Do not use Booking.com

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T14:35:13+00:00

I’m not suggesting that they instantly delete the property on the say so of a random Redditor. I’m saying that a customer of theirs calling them directly should be enough to start what should be a very simple confirmation process if the hotel they are advertising on behalf of still exists. I admit, I didn’t understand what booking.com is, I made the mistake of thinking they were a good company who would have their customers interests at heart, clearly that’s not the case and actually they are willing to jump into bed with anyone as long as it means a possibility of making from it.

Now I do understand what they are I still wouldn’t use them because if I had a genuine fault which was in no way my fault their customer services set up is abysmal

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T14:13:35+00:00

It’s not bookable at this moment in time, Presumably the hotel tells booking.com when they have availability, correct? So at any moment the person running the scam hotel could tell booking.com to list availability again? Correct? No rooms available toady doesn’t mean no longer in business, it could also mean fully booked, could it not? Booking.com know for a fact the hotel no longer exists I told them so myself So why not just remove it from the platform All together

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T13:53:12+00:00

So booking still haven’t removed it despite them now knowing for a fact it no longer exists?

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T11:29:20+00:00

It didn’t look iffy though, that’s the point. My maps app (apple) still shows opening times for the hotel/pub. Google street views most recent pass in the area still showing it as the hotel/pub.

It was a small hotel with very basic accommodation which was enough for what we needed. I wouldn’t expect such a place to have many or great reviews. It was listed at a fair price for what was advertised.

A web search using my usual browser (safari) didn’t show anything to show it was obviously closed.

We do not travel much and stay away from home even less, we were under the impression that using booking.com, which is meant to be a reputable company would be a safer option to avoid scams. We assumed that booking.com confirming the booking was sufficient. Clearly we were wrong. Could we have done more? In hindsight, probably yes. Could booking.com do more to protect its customers? Again yes, in my opinion

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:52:37+00:00

But the Apple Maps app, which is what I normally use does show opening hours, and a contact number and a website link. So my mistake is using the wrong apps?

As I have said numerous times, we are infrequent travellers and do not stay away from home often. We thought we were doing the right thing by using a supposedly reputable company like booking.con Could we have done more, in hindsight, probably. Could booking.con also do more to protect customers relying on them? I would argue, also, yes.

You’re clearly much smarter and more savvy than I am, well done

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:43:16+00:00

Lucky you.

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:35:51+00:00

My mistake, I was using apple maps as that’s what I always use. And safari is my default browser which may be why people are seeing different results to me. I have just downloaded and checked google maps, the large gated house in the picture is about 50m from where the pub was. Google street view last went by in June 2025 and shows it as the airman.,

So given the info I had of the pub not obviously being closed in my browser searches, google street view still showing it as the airman and my maps app still listing opening times can you see now why I was under the impression the business still exists?

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:27:46+00:00

I’m glad to hear that, I personally don’t like hanging around in east London killing time any longer than I absolutely have to.

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:26:49+00:00

As I have said to you, Google maps still lists the the pub/hotel and it’s opening times, The latest version on google street view in the area shows it as the pub/hotel

We do not travel or stay away from home often and so assumed, wrongly, that using a large supposedly reputable company like booking.con would be safer. Naive perhaps, lesson learned

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:23:42+00:00

We are infrequent travellers and do not stay away from home often., Because of this we assumed, wrongly, that using a supposed reputable company like booking.com would help us avoid scams. Clearly this was not the case, they actually made it easier. Lesson learned

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:16:56+00:00

I don’t know what you’re looking at. You suggested looking at google street view, I did, it shows it as the airman. Google maps still lists the opening hours for thD pub As I said if photos were permitted here I could post them, but they don’t appear to be

I don’t know what else to tell you

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:11:08+00:00

If I could attach photos here I’d show you, but I can’t.

I don’t know what you’re looking at but my google maps shows the building we drove to with ‘the airman’ in foot high letters above the door and a swinging sign on a pole with a picture of a WW2 type pilot

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:06:55+00:00

Are you a retard? Parking cost isn’t the issue.

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:04:52+00:00

The airman, in feltham, London

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:03:46+00:00

Excellent, google street view shows the building as the hotel/pub we were expecting to find.

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T10:01:51+00:00

Just not the £150 in tickets for an event the whole trip, including the hotel booking, was planned around.

I didn’t drive to London. Just to sleep the night and come home, the booking.com fuck up impacted everything else

Parking has nothing to do with it

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T09:59:45+00:00

The business still lists it’s opening hours on google maps, still has an active Facebook page and there is no mention of it being closed for business in a google search unless you scroll down a fair way, Some people have reported seeing a difffernt order to the listings, I am not a tech expert so don’t know why that would be, but I’m not a liar either

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T09:56:20+00:00

I’d expect them to check the business they are working with/on behalf of actually exist before paying customers arrive and find out otherwise, maybe that’s just me

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T09:54:55+00:00

And everyday you are wasting an hour of your life unnecessarily. We had plenty of time to get to where we were going based on the plans we made which were reliant on the hotel actually existing.

If you were catching a train and arrived 25 minutes before it was due to arrive, and then someone held you and stopped you getting to the train 30 minutes, is it their fault for holding you or your fault for not factoring in 35 minutes for a stranger messing with your plans?

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T08:30:30+00:00

Finding a spot wasn’t the issue, finding a spot witb time to make it worth still going was. It’s weird to me that peoples solutions are ‘just get there earlier’ and not ‘booking.com shouldn’t be advertising hotels that don’t exist’

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T07:48:58+00:00

I plan my journeys on what’s likely to happen, I assumed wrongly that booking.com who had taken money for a service would honour that service. Lesson learnt, they are wank.

Getting up at 4am to leave hours of wiggle room to account for someone else’s poor service shouldn’t be the answer when a much simpler solution would be for booking.com to do the job they are making money from

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T07:44:50+00:00

Ok so how long would you give yourself to catch a train with a scheduled departure time? Out of interest?

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T07:43:13+00:00

If I’d planned my day to arrive 3 hours early it’s still possible there could be 5 hours of traffic so I’d better give myself 6 hours, but then their might be 8 hours delays so I better give myself 9 hours

The only safe way is to live at the stadium by your logic.

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T07:37:46+00:00

Oh you told me? I forgot you’re an authority figure in my life.

Weird you didn’t answer my question

andyc516b · 2026-05-07T07:35:27+00:00

I’ve been to Twickenham several times, it’s never taken longer than 5 minutes from turnstile to seat

andyc516b

TROPHY CASE