UK tourists will be left stranded over unpaid bills, warns irate agent
Monday, 27 Apr, 2011
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The owner of a Greek travel agency has warned that many British tourists will be left stranded at airports after liquidated company Taxi Transfers went under, owing suppliers thousands of euros.
Teeside accountants Taylor Rowlands were brought in to liquidate the failed business last week.
Zante-based Deborah Hills’ claimed her company Best of Zante was owed E6000 by Taxi Transfers, whose assets and forward bookings have now been sold on to UK taxi booking company Cabfind. Cabfind says it is not responsible for Taxi Transfers’ outstanding debt.
Now Hills says she and other suppliers in Zante who have not been paid will refuse to accept bookings associated with Cabfind.
She told TravelMole: “We are owed around E6000 and as a small family business this is a huge loss to us. Despite reports in the travel press by Cabfind that they have contacted all suppliers who have agreed to carry on working as usual I can assure you that they have not contacted us in any way and are just sending us bookings as if nothing has happened.
“I think that it is important that agents and the trade realise that if they are going to work with companies who do not pay their suppliers their customers will find themselves at airports without any services provided to them. I can assure you that we will not be carrying any guests for this company in either Athens or Zante.”
Hills said she held a meeting with unpaid taxi drivers on the island on Tuesday and the mood was dark. “Times are hard enough here in Greece with the economy without this happening. The drivers won’t work for any company, no matter how big, if they think there’s a chance of this happening again.”
She said that the bookings from Cabfind were still coming in, despite her ignoring them.
“They have been sending us bookings ever since the liquidation. We won’t be carrying them out though."
Mark Sutton, a director and 20% shareholder of Taxi Transfers has been retained by Cabfind along with six other members of staff. He dismissed claims that suppliers in Zante were refusing to work with Cabfind.
"This is one girl who is miffed over an unpaid invoice, which we disputed. We’re not working with her any more and that’s why she’s making a fuss, but I can assure agents our clients will not be left stranded because we have a new contract with a new supplier in Zante."
Sutton admitted five bookings had been sent to Hills in error, but these have since been switched to a new suppier, Hellenic Tours. He said Hills was the only supplier unhappy with the situation.
"Not one of our 95 suppliers, including our biggest, has said they won’t continue to work with us and they have all signed new contracts," he said. "We’ve dropped this company in Zante because the service was appalling, but everyone else will be working with us in the future."
Hills responded: “Sutton… was telling us the cheque’s in the post right up until it came out about the liquidation. I think it’s crazy that you can do this and get away with it. We are a small firm and just about hanging in there after this blow.”
She added: “I can only describe the situation as a disgrace which damages the reputation of all honest businesses.”
Best of Zante suffered an even bigger loss after Kiss Flights went under in 2010. It lost a whopping E30,000 in lost payment for hotel bookings through the peak summer months. Hills is still waiting to see if any money will be repaid.
by Dinah Hatch and Linsey McNeill
Dinah
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