Numerous holiday let owners are facing delayed payments as a result of a glitch in the payment system of popular hotel reservations website, Booking.com. The delay in receiving payments has left small businesses and retirees struggling to cover their expenses while they wait for their money. Booking.com attributes the issue to an update in their systems that caused longer payment delays than anticipated.
One affected individual, Becky Nicholls, who relies on income from her holiday lets in St Ives, Cornwall, has had to switch to interest-only mortgage payments to manage her bills because of the lack of payment from Booking.com.
Booking.com allows holiday home operators to list their properties without an upfront charge and takes care of reservations, deducting a commission of about 15 percent from the booking money before passing it on to the owners.
Becky, and many others like her, are still waiting for payments from guests who stayed weeks ago. Even after receiving an email from Booking.com in June stating that payments from June 28 onwards would be processed and paid by July 24, many holiday let owners are still waiting for their payments in mid-August.
The delayed payments have put a financial strain on individuals like Clare Parkinson, who use their rental income to supplement their summer earnings and save for their future. Clare and her husband Jake have had to dip into their savings due to the £5,000 owed to them by Booking.com. The lack of payment has affected their plans to upsize their family home and visit relatives this summer.
Another affected individual, Chris Wiseman, relies on income from two static caravans to fund his living costs during retirement. He and his wife Tanya have been owed £5,000 since July and are concerned about paying £10,000 of pitch fees due in September. The delayed payments have forced them to cut back on simple pleasures and enjoy their retirement less.
As a result of the payment issues with Booking.com, some users have taken legal action to recover their owed money. Neal Aga, a paralegal, has issued a statutory demand for payment on behalf of Bosworth House Hotel and Arnies Hotel. While Bosworth House has received its payments, Arnies Hotel is still owed £4,700. Aga is offering pro bono assistance to affected Booking.com users and has been contacted by affected operators from various locations.
Booking.com has apologized for the delayed payments and is actively working to resolve outstanding cases and offer support to affected accommodation partners. However, many users are still waiting for their payments and are growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.
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