I Paid Twice for My Astoria Hotel Booking on Booking.com Due to System Error

I booked a stay at Astoria Hotel Thessaloniki for July 9-12, 2025, through Booking.com. The first reservation attempt was declined by their system, clearly showing a “card declined” warning. After that, I updated my card details and made a second reservation, which was successfully charged. However, the hotel charged me twice—once for the failed first reservation and again for the confirmed second one. These charges occurred within just three minutes of each other.

This is both unethical and clearly incorrect. The first payment should never have been taken since the system itself rejected that booking, and no service was provided. I have contacted Booking.com multiple times, but they keep blaming the hotel. When I spoke to the hotel, they refused to acknowledge the error, claiming I made two bookings, which is false because the first was canceled by the system.

I have all relevant bank statements and demand an immediate refund of the extra payment. If this is not resolved quickly, I will initiate a chargeback through my bank, file a complaint with the Consumer Arbitration Board, and pursue legal action. I expect Booking.com to fix this urgently and stop passing the responsibility.