Booking.com Charged After Canceling Venice Dose Guesthouse Booking Despite Free Cancellation Promise

I booked a stay at Venice Dose Guesthouse through Booking.com for October 30-31. Due to an unexpected change in the number of guests, I reached out to ask if a free cancellation was possible, even though my cancellation window had closed a day prior. They assured me that canceling would not incur any charges, as I was still a week out from my reservation date. However, despite this assurance, the full booking amount was still charged to my card.

If they hadn’t promised no charges, I would have stayed at the property rather than booking elsewhere. Despite my messages, the guesthouse was unresponsive, and I had to visit them in person during my vacation. Although they promised to help and took my phone number, I never received any follow-up, nor could I reach them. Booking.com’s customer service has also been unhelpful, leaving me frustrated with the lack of support.

I am urgently requesting a full refund, as per their initial assurance. My reservation details are:

Confirmation Number: 4825206263
I’ve attached screenshots of my conversations for reference.