A man has been left furious after a Liverpool apartment he'd booked a stay in months ago was cancelled the day after it was announced the city will be hosting Eurovision.
Connor Gregory took to Twitter to accuse the property's owner of “price gouging” after he paid £200 to book the apartment which was cancelled then re-advertised online for more than £20,000.
The DailyStar reports Connor shared screenshots of messages he was sent by the owner via Booking.com, just hours after Liverpool was announced as the host city of the 2023 international song contest.
A message from "Kaye" the owner, said: "We are excited on your stay. However the property will no longer be available on this dates, apologies. Please accept the cancellation request to receive the full refund."
Connor replied: "Sorry but I've already booked this? How's that possible?"
Another message, this time from "Catherine", said: "Apologies, it's error on booking calendar."
Connor responded saying: "No it's not. I'd rather you just said its because one of the biggest music events in the world is coming to Liverpool and you want more money as prices have shot up.
"Please just be honest and I'd be alright with it."
Connor tweeted later to show how the apartment he paid £200 to stay in, from May 12 to May 15 was "unavailable" but was available for five nights from May 15 for £20,295.
Liverpool will welcome thousands of people from around the world after the United Kingdom was chosen as the host country on behalf of Ukraine - who won the contest last year.
Accommodation prices rose astronomically after the announcement and rooms have now all but completely sold out.
Connor tweeted: "From £200 when I originally booked, she is now wanting over £20k, what a lovely classy lady, trust you will be dealt with".
He said he spoke to Booking.com, who reportedly told him if he doesn't cancel voluntarily the stay will still be available to him.
"They have confirmed it’s still mine and they are filing a complaint because of their behaviour and will take ‘proper action against them’," he said.
"Let this be a lesson to her to not price gouge, hope she enjoys her investigation coming her way."
Booking.com says 99 percent of its accommodations in the city are booked, with few hotels left going up to £2,000.
A one-night stay on May 13 at the Eleanor Rigby Apartments Stanley Street will cost a couple £5,760, a ‘cozy’ two bed Liverpool home will set you back £5,375, and a house, that sleeps 10, is going for more than £8,000.
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: “At Booking.com we understand that there is huge interest and excitement around the Eurovision Song Contest coming to Liverpool in 2023”.
"While hotels and other accommodations are in complete control of the availability and prices they list on Booking.com, if a customer does have any issues with a booking then our customer service team is available 24/7 to support”.
"This is a great opportunity for properties in Liverpool to showcase their City and be part of ensuring all fans have a positive experience, which starts when they book their accommodation at a great rate”.
“We always actively monitor for any fraudulent activity and can take action as needed, including suspending or removing a property from our platform.”
