and were willing to host us but could not proceed as Booking.com’s response was simply that the booking had been cancelled and that “nothing further could be done.” This is wholly unacceptable and constitutes a breach of contract, as well as a failure to treat the customer fairly – a principle that Booking.com publicly claims to uphold.

I have received absolutely NO feedback from Booking.com with regards to this dispute.