Barmy Army’s double cricket trip charge whammy
An article in the Herald Sun says that hundreds of English cricket fans have been left thousands of dollars out of pocket after a travel company they used to attend the recent Ashes series collapsed.
More than 200 members of the passionate Barmy Army were hit for six after being unexpectedly billed by Australian hotels for accommodation costs, this was despite having already paid specialised travel agent Travel and Tours Anywhere Ltd (TTAL) ahead of the trip Down Under.
Some fans returned home to discover their credit cards had been hit with bills of up to $1450, with one man having $300 taken from his account in June, six months after the Aussies won the Ashes series.
Essex credit manager Richard Smith was slugged more than $1400 in January despite winning an all-expenses paid trip to the Sydney and Melbourne Tests through English newspaper the Sun.
He has been forced to defer his mortgage in a desperate attempt to rid himself of debt. “This has dropped me deep in the smelly stuff,” Mr Smith said. “I’m a single guy and I haven’t had a pay rise in three years and there’s no way in a million years I can afford a holiday to Oz.”
He said he was shocked that money could be withdrawn from his account without warning. “It’s all quite worrying that this money can be taken,” he said. “I was never told this was going to happen and it’s dropped me in it big time.
“I just don’t know which way to turn at the moment.” “This has tainted the holiday.” “We went over there and had the time of our life.” “It was absolutely brilliant, it’s the country I’ve always wanted to go to.”
Several Australian hotels started charging English fans after TTAL went into liquidation and couldn’t pay them.
Barmy Army spokesman Paul Burnham said complaints had been made to the Civil Aviation Authority, the company responsible for overseas travel in the UK. “I think it’s resolving itself.” “I think the right thing is being done by everybody but we just need to wait a couple of weeks,” Mr Burnham said.
“It’s not the Aussie hotels’ fault, it’s not the Barmy Army’s fault and it’s certainly not the customers’ fault.” “The company we used caused all the problems.”
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism