ABTA revamp ‘bad news for customers’ – Travel Counsellors
Customers losing protection against ABTA travel agency failure under changes being introduced by the association is “bad news”, according to the boss of Travel Counsellors.
The homeworking agency’s chairman David Speakman said: “This latest move by ABTA is extremely bad news for customers.
“Even if they book with an ABTA agent, if that agent fails the new rules means they will not get their money back.”
His company left ABTA and created a Financial Trust, independently administered by the Barclays Bank Trust Company, in September 2004 due to “loopholes in the financial protection” offered by the association and ATOL.
Speakman added: “There is no doubt that establishing the Travel Counsellors Trust was the right thing to do. It gives our customers a copper bottomed guarantee that their money is 100% protected.”
An example of when the company’s Trust came into effect was after the failure of low cost airline EUJet last year. Three Travel Counsellors’ customers who booked by debit card and so were not covered by their credit card company received full reimbursement.
If they had booked independently or through an ABTA agent they would have lost their money under the association’s new guidelines, according to Travel Counsellors.
Phil Davies
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