FORMER ABTA president and Travelscene sales director John
Harding has hit back at claims by the trade they were not aware the
operator’s accommodation-only brand was unbonded.
Bookings through Travelscene were protected by ABTA and through
its bond with the Civil Aviation Authority. But bookings through
subsidiary brand Citybedz.com offered no financial protection to
consumers.
“We made it very clear, and certainly to the three major
consortia – Advantage, Worldchoice and Midconsort –
that Citybedz was a non-bonded product at the time of negotiating
agreements,” Harding said.
In July former Travelscene marketing manager Louise Newton said
80% of Citybedz sales were from agents.
But Advantage Travel Centres head of commercial Julia Lo
Bue-Said said: “As demand has grown for room-only, the bonding
issue has become clouded. Agents were probably not aware Citybedz
was unbonded.”
Lo Bue-Said said, where bookings were made on credit cards, it
was likely clients would claim money back from the credit card
company, which would then claim money from the agent.
Association of ATOL Companies legal adviser Alan Bowen described
Travelscene’s inclusion of unbonded accommodation-only
components in its brochure as “a little crafty”.
He said: “It was not illegal and was in the booking conditions,
but I suspect a lot of clients had no idea and think they will be
covered by ABTA or the CAA. When they realise they aren’t,
they’ll go to the credit card company to claim, and who does
the credit card company come back to? The travel industry.”
Thomas Cook’s accommodation-only business,
roomsandhotels.com, will change its booking conditions to stress it
is protected by its ABTA bond after being contacted by Travel
Weekly.
Cosmos said its somewhere2stay.com bookings were not covered by
ABTA, but instead came under its Federation of Tour Operators
bonding.
Sunvil Holidays managing director Noel Josephides has called for
urgent Government action to fill holes in legislation.