I read the first few pages of this and was/am totally unimpressed.
Vote with your fins.
If you don't like how an op is run, don't use them. If you don't like a non-refundable find another ride. Some ops are just too small and have too thin of a margin to be able to be able to do it differently.
I booked trip o a sixpack but was not able make it. I'm not rich, no one in the dive industry is, but I did not request a refund. I'm pretty sure it was non-refundable at that, and I accepted that. I certainly didn't cripe about it and would gladly book that ride again.
I certainly didn't feel pressured to get on that boat. My intestines called that trip, and within a few minutes of them leaving the dock, I was in the johnny... again. Mind you, I had a buddy on that dive, so I waited around until they got back about 4 hours later.
Calling a dive isn't always easy. You prep not only your gear, but your psyche as well. That's more compelling than a few bucks to me. If you're so strapped that you can't afford to support the boat, then make a wiser choice. Don't expect them to take the hit if they've spelled out their policies.
Just my opinion. Dive and let dive. Life's too short to worry about the little stuff, and this seems like little stuff. Well, at least to me!