Charged immediately, refund takes 7-10 days, no escalation offered

I booked an apartment through Booking.com in a building we'd stayed in before. I requested an early check-in, and the property quoted R500. My son went to pay. While he waited the receptionist was rude to him, he told her so and she accused him of ******. After he clarified it was her behaviour, not her race that was the issue, she told him to cancel the booking. I contacted Booking.com directly and said clearly I did not want to cancel, it was a non-refundable booking. The agent emailed the property because they could not get hold of them on the phone then cancelled it anyway. She told me to rebook and wait 7-10 days for a refund. When I pushed back and asked to be escalated, she ended the chat. I opened a second chat and got the same answer. My card was charged immediately, not reserved, so they had the money instantly. Getting it back for a cancellation I never agreed to is apparently going take 7-12 days with no escalation path offered.