Club Travel to assist with bookings after collapse of travel agencies

FOLLOWING the collapse of Kerry-based Slattery’s and Stein Travel and their subsidiaries, another travel agent has been drafted in to deal with all existing bookings which the companies had.

Dublin-based Club Travel will take over and complete all existing bookings and will assist those booked with the affected companies, who operated under the umbrella name Turing Ltd, in completing claims for refunds. According to the Commission for Aviation Regulation, all customers will receive a letter/email and claim form shortly which they will be asked to complete as soon as possible.

It said those travelling before the end of September will be given priority and it asked those travelling after that to be patient. “Clients already overseas should note their travel tickets are still valid... and they should continue with travel and other arrangements as paid for and booked via Turing Ltd.”

It said if travellers already abroad are asked to pay for accommodation because they have not been paid by the travel agents those people have a number of options:

* Pay the accommodation provider again and claim a refund from the commission on return.

* Ask the accommodation provider to continue with existing arrangements and to await payment from the commission which it will make once it receives the claim form.

* If the accommodation provider is unwilling to allow the clients remain in the accommodation arranged via Turing Ltd or unwilling to accept a payment for the accommodation from the client, make alternative accommodation arrangements of a standard similar to that booked and again fill out the commission’s claim form.

Meanwhile, Slattery Travel in Fermoy, which has nothing to do with the Slattery’s Travel in Tralee which ceased trading, has been inundated with phonecalls from worried travellers thinking their holiday is in jeopardy. Joe Slattery, of the Fermoy company, said many customers had called looking for confirmation that all was well. “Unfortunately with the travel trade being in a vulnerable state in these times, people panic a bit and the similarity of names has caused confusion,” he said.