***** case through bookings.com

We booked at a London establishment called Soho Mandeville through bookings.com in April this year for our stay in London this July. The full amount of R14000+ was deducted immediately which should have already rung alarm bells for us.

We were informed only 3 days before our stay at this establishment that our booking was cancelled. No mention of a full refund was given.

Bookings.com then assured us we will be getting a full refund and we gave us a recommendation on a new apartment that we should book at which was an apartment through Pelicanstay.

Out of desperation we booked it and paid yet another R18000 for 3 nights stay in London all up in full.

We arrived in London , met up with a Russian immigrant who lead us to our apartment that looked absolutely nothing like the apartment stated on the bookings.com website not to mention there was a stench of vomit so strong I could not even stay longer than 5 minutes in that apartment. It was an absolute shocker not to mention a scary experience.

We proceeded leave. Please let me add I was doing this with 2 young children in tow.

I sat at a restaurant after this with no where to go as it was late afternoon my children needed to eat. I proceeded to call and argue with establishment and bookings.com this whole exercise took a good 2 hours to find some resolve and we were placed in a better apartment on the account of the establishment Pelicanstay.

The amount of stress and trauma that whole experience in itself has caused will never be erased. To be in a foreign country late in the evening with no where to go and you have paid now double the amount of money for accommodation. My poor children were at the verge of hysteria and so was I .

We still cannot put this matter to rest as we STILL await a refund from the first establishment SOHO Mandeville of R14000 plus another refund from bookings.com for the difference in the accommodation prices. This is looking like a case of ***** so I have no choice but to open a case with my bank and travel insurance.

I cannot begin to explain how stressful this experience is with two small children.