This is what credit card chargebacks are for. The punishment for failing to honour cancellations (which DO NOT have to be via the approved route, provided there

This is what credit card chargebacks are for. The punishment for failing to honour cancellations (which DO NOT have to be via the approved route, provided there is evidence that the company should have seen it - the reply from the CSR drone in the Zagat thread would be enough) is pretty high.