Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
DREAM TRIP IN TATTERS
Youngsters raging and out of pocket after late States call-off
A group of young Coatbridge dancers’ dream trip to the US turned into a nightmare after it was called off just three days before they were due to jet out – leaving them and their families £30,000 out of pocket.
The party of 28 – comprising mostly performers from Firebird Dance Company aged between 11 and 18 – were set to fly out on Saturday to enjoy classes at the prestigious Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles as well as a trip to Disneyland.
But just 72 hours before departure, dance school owner Natalie Skinner was emailed by the company she had booked the trip with informing her the entire visit – some 18 months in the making – had been cancelled.
Natalie, 24, was told it was being rescheduled until February because another school due to take part had dropped out – a claim she insists is “completely untrue”.
Excited youngsters at Coatbridge’s Firebird Dance Company should have been spinning on cloud nine as they put the finishing touches to their packing for a trip to Los Angeles which had been 18 months in the making.
But, less than three days before they were due to jet off to the States, their American dream turned into a nightmare when they were informed the week-long excursion had been cancelled.
The 28-strong group – most of whom were performers aged 11 to 18 – have been left “absolutely devastated” by the “unacceptable and heartbreaking” news, which has cost them and their families £30,000.
The talented young dancers had been set to fly out to Los Angeles on Saturday to take in a trip involving classes at the prestigious Millennium Dance Complex, a day at Disneyland California and a stay in a three-star hotel.
However, less than 72 hours before departure, stunned studio owner Natalie Skinner was emailed by the company she had booked with – Connect Your Talent – to inform her the entire trip had been cancelled.
Natalie, 24, was told it was being rescheduled to February due to another school expected to take part in the journey dropping out – which she says is “completely untrue”; and claims she subsequently discovered their flights, hotel and day at Disneyland “had never been booked in the first place”.
Natalie told the Advertiser: “My students and I are absolutely devastated by the unacceptable and heart b reaking lat e cancellation.
“The kids understand it’s not their parents or I who are to blame but are still upset when they found out they weren’t going to LA. They were so excited about the chance to dance there and are now absolutely crushed.
“In total, with what we paid for the kids, and fees their parents had to pay, we are looking at a £30,000 loss.
“We have been counting down the days for the last year and a half when we had our meeting with Connect Your Talent and started paying up our trip.
“At the start of last week I got a message confirming we would receive our final itinerary and everything we needed for our flight.
“After receiving nothing by Tuesday I was beginning to panic and got in touch with Connect Your Talent but my messages were ignored.
“On Wednesday morning I demanded the information we were due and then received an email telling us they were moving our trip to February and our hotel dates had been changed.
“This was supposedly because of another school dropping out, despite us booking our trip as a solo group and not being aware of any other school; this was completely untrue.”
Natalie claims subsequent investigations she conducted discovered more alarming information, adding: “I called up the hotel, airline and Disneyland and it turns out we were never booked up with them in the first place; neither were our coach transfers and pre- booked activities that we paid for.
“It’s astonishing that they have cancelled this trip three days before we were supposed to go. I told them this was unacceptable and that we couldn’t believe they would even try to do this to children and families, especially with one of our dancers flying to meet us in LA from Singapore.”
Natalie now faces an uncertain battle to try to recoup the £30,000 loss – a fight that is being assisted by the setting up of a GoFundMe page which has so far raised £400.
She said: “It is petrifying to think that, without questioning Connect Your Talent, they would have allowed a party of 28 people – 14 of them young children – to turn up at Edinburgh airport to discover there was never a trip booked for them.
“I have contacted Connect Your Talent a few times since Wednesday but the silence is deafening.
“We are in the process of trying to sort this mess out and will be fighting for a full refund.
“I had never dealt with the company before but spoke with members of other dance schools who travelled to LA with Connect Your Talent and had a great time.
“But I would hate for this to happen to other dancers so hopefully our story, as sad and frustrating as it is, will act as a warning to others.”
Coatbridge MSP Fulton MacGregor has called on Connect Your Talent to refund “all costs” and apologise “unreservedly” to the dance school, adding: “I am very disappointed for the young performers who have had their hopes and aspirations taken away from them in such a dismissive manner.
“I would also question the ethics of Connect Your Talent in accepting significant amounts of money from the families of the Firebird students in return for the promise of a trip of a lifetime which, from the information made available from the travel company themselves, was never going to have got off the ground in the first place.
“I will be seeking a full and honest explanation from the travel company regarding the absence of flight and accommodation bookings; and the previously unknown caveat of the involvement of anther dance school.
“As an absolute priority, Connect Your Talent must make an unreserved apology to Firebird Dance Company for the mess they have created and process a refund of all costs without hesitation.”
A spokesperson for Connect Your Talent said: “Unfortunately, the event scheduled for Firebird had to be cancelled because so many people had withdrawn that it was impractical to continue with so few participants.
“We have offered an alternative date and look forward to providing our usual high standards.
“We are anxious to work towards a mutually acceptable solution.”
To donate to Firebird Dance Company’s GoFundMe page, search for “Help Firebird Dance Company” on the crowdfunding website.
My students and I are absolutely devastated by the unacceptable and heartbreaking late cancellation