M-Hotel

The accommodation itself was fine and clean, but I’m still dealing with what happened over payment. I paid for the Booking.com reservation in advance by credit card. At check-in, the hotel staff said that payment had only been “pre-authorized” and asked me to pay the full amount again at the hotel. I did, because I didn’t want an argument in a foreign country. Later, my bank confirmed that the first payment had actually been debited, so I had paid twice for the same stay. When I raised this with the hotel, the lady told me to ask my bank for a chargeback and said she believed it usually cost around €50. I had been patient and respectful, but that response felt humiliating. The way this was handled left me emotionally shaken and somewhat traumatized. I think it’s outrageous that I’m expected to pay to recover my own money. This wasn’t my mistake; it’s an accounting issue between the hotel and Booking.com, and I believe they’re responsible for sorting it out. I’m their guest, not their employee. I paid in full in good faith and ahead of time. Still, I was left feeling uncomfortable, as if I’d done something wrong when I clearly hadn’t. The issue has been unresolved for over two months. For me, this is about justice and how a guest is treated. A problem the accommodation should resolve with Booking.com has instead been pushed onto me, even though I have no contractual relationship with Booking, only a payment receipt and good intentions. It’s exhausting and disheartening to see patient, respectful people not taken seriously and left in the worst position because they try to resolve things calmly and politely. I may not speak the local language, but I’m a conscious consumer who knows her rights. I don’t know what went wrong behind the scenes, but I won’t stop until I find out who was responsible. My sense of justice and personal dignity won’t let me feel powerless just because I’m a foreigner in another country. Chasing my own money over a mistake I didn’t make shouldn’t be my responsibility, and I’m extremely tired of this whole situation. I will keep pursuing it, and I hope others can learn from my experience.