Advertisement

Tell us: Do you trust third party booking sites?

Adam Mongrain’s apartment
Adam Mongrain’s apartment

When Adam Mongrain and his partner returned to their apartment at 2 a.m. on Nov. 10, they were shocked to find a dozen strangers drinking, smoking, cooking and partying in their residence, according to CBC.

When they questioned the revelers, who ended up stealing thousands of dollars in valuables, they told the couple that they had booked the apartment through Booking.com, a website that lets users book rentals in various cities.

Yahoo Canada News reached out to Booking.com to ask how such a mix up occurred. Here is the emailed response from press officer Annie Hennessey:

“At Booking.com, part of our mission is to connect travellers with their ideal place to stay with the safety and security of both our customers and accommodation partners being a top priority. In the very rare and unfortunate instance that a customer engages in unlawful behaviour at a property, we encourage our partners to reach out to local authorities and make an official complaint. We support our accommodation partners fully and will cooperate with law enforcement in all official investigations as necessary. Our customer service team is available 24/7 for assistance and can help ensure guest misconduct is reported to ensure future reservations cannot be made.”

The Better Business Bureau ranks Booking.com as an A+, but many reviews of the website from 2018 criticize the company’s customer service.

“According to their support staff, my trip was canceled by a computer algorithm and there is nothing that can be done. They couldnt tell me why this happened and flat out refused to try and find out,” said one complaint by Josh on the BBB website.

“The most unprofessional company i have had to do business with! Honestly appalled with lack of care for their customer,” wrote Carly on BBB.

Over on Consumer Affairs, similar complaints were listed: “Booking.com lists substandard hotels. Consistently receives bad reviews from people who stay there! It booked the Penrose hotel in Philadelphia. One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. Found hundreds, literally hundreds of reviews which confirm the hotel is a complete disaster. This was months ago. Booking.com still lists the hotel. I contacted the hotel, I contacted Booking.com directly, both to no avail. Booking.com does not care about its customers. It only cares about making money on referrals.”

Have you ever had a problem booking through a third-party website? Vote in the poll above and leave a comment below!