A major part of traveling is finding somewhere to stay, but that can be easier said than done. There's plenty of scams out there as one traveler's horror story explained. Their accommodations were less than ideal
Taking to Reddit, the traveler explained, "I had a truly shocking experience with Booking.com regarding my reservation for accommodations on 13 January, 2025. When I arrived, the property was completely uninhabitable — no lights, no beds, no furniture, just a large pile of garbage. The place was pitch dark and frightening, clearly abandoned and absolutely unfit for any guests."
Unfortunately, the traveler couldn't even get a refund for the accommodations due to a loophole in their policy.
They explained, "I arrived late that night due to traffic, and Booking.com refused to refund me, citing "late check-in" as the reason. This explanation is completely illogical — my late arrival does not excuse the fact that the accommodation was abandoned, unsafe, and uninhabitable. I paid through Booking.com, which means they had the responsibility to ensure the property was legitimate and ready to host guests. I have asked multiple times what responsibility Booking.com takes in this situation, and all I've received is: 'That's our policy.'"
Accommodations Ruined
It's a horror story for sure. It's always important to vet your accommodations and make sure it's a legit place. I suggest doing research and taking a look at the reviews. In this case, fellow Redditors advised the traveler on what to do.
One wrote, "Do a charge back. Credit card protects you from fraud, not booking. They're just the medium. Always read reviews, do a due diligence and book high rated hotel listings only. I have never had any issues with booking in the past 15 years of traveling."
Another wrote, "Welcome to Booking.com. I arrived to somewhere that looked nothing like the photos and their response was that we had arrived and hour before check-in and the property still had time to make it look like the photos (including replacing broken glass, apparently).
Yet another wrote, "Let me tell you something about advance payments they're nonsense. I prefer to pay when I arrive and that approach has worked for me for many years. If you paid with a credit card, you can do a chargeback and take advantage of purchase protection."
