If there is one decision in Bill Irwin’s 50 year travel career he will never regret, it’s the day he refunded customers out of his own pocket after the collapse of Clarksons Holidays in 1974.
That one decision meant none of his customers lost any money, earned him write ups in the national newspapers, increased repeat client numbers and boosted his reputation while other holidaymakers waited a year to get their money back.
The failure of Court Line, parent company of Clarksons, was the largest in British air transport history, stranding 49,000 holidaymakers overseas, 40,000 of which were Clarksons’ customers.
For Bill, a director for Fairtax Travel at the time, an agency with four branches, it highlighted the lack of a financial protection safety net.
He says: “There was no refund policy, no letters of authorisation to take on the debt. Basically people lost their money.
“My managing director asked me what my bank account was like and I said it was quite healthy. He asked if I could do complete refunds for my customers.”
The next morning, Bill rebooked and paid for all his customers to go on similar holidays with other operators. “We didn’t have computers so I looked through the brochures. I went on the phone at 9am and rebooked them all, it took me two hours. It cost thousands of pounds but not one customer lost their money or holiday,” recalls Bill proudly. “You have to look after your customers.”
It took a year for Bill and other holidaymakers to get a refund from government.
He adds: “The result was we got our money back, and at the time we were mentioned in the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph, which drew reference to our company as one which had taken this on board as an obligation.
“The industry always gets a bad reputation when companies go under but it must now be one of the safest industries there are.”
Since Bill started his career as a travel agent in 1962, keeping the customer happy has always been his focus, which can mean telling them what they don’t want to hear.
“I have survived 50 years in this business by being honest with the customer, giving them the right recommendations and looking after them. I will tell a customer frankly but nicely if a holiday is unsuitable,” says Bill, who has just turned 70 and has some clients who have stayed with him for more than 30 years.
He’s now moved the business off the high-street and works in a purpose built office attached to his home, with a separate entrance, but he’s not planning his retirement yet.
“I still have the appetite for this job I had all those years ago. Perhaps I will retire in another couple of years…”