AN angry expat has threatened to sue rental giant Booking.com after it refunded guests who trashed her holiday rental and stole her TV.
Marjanne Meijer, 50, is furious the online platform ‘washed its hands’ of her case, despite the clients lighting a fire in her living room and stealing €500-worth of items.
Even worse, the alleged scammers were handed a €805 refund for their stay after claiming their credit card was charged without consent.
Despite renting her home in Granada’s idyllic Lecrin Valley with Booking since 2011, the tech giant simply sided with the punters without asking her.
Now, after reporting the case to the Guardia Civil, Meijer, a Dutch journalist, is threatening to take legal action.
“How could they authorise a refund after what they did. It’s an utter disgrace,” she told The Olive Press.
She is ‘dismayed’ that businesses like hers fail to get any protection despite the platform taking giant commissions of up to 22%.
“Why do we pay so much commission if Booking.com does absolutely nothing to help in a case like this?” she added.
Meijer’s ordeal began when the two guests made a €305 reservation for a weekend stay at her Albuñuelas property at the end of March.
They then extended the booking twice directly with Meijer, making two separate €500 credit card payments to add additional nights.
But when the guests checked out on March 29, Meijer’s cleaning staff found shards of glass and smoke-blackened walls in the living room and, worse, a missing television and kitchen appliances.
She immediately reported the damage to Booking, who failed to help.
So she was naturally stunned to learn the guests had requested and received a partial refund the next day.
Fearing she had fallen victim to a scam, she again contacted Booking as well as her bank, Sabadell, to ensure the payment was cancelled.
But yet again, Booking failed to respond, while Sabadell told her they could not stop the refund because ‘the credit card charge had not been made in the presence of the guests.’
“This is ridiculous as when are credit card charges ever made in person,” insisted Meijer. “Particularly with Booking which is an entirely online business.”
After filing a denuncia with the Guardia Civil in Granada, detectives told her she had grounds to sue.
She has now launched legal action against both Booking.com and Sabadell, accusing them of failing to protect her throughout the ordeal.
Her lawyer meanwhile has also lodged an official complaint against Sabadell with the Bank of Spain.
“I am not giving up on this,” she said. “This is not just about the money. It is about Sabadell and Booking.com leaving me out in the cold.
“They are essentially corporate bullies.”
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