Booking.com Refused to Refund My €99 After Moldy Room and a Canceled Stay
The hotel I booked in Milan through Booking.com turned out to be a nightmare. The walls of the room were covered in layers of mold (specifically Stachybotrys chartarum), which is dangerous to health, especially for someone our age. We immediately told the receptionist that we couldn’t stay in such a room and requested a cleaner one, but he said there were no other rooms available and refused to refund our money. We asked to speak with the hotel owner, and after some hesitation, the receptionist finally knocked on the door next to the reception and called him out. The owner appeared angry and unwilling to listen. When we explained that mold like this could be harmful to our lungs, especially for older people, he simply told us to go find another hotel and refused any refund, stating, “There’s no refund; you booked through Booking.com.”
Feeling helpless, we packed our bags and left at 7:00 PM after being on the road for 12 hours. The owner even taunted us, suggesting we file a complaint with the police. We were exhausted, hungry, and stranded with nowhere to stay. To make matters worse, the hotel smelled like sewage from the moment we walked in. After leaving, I contacted Booking.com's customer service immediately but received no response. Despite writing to them multiple times, they only replied saying they would get back to me in five days, which never happened. Now, 11 days later, I still have no response, and my money—€99—has not been refunded. Even worse, Booking.com marked the reservation as "canceled," which makes no sense since I paid for the night but didn’t stay.
Not only did I lose my money, but I also missed out on advancing to Booking.com's Level 2 rewards, which I would have reached with this stay. This whole experience has been frustrating and distressing, and I demand a refund for the €99 I paid. Additionally, the emotional and physical toll this situation took on us was immense.
