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Facebook travel drama continues

Aaron KirbyMandurah Coastal Times

MANDURAH resident Ros Munro is fed up with online frauds after being duped by a Facebook travel agency.

She and around 100 locals held a public meeting in South Yunderup on September 7 in response to being left in the lurch after organising travel plans through Travel 2 Go and No Frills Travel.

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Ms Munro brought multiple tickets to Bali and was told she would receive them 11 weeks before the trip, but more than a year later she still hadn’t been given the tickets.

The agency then asked Ms Munro to pay extra money if she wanted the flights during school holidays.

“It is very upsetting, and we felt we had to do something to stop it,” she said.

The group have taken their complaints to Consumer Protection who have also alerted WA Police’s Major Fraud Squad after negotiations with the owners behind the companies failed.

Ms Munro wasn’t the only one caught out by the travel agencies.

Many of the complainants said they could not get plane tickets for their desired dates or were asked to pay extra money for their tickets to be confirmed and some flew to their destination but found themselves stranded because return flights had either never been booked or been cancelled.

There are now more than 200 complainants who are owed more than $200,000 with some people owed in excess of $25,000.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection Penny Lipscombe said they were disappointed that the money had not been paid out but said Consumer Protection would continue to investigate.

“We are in the process of contacting all of the Travel 2 Go / No Frills Travel complainants to inform them that no refunds are forthcoming and to advise them of their option to go to the Magistrates Court to seek a court order for any money owed,” she said.

“Even though attempts to seek redress for consumers may not work out, we have investigators who can then take over and look at alleged non-compliance with the ACL.

“What I can confirm is that this particular situation has been raised with the WA Police Major Fraud Squad.”

Consumer Protection recommends consumers consider paying with a credit card, due to the ‘chargeback’ option if you don’t get what you paid for within the agreed timeframe, or if the business becomes insolvent, using an accredited travel agent and always reading the terms and conditions.

Affected consumers who have not yet complained should still do so, using the online form at Consumer Protection.

See also: Consumer Protection warning about cheap Bali tickets.