Booking.com complaint: Failure to repay deposit for booking of 147.92€

Booking Confirmation No: 3795.182.148 Pin Code: 1445

A booking for accommodation in Cullera, Valencia, for the week beginning Sat 25062022, was made on either 01 or 02012022. The full price quoted was 398.57€ and a deposit of 147.92€ was paid and ed by the accommodation provider, Muchasol (subsequently Alquitur I understand), on 03012022. I have made receipts of this price and payment available to booking.com, although they seem completely unwilling to accept this as ‘proof of payment’. In the normal way of things I had subsequent email contact with the provider to advise them of probable time of arrival. As is quite normal in these circumstances, I expected to be invoiced by booking.com for the outstanding residual amount of 250.65€ about 1 week before the holiday started but the amount then required had suddenly grown to 517€ and, as I was on holiday elsewhere at that time, I was unable to clarify with booking.com why this enormous price ‘hike’ had occurred. They seemed unable or unwilling to do so but ed that enormously increased price ‘hike’ was correct and the money was deducted. I was both unwilling and unable to accept this and was forced to cancel the booking and accept a refund of the 517€. Booking.com claim they have no ‘record’ of either the original price quoted in January 2022, let alone any record of the deposit of 147.92€ paid through their account, despite my providing ‘beyond any reasonable doubt’ levels of proof of payment through receipts etc. I was also then forced to make last-minute arrangements to find alternative correspondence, involving a change of location, cancellation of pre-paid taxi etc, all incredibly frustrating especially with limited access to records etc inc printers, given I was already on holiday at the time. I have a record of the long, fruitless discussions with booking.com staff over this period of time when it is clear a succession of continually altering staff either did not, or simply chose not, to understand my entitlement to an explanation of what went wrong with this booking and to accept their error in not immediately reimbursing me for the deposit already paid. Their so-called demands for ‘proof’ are either disingenuous or flagrantly self-servingly dishonest.