Go Travel chases E-Clear for £300k

Another travel firm has revealed it is chasing payments from E-Clear, the credit card processing firm linked to the failure of Scottish operator Globespan before Christmas.

Canadian operator Go Travel has threatened to pursue the £300,000 it claims it is owed through the UK courts, according to reports today.

Founder Hugh Boyle has personally been chasing the money since before Christmas and, on one occasion, Travel Weekly understands staged a sit in at the Mayfair offices of E-Clear.

Reports have said that Boyle has now instructed a firm of solicitors to go through legal channels to chase the money after what he said were repeated broken promises from E-Clear to pay up.

The overdue payments are said to date back eight months and relate to Canadian holidaymakers who had paid for Caribbean trips with their credit cards.

Before Christmas E-Clear was requested by Globespan administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to place the £35 million it owed the operator in a joint bank account.

E-Clear has been accused of withholding payments to Globespan and Scottish politicians have called for an investigation into the role it played in the collapse.

However, E-Clear has claimed it had to protect its position from potential charge backs from customers after Globespan lost its credit insurance.

Speaking exclusively to Travel Weekly before Christmas, E-Clear chief executive Elias Elia insisted the firm’s finances were sound, despite question marks being raised due to delayed payments to clients.