Q: I write to express my disappointment and distress with my recent experiences at Booking.com. I travel frequently, as do my wife and family. I always recommend Booking.com, and we all use it almost exclusively.
Recently, while traveling, I discovered two fraudulent attempts to make bookings on my account. I canceled them immediately and contacted customer service. A representative told me to change my password. I did this, yet the next time I tried to log in, my account had been disabled.
Another representative assured me that the company was investigating the problem, and that I should set up a new account and import my existing bookings.
I did this, but when I contacted Booking.com, a representative told me that I couldn't import my existing bookings. Now I have another problem: I can't reactivate my old account because I have too many cancellations. The only cancellations in recent history were the two fraudulent ones.
I feel like I am being punished for reporting fraudulent behavior. Can you help me get my Booking.com account reinstated?
A: Booking.com should have fixed your account without making you set up a new one, and it should have transferred your existing reservations. And if a Booking.com agent told you to do that, they also should have helped you with restoring your account.
But that's difficult. You can ask for the agent's name and extension, but often the agent will only offer a first name, which makes it hard to find the person again.
It looks like something went wrong — very wrong — with your account. First, someone gained access to your personal information and made fraudulent bookings. But then, Booking.com flagged your account for fraud after you reported the bogus bookings. Finally, adding insult to injury, it wouldn't help you fix the problem and instead effectively banned you.
