Cancer Patient Denied Refund for Canceled Villa Rental Amid Family Crisis
Translated & summarized from Walla by baba
A cancer patient, Daniella Bohnik, is suing a villa rental company for NIS 15,000 after it refused to refund her deposit and charged her additional fees following her cancellation due to her father's critical medical condition. The company claims she canceled too late and offered a reduced fee, while Bohnik alleges improper charges and lack of transparency.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Cancer patient Daniella Bohnik canceled a NIS 17,000 villa rental due to her father's critical illness.
- She claims the villa refused a refund and charged her NIS 5,000 despite her family's crisis.
- Bohnik alleges the villa improperly charged her credit card without consent.
- The villa states she canceled after the policy deadline and was charged only the actual loss.
- Bohnik is suing for NIS 15,000 in small claims court.
- She is also a cancer patient who recently returned to work after being evacuated on October 7th.
Daniella Bohnik, a resident of Mivtahim near the Gaza border, booked a villa in Migdal for her son's bar mitzvah celebration in August, six months in advance. However, just 18 days before the scheduled check-in, her father suffered a severe medical emergency and was admitted to intensive care.
After learning the full extent of her father's critical condition on August 1st, Bohnik attempted to cancel the reservation. She claims the villa's representative responded dismissively, stating they wouldn't cancel even with a death certificate and had not canceled during the pandemic or war. Bohnik was initially told her NIS 3,000 deposit would not be refunded and she owed an additional NIS 8,500.
Bohnik alleges that her family's attempts to find alternative renters willing to pay the full NIS 17,000 booking price were rejected by the villa. Subsequently, she was informed the villa found another client who paid NIS 13,000 for the same dates, yet she was still asked to cover a NIS 5,000 difference. She claims she never received documentation for this alternative booking or the amount paid.
Despite her objections, Bohnik states her credit card was charged an additional NIS 2,000 on August 31st, bringing the total debited to NIS 5,000. Bohnik, who is also battling cancer and recently returned to work in Netiv Ha'asara after being evacuated on October 7th, expressed deep disappointment, stating the planned vacation was meant to be a moment of joy after a difficult period. She is now suing for NIS 15,000 in small claims court.
Her lawyer, Shelly Hayat, argues that the business acted improperly by charging the credit card without explicit consent and by failing to provide proper documentation for the transaction and cancellation terms. The villa's sales representative, Efrat, stated that Bohnik canceled long after the allowed period and that the villa offered a "generous cancellation policy," charging only 50% of the cost. She added that the villa managed to re-rent the property at a lower price, and Bohnik was only asked to cover the actual loss, which was less than a third of the original cost, asserting that small businesses cannot absorb such losses.