Hotels.com Charged Me a Penalty for a Booking Made by Mistake

I made a mistake and accidentally booked a reservation through Hotels.com for a date one year later. While I was on the road, I called the hotel to confirm the booking, and they told me there was no such reservation. When I checked again, I realized the reservation was indeed made for the following year. I immediately canceled the booking and requested a refund through Hotels.com, but was told a cancellation penalty would apply. What kind of penalty can possibly be justified for a reservation that's one year away? When I spoke with the hotel directly, they clearly stated they had not received any payment and would not accept money for a service they hadn't provided. I am demanding a refund for a service I never received. I’m not someone who seeks unfair gain—unlike Hotels.com, people don’t earn their money that easily. This feels like nothing more than profiting unfairly from others’ mistakes.