Rooms For Africa - Think Twice

I recently made an advance booking (4 months ahead of the actual accommodation date) through Rooms for Africa. Usually I book through more reputable booking agencies who are clear up front about fees involved and stand by their customers and help them with booking issues – this is NOT the case for Rooms for Africa. I failed to notice the fine print cancellation policy – or should I say NO CANCELLATION POLICY as the accommodation I booked in advance charged my credit card 50% of the total fee within minutes of the booking! THEN I discovered they charge 35% of the deposit for any cancellation 0- 21 days before the booking begins. In other words, the minute you book with them you’re on the hook for 35% of the deposit they instantly collected NO MATTER WHEN OR UNDER WHAT circumstances you might need to cancel. I had not thought of cancelling the booking but wanted to be aware of the policy – since I am staying at many different accommodations over an extended period. When I found out how this greedy B&B does business I was so appalled I wanted to cancel. Guess what? They refused to cancel without charging me 35% of the deposit they had already collected four months in advance. Can this be legal???? All I can hope is that the exchange rate moves to my favor between August and January and they end up renting to me for a fraction of what they could have gotten by just cancelling, refunding my deposit in full, and rebooking. Feel like I got ****** and gobbled up by desperate, greedy people. As it stands I am staying there January 3 – 30. I am not happy about this but they are not going to get 35% of the deposit they collected. This is a very ******* way of booking accommodations – they should be challenged legally! In fact, I may just consider that via Small Claims Court!

I WILL NEVER USE ROOMS FOR AFRICA AGAIN! :O(