Can I Get a Refund After Booking the Wrong Hotel Dates Online?

Dear Tripped Up,Last Sept.26, I booked a ski trip for my family at a Sheraton Vacation Club property in Steamboat Springs, Colo., for December — or so I thought.

As soon as I saw the confirmation email, I realized I had actually booked a reservation for that very night, Sept.26.

I assume the dates somehow reset as I navigated the website.I canceled the reservation exactly two minutes after purchase and went about my business, bailing water out of my basement as Hurricane Helene approached our home in the Asheville, N.C., area.

We soon lost power for days, and in early October, when I got back online, I found a $560 charge on my credit card for the canceled reservation.I twice called the customer service number listed on the email but could never reach anyone, so I disputed the charge through my credit card, but lost.

I have nearly given up.Can you help? Allison, Candler, N.C.Dear Allison,Federal rules require airlines to refund any reservations canceled within 24 hours of booking.

Does a similar law exist for hotel rooms and vacation rentals?No.But if it did, it wouldn’t have helped you anyway, because of the nature of your error.

The 24-hour cancellation rule for airfare applies only if you book a flight seven or more days in the future; you booked a room for mere hours before your (mistaken) travel dates.This was a very specific kind of slip-up — and an easy one to make on reservation sites where the arrival date defaults to the present day instead of a date a week later or (very helpfully) a blank field.For those who err in other ways, such as getting the month wrong or confusing Monterey, Calif., with Monterrey, Mexico, most properties offer penalty-free cancellation up to two, seven or even 30 days before check-in, terms that are usually pretty clear on websites.

I noticed that the reservation email you received from the Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas in Steamboat Springs on Sept.26 said you were free to cancel until Sept.

23, which would have b...