Paid & Confirmed Holiday Accommodation Cancelled to Rebook at Higher Rate – Oceans Edge’s Escape (Opulentia Holiday Letting Balito)

Paid & Confirmed Holiday Accommodation Cancelled to Rebook at Higher Rate – Oceans Edge’s Escape (Opulentia Holiday Letting) Review: I am extremely disappointed and shocked by the ********* conduct of Oceans Edge’s Escape in Ballito, managed by Opulentia Holiday Letting, regarding my Booking.com reservation.

Booking Details:

• Property: Oceans Edge’s Escape, Ballito • Managed by: Opulentia Holiday Letting Balito • Booking.com Ref: 6471154303 • PIN: 5980 • Stay Dates: 12–22 December 2025 • Booking made: July 2025 • Paid in full and confirmed for months • Constant communication with the property from day one

My family and I spent months searching for the perfect accommodation for our December holiday. We booked this property early to secure the right place, paid in full, and received written confirmation from both Booking.com and the property. Everything was set for the December holiday that we have planned long in advance. What happened:

On 17 November, I contacted Booking.com to add one extra night (11 December). During the process, the booking system attempted to charge my credit card for the extra night only. IMPORTANT: My credit card number had changed because my bank stopped the card due to *****. I immediately informed the Booking.com agent and asked if I could make the payment manually. I was told no, and that the system would collect it automatically. I updated my card nr on the bookings.com system but, the payment for the extra night only still failed.

⚠️ Booking.com then wrongly cancelled my entire 10-night stay — not just the extra day.

I contacted both Booking.com and Opulentia Holiday Letting immediately. I kept calling, messaging, and following up. Eventually, both Booking.com and the property confirmed IN WRITING that the booking had been reinstated. The real problem:

22 November, I have been informed that the property has decided to cancel my fully paid, confirmed, reinstated booking — again — less than three weeks before my arrival date.

The only reasonable explanation given is that the property now wants to resell my dates at a much higher December rate.

This is *********, unprofessional, and unfair. A property cannot cancel a paid and confirmed holiday reservation months later just because they can now get more money from someone else.

😡 Why this is unacceptable: • My booking was paid in full in July. • It was confirmed for months. • It was reinstated in writing after Booking.com’s system cancelled it mistakenly. • I was in constant contact with the property from the start. • The card change was due to bank *****, not negligence. • The property cancelled less than 3 weeks before arrival — leaving us stranded during peak season. • This appears to be an intentional cancellation to make more money.

This is extremely unfair and causes huge stress and inconvenience for my family. ✔ What I request:

1. Immediate reinstatement of my booking at the original confirmed rate. 2. A written explanation for:

o Why my reinstated booking was cancelled again o Why a fully paid reservation is not honoured 3. 4. Confirmation that my dates will not be resold to someone else at a higher rate. 5. A public acknowledgement of this misconduct by Opulentia Holiday Letting and Oceans Edge’s Escape Balito.

Consumers must be able to trust that a paid, confirmed holiday booking — made months in advance — will be honoured. Cancelling to chase a higher rate is completely unacceptable and violates consumer rights.

I expect urgent action. Ramona Vermaak