Booking.com Charged Me €616 Early Despite ‘Pay at Property’ Option at Hotel Jazz Barcelona

On October 1, 2025, I made a Booking.com reservation for Hotel Jazz Barcelona for February 9–13, 2026, including one double room with breakfast for two people. The listing clearly stated “Pay at the property” and “Free cancellation until February 6.”

However, immediately after completing the reservation, €616.03 was charged to my credit card in full. I had to cancel the booking later for personal reasons, and the amount was eventually refunded.

The main issue, however, is that despite selecting “Pay at the property,” the full payment was taken in advance — and I was unable to reach any live representative from Booking.com for clarification. I called and messaged Booking’s Turkey customer service multiple times, and each time I was told, “You will receive a response within 24 hours,” but I never received any follow-up.

This lack of communication and transparency caused serious inconvenience. I am requesting a clear explanation from Booking.com about why the payment was charged early despite the “Pay at property” option, and I urge the company to improve its customer service process to prevent this from happening again.