Over 130,000 sign up for mass claim lawsuit against Booking.com in under a week

The mass claim by the Consumers Association against Booking.com has received more than 130,000 applications within a week. A spokesperson for the association has described this as a “very high number.” Following the announcement of the claim on Thursday, the registration website even temporarily crashed due to the surge in applications. The site is now fully operational, and registrations are ongoing.

The Consumers' Association, in collaboration with the Consumers' Competition Claims (CCC) foundation, launched the legal claim against the travel platform, accusing it of artificially inflating hotel prices over several years.

The well-known hotel booking site has broken rules regarding fair competition for years, according to the organizations. That is why they are now pushing for compensation to be given to the consumers.

The organizations have said that the damage could amount to dozens or hundreds of euros per customer. In total, it would cost Booking hundreds of millions of euros. The claim organizations are arguing that every Dutch person who booked accommodation via Booking since January 1, 2013, has suffered unnecessary losses.

However, people who have booked elsewhere, for example with the hotel directly, can also apply. The prices for this may also have been higher due to Booking’s actions.

Not much data is needed from the first applicants, according to the spokesperson. “But in principle, that means you’re participating. You may then be eligible for compensation,” the spokesperson acknowledged, adding that a lawsuit could take years. The claim organizations want to enter into talks with Booking first.

Booking.com emphasized on Thursday that they have always tried to offer “the best possible prices and transparent booking experience” to customers. The company also denied any claims to the contrary.

“While we are still reviewing the substance of the claim, allegations that we ever attempted to artificially raise prices for travelers are unfounded,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday. “The aim of the previous ‘parity clauses’ in our agreements with accommodations in Europe was precisely to ensure that everyone had access to the best possible prices,” he added, referring to the criticized policy that prevented hotels from offering lower prices or better conditions on other booking platforms or their own websites.

Hotels can also submit a claim. This procedure will be done via a different association, the Hotel Claims Alliance. This claim has been supported by the Royal Dutch Hospitality Association (KHN).