Booking.com Didn’t Refund My €2000 Deposit for Nonexistent Cleopatra Beach Apartment

NEVER use booking.com! I booked "Apartment Beautiful Sultan House At Cleopatra Beach" through booking.com for my family – 2 adults and 5 children – to stay from July 28 for 14 days. In addition to the price of the apartment, we had to pay €2000 to the host as stated on their website. When we arrived, there was no apartment. We were offered a new hotel but had to pay an additional €800. We spent the first day driving around in a taxi, trying to find a hotel and dealing with calls to London, which cost us a fortune.

Before leaving, I contacted booking.com to ask how and when I’d get my €2000 deposit back, and they assured me it would be refunded automatically 14 days after we returned home. Now, 3 months later, I’m still waiting for my deposit. I've been in contact with booking.com over 40 times by phone, email, and through their website. The phone was hung up on me about 60% of the time, and despite submitting documentation twice, they’re now asking for it a third time, directing me to a broken link. 

All communication, including documentation of payments and my correspondence with the host, is stored in the case file at booking.com, yet I’ve received €0 of my deposit and no compensation. To make matters worse, they still collaborate with the property, and new reviews keep being posted without any intervention from booking.com. My advice: never use booking.com!