Booked an apartment in Val Thorens through Booking about 6 weeks ago. Nothing in the listing about a separate deposit. Payment was due 2 days before arrival.
Three days before the trip, the host messages me on WhatsApp saying there’s a £1000 deposit that has to be transferred directly to his bank account, separate from Booking. Says he’ll return it after checkout if everything’s fine.
That immediately felt off. I canceled and found somewhere else.
I’ve used Booking dozens of times and never had a host ask for a big deposit via bank transfer outside the platform like that, especially last minute.
Has anyone else had this happen? Is that normal in ski resorts or does it sound as sketchy as it felt?
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