Bad service (No service at all)

I am extremely disappointed with the lack of assistance and accountability from Booking.com regarding a confirmed booking that was not honoured. On 9 April 2026 I made and paid for a booking through Booking.com for accommodation in Sandton: Place: Unique Stay – 1Km to Monte Casino Address listed: 30 Leslie Road, Douglasdale/Sandton Dates: 25 April 2026 to 26 April 2026 Confirmation number: *** PIN: 2843 Amount paid: R1227.60 Transaction *** I received a confirmation email from Booking.com confirming that my booking was successful. When we arrived in Sandton on Saturday 25 April 2026, we struggled to locate the exact address and contacted Unique Stay for directions. The owner informed me that he had not received my booking and instructed me to contact Booking.com. I then urgently tried to contact Booking.com. When I phoned the listed number, a man answered and informed me that it was a private residence and that the property had been listed incorrectly. I again attempted to contact Booking.com and could only access an AI-generated system which merely confirmed that my booking existed. When I contacted the owner again, he informed me that other guests were already staying in the accommodation and that he could not assist us. This whole situation is completely unacceptable. I am a 70-year-old woman travelling from Klerksdorp to Johannesburg, and I found myself effectively stranded in Johannesburg with a paid, confirmed booking that was not honoured. Instead of enjoying our planned evening and attending our booked show without worry, we were left searching for accommodation and trying unsuccessfully to obtain assistance. Because we had a scheduled show to attend and it was already late on a Saturday, we had no alternative but to find and pay for another room ourselves. Afterwards, I made numerous attempts to resolve this matter with Booking.com: • 27 April – I informed Booking.com that I was not satisfied because the owner had not honoured our booking. • 30 April – I sent another email. • On 30 April I received notification that the email address was no longer in use and that I had to use the Help Centre. • On 5 May I emailed *** and received confirmation that they would respond within 48 hours. • Booking.com later advised that they had contacted Unique Stay. • On 12 May I received an email asking me to rate their service, to which I rep**** that there had effectively been no service at all. • Later that same day, Booking.com informed me that they could not process my request because the property had not responded and because my complaint reached them after the check-out date. This response is unacceptable because I did attempt to obtain assistance when the problem occurred. I was standing in Johannesburg on a Saturday, trying to resolve an urgent accommodation problem, with no meaningful human support available. I paid Booking.com in good faith for confirmed accommodation that was never provided. I was then forced to pay for alternative accommodation while neither the property owner nor Booking.com accepted responsibility. My simple question remains: Who is going to refund my R1227.60? I request: 1. A full refund of my R1227.60; 2. A proper investigation into Unique Stay – 1Km to Monte Casino; 3. A review of this listing to prevent other customers from experiencing the same ordeal. This experience caused unnecessary stress, inconvenience, financial loss and anxiety, and should never happen to any customer.