1. Do not ever email your CC information. To anyone and for any reason. It's not likely secure.

2. You can provide CC information by telephone or via secure web form (most booking engines are that).

3. Cancel if you can and want. But, make sure you've got similar or better acommodations lined up first. Cutting nose to spite face if you cancel and wind up paying triple somewhere else.

4. Before you get on your high horse about your contract, understand that "Europe" is a big place. Local consumer rules may or may not apply. In addition, local properties do what they want. Ask yourself whether you would prefer to have the property cancel and tell you to pound sand, even if you can recover a pittance 7 years from now?

5. If you really want to make a fuss, make sure that there's no provision allowing the property to require an advance deposit. There usually is. You have then really cut off your nose to spite your face. You don't provide the CC guarantee and wind up having to overnight a check or wire funds.