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Charged US$ 1,340.00 after cancelling reservation

I used booking.com to make three reservations in Israel for December 2013. The hotel in Tel Aviv and Eilat honoured my cancellations and made no charges, however, the hotel in Jerusalem (Ritz Hotel) where I had reserved ten nights for me and my grand-daughter, THOUGH I CANCELLED TWENTY DAYS IN ADVANCE, due to a medical problem, my grand-daughter went with boyfriend and reserved in same hotel another room!

So, hotel had no loss though I had cancelled my reservation!!!

However, to my surprise, they debited the full amount of US$ 1,340.00 in my VISA credit card. Booking assured me that they only needed the credit card information to make the reservation and that it would only be charged upon my arrival ! I trusted booking.com and gave the information.

When I advised booking that I had to cancel, I received their confirmation that it was cancelled and therefore did not worry at all.

After seeing the amount charged to my credit card, I wanted to clear this matter up with booking and the only option I had was to complain in a local site called www.reclameaqui.com.br

The representative of booking com in Brazil replied that BOOKING COULD DO NOTHING AT ALL since I had made a NON REFUNDABLE RESERVATION the hotel had the right to charge upon my reservation date!!!

Now how can this be possible if I was misled into believing that I could cancel anytime before arrival at no cost ! This non-refundable reservation is fraudulent ...either we can cancel or if not, INFORM THAT THIS RESERVATION WILL BE CHARGED ON SAME DATE and for sure, I would not have made this booking !!!

I am now taking this case to the police and local courts and informing through all possible sites in Brazil and abroad that booking.com is not to be trusted. Who charges? Booking or the hotel or are they working together to take us all for a ride? The hotel (3 star) was charging 134 dollars a night for a simple apartment for two, with breakfast! Now I am still getting offers from booking.com for hotels in
Jerusalem at half-price!!

Yes, one day I still plan to go to Israel, but NEVER WILL I CONTACT BOOKING AGAIN and strongly suggest everybody takes the greatest care possible before making any reservations with them.

They are still on time to do something about this absurdly illegal situation but from my contacts with their rep in Brazil, I have doubts they will worry about their reputation!