Lack of Response on Refund Query

In April I had booked a trip to Europe through Pentravel. I was then unable to secure a VISA appointment as the Italian consulate in Durban advised that due to COVID-19 there were only next available appointment dates in June 2022, and this was after Pentravel advising that the VISA process would take 3 weeks when I enquired before booking. I was prepared to attend the appointment in another province but the Italian consulate confirmed that I will not be able to attend an appointment in another province. I therefore requested Pentravel Menlyn, Maggie Boucher to provide me with the options available. The options presented was to: 1) Get a refund with a penalty of R9,000.00 (R5000 penalty by Pentravel and R4000 by the supplier), on a trip that cost R60,000.00 in total. The trip was split into R16000 for flights by Pentravel and R44000 on accommodation by the supplier 2) Keep the credit with Pentravel should I need to travel again in the year 3) Postpone the holiday I opted for keeping a credit with Pentravel since I still need to visit additional countries in the year. In early June I requested for a quote on accommodation for a trip. I received a quote that was 3 times more than if you booked online independently. While I understand that Pentravel offers a service and the quote will be higher, I was not willing to accept 3x the cost as it is not market related, neither is it value for the additional service offered. I however understood that Pentravel is bound by the conditions they enter into with respective suppliers. I therefore requested that Pentravel refund the accommodation portion of my booking, and waiver the Pentravel penalties of R5000, as I still intend using the R16 000 credit to book flights. I even was willing to pay the penalty for the supplier portion. Maggie had escalated to her manager Elmien Viljoen. I have not received a response to my query yet. My concern is that due to the lack of response on my query, my travel dates are fast approaching and I may miss the opportunity to use the credit. An urgent response is required. Furthermore, while it is understood that Pentravel takes no liability over VISA arrangements, there should be co operation in this regard as the tourist VISA delays are a national problem due to the pandemic!