Query re booking.com

Tcnk

Ok so yesterday I was on booking.com and found a good deal on accommodation, I read through and it clearly states no deposit and full amount payable on arrival. So I book thinking we'll even if I don't keep it there's no deposit and no cancellation fee so nothing to lose. They state card is needed to secure booking you won't be charged as 0 deposit but they may verify your card - Anyway fast forward to this evening and I find I have had £111 taken out of my account that I simply couldn't account for so I ring the bank and they tell me the reference and I realise that it is the accommodation I had booked. So bank can't do anything at the minute as money is pending rather than debited and are unable to dispute it until it's left my account. Meanwhile I am down £111. I call through to booking.com and they advise me that it is likely the accommodation verifying my card with the cost of one nights stay and not to worry as I should get it back within a week.
Call me daft but surely if you are to hold my money for a week for over a hundred quid you should tell me so? You can verify a card with pence what's the need for over a hundred quid? On that basis they could potentially hold the whole booking amount to verify the account? Surely this isn't entirely legal?

Beautiful-Moose

I had this problem with a hotel in New York a few years ago through booking.com. They took the whole amount for my week stay so nearly £600 went out of my account. Once they knew of the problem booking.com were very helpful in getting the money back in my account as soon as possible. Once the money was back in my account I threatened to cancel the booking and the hotel ended up giving us some compensation for the hassle caused in the form of 2 nights for free and a room upgrade. So I would suggest threatening to cancel and put up a bad review of the hotel on trip advisor and see if you can get some freebies out of it.

leylandsunaddict

It's pre-authorisation (verification) and will drop back into your account. It's not unusual. A lot of hotels do it. As long as they don't actually debit the money from your account then as far as the hotel goes they have done nothing wrong, just done what they said they will do, verify your card.

phatbear

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

It's pre-authorisation (verification) and will drop back into your account. It's not unusual. A lot of hotels do it. As long as they don't actually debit the money from your account then as far as the hotel goes they have done nothing wrong, just done what they said they will do, verify your card.

the same way they do when you check into a hotel they take a swipe of your card for room service/damages etc.

bagand96

Did you use a debit card?

As others have said its more than likely the "pre-authorisation" to verify the card details. On credit cards you don't usually see it at all even though a hold will be placed on the account. However on debit cards the ring fenced funds will show as debited, but then re credit after a couple of days.