I cancelled a reservation in advance, can they still charge me in full?

I made a reservation for a 3 bedroom cabin in Big Bear and put down a $50 deposit. The trip is 3 weeks away and my family told me they cannot go after all. I tried to cancel the reservation with the owner but he is telling me I still need to pay the balance of the rental and they would just hold the money for a future stay. Well the problem is I don't live in the area and will not go there, I told him this and he said that I still have to pay but will forfeit my money if I choose not to re-book. Seems unlawful. I can see a deposit forfeit, but why would I be forced to pay for a cabin I didn't use. He has enough notice of the cancellation. Their policy is misleading, vague, easily misinterpreted, and only benefits them (although they claim it is good for everyone because they allow you to reschdule). The owner is rude and uncooperative. HELP!

Read the worst cancellation policy ever straight from their website. This place is a joke! What can I do?

"Cancellation Policy
We have a great policy - We do not want anyone to lose (you always get a credit towards another stay, with restriction)
1.A $50 cancellation fee per cabin ( $100 for 2 bedroom or more ) to all cancellation Made,up to 12 midnight of the day Reservation is made Cancelation will be made by Email Only, ( fee will be applied to your next stay( NO ONE LOSES ) After 12 PM There are No refunds But a future Credit ( 100% no Fees ). Credits and/or rain checks for future reservations are permitted (with certain restrictions) Non Holiday, Non winter weekend. Credit for a jacuzzi not working to your specification, will be only the difference in price for the non Jacuzzi room. any dispute resulting from a cancellation will cause the free future stay and or credits to be retracted. A Future voucher for one day reservation that is cancelled will only be a one night Free with one night paid midweek. We feel this is a good policy no one loses a reservation and we don't end up with empty cabins.IMPORTANT Reservations made within 72 hours of the day of arrival do not get a cooling off period, but at descretion of cabins4less can be applied to another stayBig Bear Cabins"

Rude and uncooperative are not illegal - unnecessary, but not illegal.

I think the policy is pretty clear - money is not refunded. Charges are subtracted from the rental charge and the balance can be used for future stays.

Maybe it's unfair but it seems like a pretty clear policy.

They can write any policy they want but it will be state law that decides. What state is Big Bear, CA? What documents have you signed that might spell out their "policy". I only see 2 rentals in that area, was it the one owned by the mosley's. I found this policy at Big Bear http://www.big-bear-cabins.com/policies/big-bear-frontier-cancellation-policy.aspx seems pretty straight forward and steep

I will say this from the company side, when you reserve a place they are using that as a estimate for future earnings, if you cancel to close to the time of use they can not rent it out to someone else often.

I scheduled a air plane flight to Mo a couple of weeks ago, it was on Air Tran, and guess what, from the minute I booked the flight, I can not cancel it, and to reschedule is a large fee. But that this their rules.

So you rented under their terms, so you may want to find friends and still go on the trip