I have thought long and hard about these forum posts in light of the one that I came across which was very negative (indirectly) about me since I was the person taking care of the group mentioned. As I stated previously, I have nothing to lose for I am no longer involved in the travel industry but it annoys me to see that someone who gave me a chance when I needed it most being butchered endlessly on these forums.

I worked for Kenneth Hieber for 4 years and in that time, I learned exceptional lessons about how to treat people with dignity and respect. You can tell if you read this initial post, and then mine, that there is no congruency between what was written and what was actual. Yet the tour operator bears the brunt of such posts. There is clearly lost business and an enormous amount of ill will.

Look at these remarks which will never go away.

Iowa_Redhead (on Fodors) writes

Beyond that, there's no reason to "make this go away". It shouldn't be deleted just because it's a bad review, those are just as important, if not more so, than good reviews. There's no solid reason to believe that the OP is a fake review from a competitor. I'd be interested to see the 2Afrika side of this situation.

My point of view

Of course it SHOULD be deleted for it is inaccurate on every level. It is not a bad review, it is simply a bad vindictive post from someone who believed that he should not have lost money that he believed that he earned by fleecing his friends. This is not a REPORT to which anyone ought to pay any attention, it is an act of victimization.

Safari_Craig (on Fodors) writes

Hi Iowa_Redhead. My concern is that this exact same review appeared on Trip Advisor and Frommers as well. The OP has never come back to provide more info. I have taken no action but agree that 2Afrika may want to jump in.

My point of view

Look at the fact that this malicious inaccurate report is not only on Fodors, it is on Trip Advisor and Frommers also. How damaging is that for any business, particularly now since you know my side of the story and can fully comprehend that this entire post is untrue.

Atravelynn (on Fodors) writes

Somebody could send this link to 2Afrika so they can respond. I recall something like that happening in the past and a thread WAS pulled from Fodors that contained baseless criticism.
If you do return OP, tell the BBB! And your credit card company if you used one!
Either way this post is outrageous whether 2Afrika is screwing clients or Pompano is libeling an innocent agent.

My point of view

I would have thought that in all fairness, it would have been good to let 2Afrika know about this post. Perhaps that did happen but as I pointed out, Kenneth Hieber no longer visits these forums nor posts on them for as he used to tell me, they are extremely demoralizing and damaging, and now, I see why he always said that and I agree with him. What bothers me about this post is that it has been suggested that pompanotvl tells the BBB and a credit card company. Can you imagine the stress that would have on a small business trying to prove these facts against an improper post?

Atravelynn (on Fodors) writes

What happened to you and your party is certainly not fair either. I hope 2Afrika offers you at least a partial refund for unacceptable service.

My point of view

Without the facts which I have supplied, I understand why one would state that “What happened to you and your party is certainly not fair either,” however inappropriate that is now. And on the partial refund for unacceptable service – again I resent that for my service was more than acceptable. Their behavior and incessant changing and canceling and required upgrades into single rooms is in fact the unacceptable factor in this regard and they should not earn one penny more than they already did. In fact, if I were still at GAY2AFRIKA were it still operational, I would invoice them for unpaid costs.

P_M (on Fodors) writes

I'm hoping to take a safari in the next couple of years and I have looked at this company but I will probably book elsewhere. Thanks for the review.

My point of view

What a shame that one can base a travel decision on the absolute deceit of a malicious post. This is not a review – it is a defamatory malicious post. I hate the fact that P_M referes to this as a REVIEW for that’s the last thing that it is. Sad that a well standing company loses business due to this post.

Pody22 (on Fodors) writes

Sorry POMPANOTVL,I take note of your complaint and is at pain as I read your second comment.Thanks for this advise and please do not stop stating your views on this forum.

My point of view

DO STOP – you are not accurate in what you are posting. When you decide to tell the truth about your behavior and the entire truth, by all means yes, come back and post. But as long as you continue posting improper inaccurate posts, you’re better off staying away and not misleading other people with your deceit.

Sandi (on Fodors) writes

Pompanotvl - thanks for getting back to our comments and clarify concerns. I second the suggestion you report this to the BBB (NYC or NJ).

My point of view

If the BBB spends time wading through clear and evident lies like this, can you imagine their day and their workload – all at taxpayer dollars? Can you imagine the stress on small business trying to defend itself? Frankly, I should communicate with Kenneth Hieber myself and IF pomanotvl does report this to the BBB, I will undertake to respond to them myself with the accurate facts and not this nonsense which has been written.

QUESTION

I know that this group departed in October 2010 for as I pointed out, I was responsible for finalizing them. Why does this post appear 14-months later then? If this was such a disastrous tour, why was this not commented on immediately upon the groups return home? If these forums are to be for the use of other potential travelers, why wait 14-months to advise them? Is this just someone waking up in a bad mood one morning and deciding to ‘get someone’? My question makes perfect sense to me after such a long period of silence.

OBSERVATION

To state that “He and his staff are seriously unhinged and unreliable” is an insult on myself that I will not take kindly to. I am extremely hinged and very reliable with all that I do – and so I for one will not tolerate rudeness and inappropriate behavior from anyone. Furthermore, note how this entire post is aimed directly at Kenneth Hieber when I have made is perfectly clear that I was the one dealing with finalizing this group.

REVIEW THE POST

“At some point after paying for the trip, Kenneth just got tired of us and stopped communications. No matter how much we attempted to communicate, he just refused to speak to us or answer emails.”

I resent this remark also for I was the one communicating. To insinuate that I was not doing my job properly is entirely inaccurate. Of course Kenneth Hieber did not respond for the entire file was handed to me to take care of and I did.

“I would go back to South Africa but would absolutely not with Kenneth Heiber of 2AFRIKA again. He and his staff are seriously unhinged and unreliable.”

My point of view is that I hope he and his group would not travel with 2AFRIKA or GAY2AFRIKA again. As I pointed out to Kenneth Hieber on many occasions, this is not the type of business he should be doing under any circumstances. It is BAD business. I hope that this group never travels with Kenneth Hieber again and if they do approach him for services, I hope that he has the sense to turn them away. No one needs to be treated like this at all.

“Customer service - Non-existant”

I am reminded how inappropriate we all can be when we do not get our own way every step of the way. I worked my best for this group and to read this insults my intelligence on every level.

BAD NEWS FOR 2AFRIKA

If you look at how this post displays on these forums, you will see that it is tagged to Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania which means that anyone going to any forum to try and find an unbiased opinion and a true reflection on the 2AFRIKA I know will be tainted by this vicious post and the company which previously supported me by way of employment will no doubt feel the impact of that. Again I think that this is immoral and improper and very unfair since these people only traveled to South Africa and Zambia but yet they chose vindictively to deface the company in all of the marketplaces that it promotes. That is simply wrong in my opinion and should not be allowed at all.

CLOSING

If you might be wondering why I am so vocal about this post, may I remind you that this is a direct slander at me. Unfortunately Kenneth Hieber and his company are the ones taking the brunt of it. I am the one that is annoyed that 2AFRIKA did not respond to this post and set the record straight. My point of view is that they should have but since I am no longer employed there, I have no say other than to post this which I believe is the right thing to do, not only for myself but also for my former employer who treated me very well indeed.

It makes me realize that coming to these forums for knowledge is not necessarily the right thing to do, particularly since I came across this inaccurate derogatory post. Perhaps there are many more out there which might be the same against other companies which are being held as ‘true’ and otherwise causing other organizations unnecessary issues. I will spend the next few days reviewing the posts on 2AFRIKA and GAY2AFRIKA and Kenneth Hieber and where I know them to be inaccurate, I will have no hesitation in pointing them out. Where I know that they are legitimate, I will point that out also.

I will not but I do hope that someone does forward this entire thread to Kenneth Hieber for him to review. I will however forward this entire thread to the BBB of New York and New Jersey ahead of the poster in the hope that both of those offices realize too how their time can be wasted.

To those of you who acknowledged the well intended spirit of my initial post, my thanks to you. J