BEWARE!!! BOOKING.COM ****

**** ALERT!!

I am so dissapointed and frustrated by Booking.com

I made a booking for July 2023 through the booking.com platform for accommodation at Les Mouettes in Ballito. I made the payment as requested ON THE BOOKING.COM PLATFORM and the booing was confirmed. After arriving at our destination and being unable to get the key to access the property from the owner (as per arangements made on the booking.com platform), I started to liaise with booking.com.

I spoke to 3 agents before I was told that booking.com will assist me to find a replacement property (already past 19:00 in the evening) - and cover the difference in price - as my current booking cannot be honoured. I chose the replacement booking offered by Booking.com with this in mind and even confirmed my understanding, as the replacement property was more expensive.

I submitted the invoice received form the replacement-booking property's owner (as I was told that they will not refund as per the Airbnb receipt), PLUS the invoice for the Airbnb service fee, as well as the proof of my payment of the total amount to Airbnb (R 34 986,84).

I then received an email from Booking.com stating that the money to be refunded to me is only R21,309.52. This is much less than the price difference, as it now seems as though I will not be reimbursed for the expensive Airbnb service fee AND that booking.com deducted the fee for the first booking that was not honoured So this means that I paid for my original booking TWICE and have to pay extra for the airbnb service fee, which booking.com gave me as an alternative.

I believe they are enabling ****s on their platform from which they are also benefitting.