I booked a stay in Shanghai through Booking.com. On arrival, before check-in, the exterior and communal areas of the property were in very poor condition, well below the listing photos. I told the host I wanted to cancel, and Booking.com's own app confirmed the cancellation was free of charge.
Payment for the stay had been requested privately by the host, via WeChat/Alipay, outside of Booking.com's platform something Booking.com confirmed to me was expected practice for this property. WeChat/Alipay is used only in China. The host confirmed by message that he would issue a full refund, and separately asked that I not leave a bad review. Once I returned to the UK and followed up, he stopped responding entirely, and Booking.com has since told me they have also been unable to reach him for weeks.
I raised a claim with Booking.com and provided extensive documentation: bank statements, official Weixin Pay transaction confirmations showing the merchant, dates, amounts and currency paid, WeChat communication between me and the host. Over several weeks, Booking.com repeatedly changed what they said they needed: first querying the currency shown, then the merchant name, and finally demanding a screenshot showing the host's WeChat ID directly above the message thread something WeChat's own app does not support for this type of contact. You only have the name above the WeChat message thread. This was accepted as a reason to decline the refund entirely.
At every stage I provided everything requested, promptly and in full. Booking.com's position ultimately came down to a documentation format an app cannot produce, rather than any genuine dispute about the facts of the case.
I would urge any customer to think carefully about the level of buyer protection actually available when a payment issue arises with a property booked through Booking.com, particularly where off-platform payment is involved.