Tourist denied refund after dream trip crashes
Scrutinise travel agencies' booking cancellation T&Cs
Matshepo Pole’s dream of travelling to Thailand last year was dashed due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pole and her friends bought their group travel package in January last year with the expectation of travelling from September 16 to 21.
Pole, from Katlehong, on the East Rand, was informed by STA Travel, the company she had booked with, that they do not do refunds but instead, she and her group would be given a two-year voucher for their trip.
This was to be the last communication that Pole would receive from the company.
The group of friends tried to contact the company in July but were sent from pillar to post, Pole said.
Since then, they have not been able to get hold of anybody from the company.
“We saw on the internet that the company was closing.”
In November last year, STA Travel South Africa announced that it was being liquidated. The international company had filed for insolvency. This left hundreds of people wondering what would happen to their monies.
Would they get refunds? Many like Pole are still wondering and are looking for ways to get their money back.
The travellers have started Facebook groups such as STA Travel Claimback and STA Refunds which Pole is a part of.
She says she has become distrustful of travel companies. Pole says she and the five other members of the group had each contributed R2,000 towards the trip. STA Travel was known for facilitating budget/student friendly travel.
“They should have communicated with everybody that paid even if it was a small amount of money but it’s money that people worked for. How are we going to trust other travel agencies after this?
“I want my money back. There are other people sharing information on different ways to try get our money back.
“We shouldn’t have to find stuff out in the media because when we buy, we don’t buy from the media, we buy from the company.”
Pole might be in for a long wait but she is not giving up, though her wanderlust has been dampened for now.
“[People] shouldn’t even think of travelling at this moment, probably they should travel after five years, when everything has settled down.”
Consumers can never know if a company will stop trading but there are things to look out for to keep you safe in future.
“Those booked with companies that have since gone under liquidation have to wait for the process to unfold and see if they will be refunded or not which is based on whether there are funds available,” says Sizakele Majola of SSM Global Holidays.
“It is advisable that consumers pay for packages using their credit cards such as Visa/Mastercard; some of these come with a free insurance that refunds the consumers in an event such as the pandemic. Terms vary from one company to another,”
SA is now back on level 1 of the lockdown and the department of home affairs announced last week that it will resume services such as the applications and collections of passports for all categories that were suspended under adjusted level 3 .
So, before you book that holiday, Majola advises you vet the company you’re booking with and check for flexibility.
“Ensure the company is CIPC [Companies and Intellectual Property Commission] or Sars [SA Revenue Service] registered, check reviews on the company page, Hello Peter, Google etc. Asata (Association of Southern African Travel Agents) affiliation is also very important as consumers are able to lay formal complaints to Asata should the need arise.
“When signing a booking form, consumers need to ensure that the package is flexible, they need to insist on that; flight dates, names or even accommodation must be flexible and allow dates to be changed at no extra costs.
“If there is no flexibility, consumers can expect to pay a certain charge when making amendments or cancelling.
“With the pandemic, most airlines and some accommodation establishments are offering these services at no extra cost.”
Majola says that although it was normal before the pandemic to book a travel package and not extend it, now consumers should and must insist on flexibility for at least a minimum of 12 months.
“So the extension of a package is all dependent on the flexibility of the airline or accommodation establishment booked; 12 months does give one a bit of a room.’’
Majola says consumers need to be aware of the implications of cancellation when booking a package. Ask questions.
“It is always advisable to postpone rather than cancel as this usually carries little penalty or none. When travelling locally, it is advisable to check the cancellation policies and also the flexibility of the airline/hotel. Again, postpone rather than cancel.”