1 dag geleden - I am not asking anyone to contact, confront or otherwise intervene with anyone involved. I am simply documenting my experience and the correspondence I have available. ⸻ How the booking came about Initially, I intended to book the accommodation through Airbnb. The apartment had an Airbnb listing, which is how I originally came across it. The listing is no longer accessible to me. However, the eventual booking was not completed through Airbnb. Instead, I received a direct booking ation by email, and the booking was subsequently handled directly through email. I paid the agreed amount directly. I am mentioning Airbnb only to explain how I originally found the accommodation. I am not holding Airbnb responsible for what happened afterwards. ⸻ The booking and accommodation issue The plan was to stay in the apartment in Zell am See for approximately one week in February. The booking was ed in writing and I paid the full agreed amount. After the booking had been made and paid for, I was informed in writing that there was a problem with the apartment involving a leak and water-related issues. I was told that the problem could not be fixed at that time. I was given the choice of waiting or receiving a refund. I chose the refund. ⸻ The refund The refund then became the main issue. Initially, I was told that the refund would be made in March, then April, then June. I was also given an explanation that other payments were being dealt with first and that I was next in line. June passed without the refund being received. I followed up and was subsequently told that the refund would be made in August. August also passed without the refund being received. As of the date of this post, I am still waiting for the money to be returned. I have written communications documenting the different refund timeframes and my follow-ups. ⸻ My attempt to resolve the matter formally Before sharing my experience publicly, I also made an attempt to resolve the matter formally. I sent a pre-legal letter concerning the outstanding refund to the address that had been provided to me. According to the delivery information available to me, the letter could not be delivered because nobody was present at the address at the time of delivery. I am not making any claim about why the letter could not be delivered. I am simply documenting the delivery status shown in the tracking information. I retain the letter and the relevant delivery information. ⸻ What I can document I have documentation relating to: the original accommodation listing; the booking ation; the direct email communication; the agreed price; proof of payment; the communication about the leak/water-related problem; the decision to receive a refund; the different promised refund dates; my follow-ups regarding the outstanding payment; the pre-legal letter; the delivery/tracking information. I intend to share relevant documents or screenshots where appropriate, while redacting unnecessary private information such as bank details, telephone numbers, signatures, private addresses and information belonging to unrelated third parties. ⸻ Why I am sharing this For me, this is no longer simply about a holiday apartment. It is about my experience of entering into a business arrangement, paying the agreed amount, being unable to use the accommodation because of a reported problem, agreeing to a refund, and then waiting while several promised refund dates passed. I am sharing the experience so that people who may be considering entering into a business relationship with the same person can take the documented information into consideration for themselves. There is also a general lesson here for anyone considering booking accommodation directly rather than through a booking platform. My experience has made me realise how important it is to have clear written terms, payment records, cancellation conditions and refund arrangements before making a direct payment. Booking directly may sometimes be perfectly reasonable, but it is important to understand exactly who you are paying, what the cancellation and refund terms are, and what options you have if something goes wrong. ⸻ Timeline January Accommodation found through an Airbnb listing. Booking ultimately arranged directly by email. Full agreed amount paid. After the booking Leak/water-related problem reported by Josephine Watz Owens I was told the problem could not be fixed by her at that time. I was offered the choice of waiting or receiving a refund. I chose the refund. March / April / June Different refund timeframes were communicated. Refund was not received. July I followed up regarding the outstanding refund. Afterwards A pre-legal letter was sent to the address provided to me. Delivery could not be completed because nobody was present at the address. August I had subsequently been told the refund would be made in August. August passed without the refund being received. Current situation The refund remains outstanding. I retain the relevant booking, payment, correspondence and delivery documentation. ⸻ What I am asking from Jojo Watz/ Josephine Watz Owens Refund the full amount as agreed. If the refund is eventually received, I will update this post and state that clearly. For now, I am still waiting.