AI Customer Support is here....

Or, unless the place you want to book with does not have their own website, direct phone, or direct email, do not use a booking/hotels/airfares/tours.com etc and book directly with the actual merchant. I make the exception as over20 years I have used 4 lodgings that were too small to have their own presence and relied on booking.com, fortunately never a problem.

I remember the thread you are referring to. It wasn't removed because you named the company, but for some of the comments you made.

You might take the time to read another current thread on the use of 3rd party websites, to gain some insight from other experienced travellers. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/third-party-aggregators-never-sometimes-always

I would never book a hotel/inn/B&B using AI or any online aggregator. Use those online sites to find lodging and read reviews. I then book directly with the property. I typically get a less expensive price and the reservation can be more secure. Plus, one can always email the property with any questions or concerns. There is not going to be a situation where there are no people available as you mentioned above.

I remember the thread you are referring to. It wasn't removed because
you named the company, but for some of the comments you made.

I remember that thread too, and concur with CJean's assessment. If that thread was still 'up', readers of this one would see that your experience has not been the same for everyone who uses that site. As well, many who contributed to that prior thread don't rely solely on their info within that booking site. Tech glitches can happen so as back-up, some responders said they took screen shots of their confirmations, others copy/paste to a separate document, etc. I keep all of the emailed confirmations from that booking site AND from the hotels themselves in an email file I can assess from my phone, my husband's phone, my laptop. etc. Any trouble at check-in, it's all right there without having to log into the site. So until they fail me in a big way, I'm still a customer.

Doesn't mean maybe it's still the case but I was able to speak directly with a customer service person at the booking site last November, when a hotel was refusing to give us the specific type of room we'd booked. They did go to bat for me; still didn't get the room but did get a big reduction. They appear to no longer be doing business with that hotel. :O)

And no, I do not work for the company.
PS: I request emailed confirmations from the hotels I book so there's no question of them not having us on record.

I also have had a couple issues with booking dot com. One they resolved with minimal angst the other I gave up on them and the property. I would love to say I no longer book with them. I tend to avoid 3rd party sites, anyway, especially booking dot com, but sometimes there is a place I really need/want to stay at and they only reserve thru booking.

The exception I've made in regards to 3rd party sites is that I will always check Autoeurope and almost always, I book thru them. Their customer service is impeccable. Just recently, there was a post regarding a problem with using booking dot com for a rental car. My response (which I kept to myself) was why would anyone book a car thru booking dot com.

jules, I wouldn't use the site for booking rental cars either.

>I would never book a hotel/inn/B&B using AI or any online aggregator.

Given where I travel and what I enjoy its not uncommon for me to end up in hotels that dont have their own booking engine. Usually its booking.com.

I typically get a less expensive price and the reservation can be more secure.

Because you dont use Booking.com so dont get the discounts. They kick in pretty quickly. A few times the same room, same price had more favorable cancelation policy on Booking.com. Some times booking direct has better prices or perks. There is no hard rule.

But, if you dont like Booking.com, except when its them or no one, the savings arent so great that its the end of the word not to use them. Just preference.

I asked one small hotel I really loved and found on B.........com their opinion of the site. They said they were too small to have their own site, but they hoped that once people found them and loved them they would book directly. And their accountant's advice was to list the fees/discounts that they had to provide to the site as part of their advertising budget. It is a business expense after all.

I can confirm that +44 20 3320 2625‬ is a UK (London) landline number- 0203 320 2625, and that it is registered as belonging to booking.com, but I'm not calling it as I don't have a free calling plan.
There is a TA thread which says it connects to a human being- https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k14452207-o10-Can_someone_confirm_if_Bookings_com_has_had_a_data_breach-London_England.html

I think I'm pretty good at finding accommodations in Germany. I've spent somewhere around 170 days in Europe since 2000, all but about six nights in Germany. I usually find accommodations from the towns own website. I pick them based on the facilities, breakfast included, ensuite bathroom, closeness to transportation, and price. I don't eliminate a place just because it is shown on booking websites, but I don't use them, either. Everywhere I've stayed in Germany has been fine. Germans have such high standards.

I've talked to hosts in Germany about booking websites, and they tell me they are quite expensive, taking 15%, maybe more in popular areas, of the booking's total price as their fee.

Last time I was in Germany, we stayed in a Ferienwohnung (vacation apartment) in a small town on the Main river. The town website listed 15 properties. Five of those were also listed on Booking.com, and those were the five most expensive places on the town website. I've done similar analyses on other places and found similar results.

I can find listed Booking, two places where I've stayed. At one in the Black Forest, I booked directly with the property and got a double room for 2 nights for the same price as Booking showed, but I got a package deal for that price which include Therme (spa) admission for two (worth 55€/day) for two days. Oh, and they also threw in a small bottle of sparkling wine in your room on arrival.

Another time, at a lodge in the Harz, I got a five night package deal for the same price as just five night through Booking, but my package deal included "halb Pension" (American plan); breakfast was included with all plans.

I would never book a hotel/inn/B&B using AI or any online aggregator.

Agree with the above statement 100%. Have never had a problem dealing directly with any hotel, restaurant, or other facility.

Just my experience. But everyone is entitled to do as he or she desires.

Thanks crcooklb for letting us know this apparent recent development - so frustrating. And thanks to David for running his test on the site.

@David, couldn't agree more!

being familiar with the prior thread I am fairly sure that the reason the previous thread was zapped wasn't because of naming the company but comments made about the company which broke community guidelines.

If folks haven't read them they are good reading and help to show where lines are drawn.