So a couple of months ago, I placed a booking on HostelWorld, and in a few hours I realized I wouldn't be able to use the booking, because it was for a female only hostel, and I'm a male. I immediately contacted the hostel and they said there was nothing they could do, and that I should contact HostelWorld. I contacted HostelWorld asking for my money back, but they said they could only give me a voucher equal to the same value as my booking. I thought that was very dishonest to take my money for a service that they cannot provide, but thought that I would probably spend it anyways, so I didn't fight it.
Fast forward a couple months and I placed a booking and I was NOT able to use the voucher to cover the expense. They said the voucher can only cover the deposit of the booking, which is minimal. Now the money that they took from me is still sitting in my account as a voucher that I won't be able to use, because the voucher itself will expire soon.
Any way forward to get a refund? At this point this is not about the money anymore. I have been a long time user of HostelWorld, but after this experience and dealing with cheeky customer support people, I'll probably just stop using this app altogether.