UK couple spits fire over refusal to refund

This is after the lodge allegedly refused to refund them and opted to offer the couple a voucher for 2021 which they declined.

Malcom Rose said their insurance company refused to cover the safari cost due to the fact that they were offered a voucher.

“Our insurance have advised that it’s our legal right to claim our money back as no service was received,” he said.

The couple had to cancel their booking and returned to the UK due to South Africa going into lockdown.

Their stay was scheduled from 25 March.

Rose said they were unhappy with the way their booking was handled.

“We contacted Vuyani who immediately advised that this trip was not refundable under any circumstances but they were prepared to offer a voucher for 2021 which we declined.

“What is even more upsetting is the tone of the correspondence and the false accusations, even to the extend of refusing to extend the voucher if we dare to complain to the media,” Rose said.

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He said he has explained that returning to SA was not feasible due to his age and they were now faced with the difficulty of getting travel insurance which they said was expiring on 6 August.

Owner of the lodge Bernard Koppes said the couple fabricated the allegations stating that Rose had been extremely aggressive and threatening while all sorts of options have been offered.

“We are, due to banking and forex regulations, not even allowed to refund, and so we offered any new dates for 2021 and 2022. Plus the booking, as it appears, was not even with us directly, and the

terms and conditions were clear. We offered new dates outside of these terms, as we were generous,” he said.

He said their UK solicitor had been advised and they were preparing a lawsuit in the UK for libel.

“We will sue for compensation for loss of reputation based on unreasonable and unlawful demands. This will get very expensive for them. The partners of the lodge group have been appalled at the

behavior of this particular client, and he is a total exception. We have had over 300 bookings re-booked for next year. That is best practice in the industry. But some make this story about themselves, and themselves only,” concluded Bernard.

The couple said they chose Vuyani after their friends made recommendations.

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“Friends in the UK had been to Vuyani on two separate occasions and praised the lodge and its location. Having worked in the travel industry all our lives we always believe in recommendations.

Also, we were celebrating my wife’s retirement and despite the fact that we have travelled considerably, she had never been to Africa and was dreaming of a safari. We also read reviews on

Tripadvisor and all of them were very positive. However, it appears that any adverse comments were removed,” he said.

Rose said they were aware of the refund conditions published by Vuyani when they made a reservation in August 2019.

“No one expected a global pandemic. We travelled from the UK to South Africa on 15 March. More or less as soon as we arrived the country commenced restrictions and on 25 March it went into

lockdown. So we had to return to London without completing our dream safari as the UK government were recommending all citizens overseas to return,” said Rose.

He said the owner failed to understand that the couple are in the vulnerable age group. “We cannot foresee what will happen in the future but we know that we are not going to take a long haul trip

in the foreseeable future especially as it is nearly impossible to get insured at my age. Also its complete lack of care would make us think again at going to Vuyani,” he said.