AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Two Dutch consumer groups said on Wednesday they are seeking affected customers for a legal claim against Booking.com, one of the world's largest online travel agencies, over what
Dutch consumer groups prepare legal action against Booking.com, alleging infl...
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Two Dutch consumer groups said on Wednesday they are seeking affected customers for a legal claim against Booking.com, one of the world's largest online travel agencies, over what they described as inflated hotel prices since 2013.
The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation (CCC) and the Consumers' Association said in a statement that Booking.com had allegedly been charging consumers too much for hotel rooms for years, leading to "hundreds of millions of euros in damage to Dutch consumers".
"We have done research and it shows that Booking has been violating competition rules and consumer law since January 2013," CCC Chairman Bert Heikens said.
Booking.com did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
In 2024, the EU's top court ruled that Booking.com's restrictions against hotels offering lower rates on their websites or on rival sites were unnecessary and could reduce competition, but also that such clauses were not anti-competitive under EU laws.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Tom Hogue and Jamie Freed)
