Charged for a cancelled booking that the property never received
I strongly advise against using Agoda. My experience with this platform has been extremely frustrating, and I have completely lost confidence in its booking and customer support services. I made a reservation through Agoda and subsequently received an email informing me that my booking had been cancelled. Despite this, my bank confirmed that the payment was deducted from my account on October 6, 2026. Even more concerning, the Agoda app displayed contradictory information, showing the same reservation as both “Confirmed” and “Cancelled”. Since Agoda failed to provide a clear explanation, I contacted the property directly. They confirmed IN WRITING that they had absolutely no record of my reservation, neither active nor cancelled. They also explicitly confirmed that they had never received or processed the booking and had not initiated any cancellation or charge. After multiple attempts to obtain assistance, I finally received a response from an Agoda customer service agent. And this is where the situation becomes even more unacceptable. Despite all the evidence I provided, Agoda’s response was that they would contact their booking partner to investigate the issue, but that “the outcome is not guaranteed”. No refund confirmation. No clear resolution. Not even an estimated timeframe. How is it acceptable for a booking platform to collect a customer’s money, send a cancellation notification, and then be unable to explain what happened or provide a timeline for resolving the issue? I have provided everything necessary to demonstrate what happened, including written confirmation from the property, proof of payment, the cancellation email, and screenshots of the contradictory booking statuses. Yet I am still left without my money and without any certainty about when, or even whether, the issue will be resolved. To make matters even more absurd, Agoda sent me a request to review a stay that never took place. I want to make it absolutely clear that the property itself has been cooperative and helpful. My complaint is directed entirely at Agoda and its handling of this reservation. I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING AGODA. A booking platform should provide customers with reliable reservations, transparent payment processing, and effective support when something goes wrong. Based on my experience, Agoda has failed to deliver on all three. I would strongly advise anyone considering booking through this platform to think twice before trusting it with their money. UPDATE!!! Despite providing all the requested booking details and supporting evidence, the situation has become even more concerning. Agoda is now claiming that both its booking partner AND the property confirmed that I checked in and stayed at the accommodation. This is absolutely false. I never checked in or stayed at this property. What makes this particularly unacceptable is that the property has already confirmed to me IN WRITING that they have no record of my reservation and never received or processed it. I have repeatedly asked Agoda to provide evidence of my alleged check-in and explain this direct contradiction. Instead, I keep receiving the same response without any supporting documentation. How can Agoda claim that I stayed at a property when the property itself has confirmed the exact opposite? My payment was deducted on October 6, and I still have no refund, no evidence supporting Agoda’s claims, and no clear resolution timeframe. At this point, I have completely lost confidence in Agoda’s customer support and booking process. I strongly advise others NOT to use Agoda. This is an unacceptable way to handle a customer’s money and a legitimate complaint.