Running the place like a spade shop

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post, not only because I have been inconvenienced but because it has been done by a Brownie I deliberately set out to use.

3 months ago (November) I made contact with several guesthouses & or bnb's (In East London) for the upcoming weekend. I was looking for 10 rooms to host individuals from Durban. Upon receiving numerous quotations & viewing countless places. I went with Bibby's Guesthouse in Bunkers Hill. I personally went there to make sure the place was up to standard for the people I was to host. Before I made any payments I was advised by one of the ladies (Olwethu) to wait for the managers confirmation on whether I could pay. A day later I was given the go ahead. R9300 was paid as deposit & the rest was to be paid upon arrival. On the 29th December I received a call from one of the ladies at reception (Unathi) telling me that the bnb had burnt down & that they could not accommodate me but rather would refund me. Immediately I knew this was a story & advised her to come with solutions not problems. I knew they thought I'm not from East London or something. The following day I drove to the bnb & it was still standing. At this point I know what's going they probably want to change the rate & give it to someone else at a higher price. My suspicions were correct. The front desk ladies confirmed that the owner told them after Xmas that the rate for the ANC weekend would change. She apparently got upset that they had booked the 14 roomed house out at the normal rate. I again advised the ladies with their manager (Zama) that their work politics have nothing to do with me & that I have people to host. I told them a refund was not in my interest & that they must sort it out. I have just received a call from Unathi of Bibby's advising that the owner has booked people in the 10 rooms I have booked & that she wants my account number to send back the money. She says that it is her bnb & that she will do as she sees fit. All of this is communication through her front desk personnel. She refused to be in any form of communication with myself or the other gentleman that had booked the other 4 rooms. I have demanded that the manager send me an email documenting everything thus far. This is the third time I have requested this till today nothing has happened. I feel the need to express my disappointment in how my fellow Black people run their businesses. I seek advice on who I could report this matter to because I know all businesses are registered somewhere. I will not leave this be, people must understand that we too have businesses to run & that their incompetence reflects badly on us. I am livid to say the least

As of this morning I can confirm that Bibby's guesthouse has never rep**** to any of my emails nor was my situation handled with any care or importance. Yesterday (January 8th) I spoke to the manager (Zama) who finally advised that she knew nothing about my problem & that I should speak to the owners. I am now faced with finding accommodation four days before the busiest weekend in the Eastern Cape at exorbitant prices (5K) a day. I am gutted beyond words that our people still continue to run their businesses like a ****a shop

#BibbysinEastLondon #Tourism