Booking.com Unauthorized Hotel Charge of €574.88 on My Credit Card
On August 21, 2025, at 02:33 AM, an unauthorized charge of €574.88 was made on my Near East Bank credit card through Booking.com for a hotel reservation I never made. This transaction was processed without any password, verification, or my consent. I do not even have an account with Booking.com, so there is no possible way I could have authorized this booking.
As soon as I noticed the charge, I immediately contacted Booking.com customer service. Instead of helping, I was met with dismissive and insulting responses suggesting that either I had made the booking myself or that I must have shared my card details with someone else. I called multiple times, only to be left waiting on hold for hours, and when I finally spoke to agents, they were rude, careless, and even hung up the phone on me.
I explained that the charge was still in authorization (provision) and asked for it to be canceled immediately, but no one took responsibility or offered a solution. I also mentioned that I found many similar complaints about Booking.com online, yet the representatives continued to ignore me.
This unauthorized transaction has caused me serious stress and financial harm.
I demand that Booking.com immediately refund the €574.88 that was illegally charged to my card and provide a formal explanation of how such an unauthorized payment was even possible without my approval. Customers deserve protection from fraudulent transactions and respect from customer support—not blame and indifference.
