Unit property on Booking.com a ****!!!

The thing is a ****. When I got to the property, I was told that the unit closed a long time ago and the “owner” moved out a long time ago. When calling the guy, he said that he told Booking.com a long time ago that he moved out and doesn’t have a unit there anymore, but when I communicated with Booking.com customer service, they said that he hasn’t mentioned such a thing and that they are trying to get a hold of him with no luck. I am not trying to understand how it’s possible for someone to keep receiving bookings whilst he doesn’t have a unit at the property. Doesn’t Booking.com have security measures in place to regularly check properties listen on the app?

Property name Craftsmanship 246 Property address 260 Main Street 107 Johannesburg, South Africa 2094 Check-in Saturday, 26 October 2024 Check-out Sunday, 27 October 2024 Amount paid on 24 Oct 2024 ZAR 536

I was left stranded in Jhb with no assistance whatsoever. It’s been three weeks now with receiving the same email from customer service: “ **John Paul G. from Customer Service** Hi Sebao,

Thank you for contacting Booking.com.

We know that you're looking forward to this reservation and have expected that everything is all set for this trip. On behalf of the property, we extend our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused and the impact it had on your trip.

We’re sorry to hear that Craftsmanship 246 wasn’t able to honour your reservation.

We are currently trying to contact the property but we still haven't received a response coming from them. After 5 days that is the time that we will inform you what is the outcome of our investigation.

Meanwhile, if you have any other questions, we are here for you.”, and the experience was terrible and I want my refund in full.