DON'T TRUST Booking.com's "Relocation Guarantee" – They are letting hosts scam families for 2x the price.

The Scam: Booking.com confirmed a "Relocation" for my family of 7 after our first place overbooked. They promised in writing they’d cover any price difference. Great, right? Wrong.

The new host cancelled on us again, and guess what? The exact same villa is back online on Booking right now for my exact dates, but they’ve doubled the price from €6k to €11.6k.

The Reality: Booking.com is literally facilitating price gouging. They let the host cancel a confirmed "guaranteed" booking just so they can relist it immediately for twice the money.

I’ve sent screenshots, emails, and proof of this fraud to their support, and I’m getting NOTHING but bots and "we are looking into it" templates. They don't care that a family with kids is being left stranded while the host profits from their platform.

My Advice:

• Don't rely on their "Guarantee": It’s just words. If a host sees they can get more money, they will cancel you, and Booking won't stop them from relisting.
• Keep every screenshot: If they promise to pay the difference, save that email like gold.
• Avoid "too good to be true" relocations: The system is broken and greedy hosts are gaming it.

I'm currently fighting them through the European Consumer Centre and the Dutch authorities, but save yourself the stress. If you can, book direct or use a platform that actually penalizes hosts for this kind of "bait and switch" BS.

Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you get them to actually honour their word?