I Paid for Full Protection on Booking.com Car Rental But Had to Pay Again at Pickup

On April 6, 2025, I rented a car in North Macedonia through Booking.com and paid the rental fee plus an additional €38.27 (₺ equivalent) for full protection coverage. The next day, when I arrived at the rental office to pick up the car, the Rent A Car agent told me they couldn’t see any record of the full protection I purchased.

I showed them the booking details and a screenshot of the protection I paid for—everything was clearly documented. But the agent said it didn’t matter, because “that’s Booking’s issue, not ours.” I even explained it to them through a translator, but they refused to acknowledge it.

In the end, I was forced to pay another €20 for full protection, just to avoid any issues in case something happened. The receipt clearly shows this second payment under the same order number, with our signatures blacked out. So not only did the protection I bought through Booking.com serve no purpose, I was forced to pay again—out of pocket.

If the extra protection charge on Booking.com is just a commission or third-party add-on that the rental company doesn’t honor, say so clearly. Don’t mislead customers and let them get charged twice.