Booking.com refund has not arrived

Katyyy

Last month I tried to book a hotel on Booking.com but when I entered my card details it didn't have a field for 'name on card' but when I clicked submit it said it couldn't process my payment as I hadn't filled out all the fields... So then the 'name on card' field appears, but before I've even finished typing my name in I got an email to say they had processed my payment! Then, a few minutes later, I get an email saying there has been an issue processing my booking but as my payment has already been received they have automatically started the refund process and it will be back in my account within 7 - 12 days and they gave me a payment reference number which "may be helpful to track your money with your account provider or our team". I still haven't received this refund and when I try to call their customer service they say they can't do anything without a booking confirmation number even though I have tried to explain to them that I don't have one because the issue is that the booking didn't get confirmed, but they still took the money! I keep offering my payment reference number on the phone but they act like they've never heard of a payment reference number before and don't have anywhere to enter it... So they're saying that from their end they can't see any transactions/payments/bookings from me, yet I have the email proof and proof from my bank that they took the money. Does anyone have any advice for how I can go about getting this money back? Or how long I will need to wait before taking any further action, and what that further action might be? Unfortunately I booked with a debit card rather than a credit card.

dj1471

Have you waited 12 days?

Raise a formal complaint with your bank to encourage them to perform a chargeback.