Booking.com and Agoda.com, both part of Booking, continue to mislead consumers when they want to book accommodation on their sites. The booking sites display fake discounts, show incomplete prices and put pressure on consumers by suggesting scarcity that does not exist. And while Booking promised even better things in 2020.
Researchers from the Consumers' Association looked at various advertisements on Booking.com and Agoda.com. Both booking sites advertise prices without mentioning unavoidable taxes and service charges. That's against the rules. For example, Booking.com advertises a hotel room in New York that costs 'from €211 per night'. But that excludes €75 in taxes and fees.
Not available
Booking.com also consistently struggles with scarcity. For example, according to the booking site, in six months' time, on any given Tuesday, 84% of all accommodations in Nunspeet will be fully booked. This is because Booking.com not only shows hotel rooms, but also private homes and apartments that are not available all year round. With only hotels, the percentage of availability would be much higher. Also, 2 comparable four-star hotels would already be full for that night. While after checking, the only two other four-star hotels in Nunspeet appeared to have rooms available.
Clogged conditions
Agoda also claims that there are fewer rooms available than is actually the case. For example, when booking a room for 2 people, the site warns that these are 'the last rooms'. But when the researchers then try to book for 10 people, there are suddenly 9 rooms available. Furthermore, there appear to be all kinds of conditions attached to Agoda's lowest price guarantee that cannot be found on the site. And that 'free cancellation' is sometimes not free at all. Proposed discounts also appear to be incorrect.
Stunned with lies
Sandra Molenaar, Director of the Consumers' Association: 'These are deliberate tricks to make consumers feel like they have found a good deal and need to decide quickly. They are being rushed with lies.'
ACM notification
In 2020, Booking and competitor Expedia were already reprimanded by the European Commission and national regulators, including the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) for prohibited manipulation techniques and fake discounts. Both companies then promised improvement. Unlike Booking, Expedia seems to be largely sticking to that promise. The Consumers' Association has reported Booking's violations to the ACM. The ACM is studying the results and promises to take action 'if necessary'.
More information: Consumentenbond.nl
Booking.com response:
“It is always our goal to provide travelers with transparent information that helps them in the decision-making process while planning and booking trips on our platform. This includes accurately displaying any fees or taxes included in the total price payable for an accommodation, as well as providing information about the number of rooms or accommodation options available on Booking.com. We always strive to operate in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations, and will continue to work with the authorities to answer any outstanding questions.”
More information: www.booking.com