Customer service follow up is terrible. This was my experience:I am writing to raise a formal complaint regarding our recent stay in Rome, which was booked through your platform. The accommodation was completely misrepresented in both its description and facilities, resulting in a deeply disappointing and distressing experience - particularly as this trip was intended to celebrate my partner’s birthday.When we arrived on Saturday evening, we were greeted by a man who could barely speak any English. He was on the phone to his family while showing us to the room, making it impossible to communicate with him or raise any questions. He then left abruptly without any explanation or handover.Once he left, we immediately realised that the room was not as described on the Booking.com listing. We had booked a double room with an outdoor terrace and dining area, yet there was no terrace or view at all, and the “dining area” consisted only of a small table with a single chair pushed against a wall. The bed was positioned tightly against the opposite wall, meaning that one side was inaccessible.The listing also stated that there would be tea and coffee-making facilities, but we found only an almost-empty jar of instant coffee with about two teaspoons left in it, no milk provided, and just one mug for two guests. When we requested an additional mug, we were told via WhatsApp that we would have to wait until the following day. There was also only one roll of toilet paper supplied for our entire stay.When we queried these issues, the man on-site insisted that the room was a “single room”, despite our having booked and paid for a double. We contacted Booking.com customer service, who advised that we could either receive a refund or request a discount. However, we were told that this could only be arranged directly with the property owner. When we attempted to contact the owner, we were informed that he would not return until Friday - three days after our departure date. This was clearly unacceptable.We were told that we could receive a full refund if we checked out that same night, but as it was already after 10:00 p.m. and we had been travelling since 5:00 a.m., this was simply not practical.In addition to the above, the general condition and cleanliness of the room were extremely poor:• The bed sheets were thin, worn, and had holes.• There was no mattress cover on the bed.• The television was literally held together with sticky tape.• The room had a persistent unpleasant drain smell that we could not identify.Communication with the on-site staff was extremely difficult due to the language barrier. At one point, the cleaner handed me his phone to speak with someone claiming to be his manager, but that person also spoke very limited English and merely told me to message another “boss” who would not be available until Friday.We tried repeatedly to get further support from Booking.com, but we received no meaningful help. Your customer care team did not respond until the morning of our departure - when we were informed that we had only two days to raise a complaint. To make matters worse, your system does not allow us to upload the video evidence of the accommodation as the file exceeds your maximum upload size, making it difficult for us to share visual proof of the poor conditions. I will attach screenshots of our WhatsApp communications with the property for your reference.This whole experience was extremely upsetting. We specifically chose this accommodation based on the excellent reviews and the description on your website, both of which were inaccurate and misleading. Our short 4-night stay in Rome was intended to be a special birthday trip, but instead it was overshadowed by stress and disappointment.Given the misrepresentation of the property, the lack of basic facilities, and the total failure of both the accommodation and Booking.com support to resolve the situation, I believe a full refund is entirely justified.I have been a loyal Booking.com customer for many years and have never experienced anything like this before. I hope you will take this matter seriously and act promptly to resolve it.
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