Incorrect location marking of accommodation on Booking.com

The European Consumer Center Slovenia was contacted by a consumer who had booked and paid for accommodation in Paris through the popular website Booking.com. Shortly after completing the payment, she discovered an unpleasant error: the location of the accommodation was incorrectly marked on the Booking.com map, the actual location being some three kilometres away from the one shown.

Although the accommodation provider's official address was correct, it had been misplaced on the map. Having chosen this particular accommodation solely because of its location, the consumer immediately filed a complaint with the provider, declined the stay and requested a full refund. As the accommodation provider ignored her requests, she contacted Booking.com directly.

The intermediary initially offered her only a credit note to her online wallet, covering less than one third of the amount paid. The consumer did not accept this, as she believed she had been misled. Furthermore, as she had not used the accommodation, she insisted on a full refund and turned to ECC Slovenia for assistance.

Having found the complaint to be justified, ECC Slovenia forwarded the case, along with all the relevant documentation, to its colleagues in the Netherlands, who took up the matter with Booking.com. In this case, the error was on the part of Booking.com, which manages the displayed map. The company then requested evidence of the incorrect location marking. After receiving the proof, Booking.com acknowledged the mistake and refunded the consumer the full cost of her booking.

Photo: depositphotos.