Concern in relation to travel agent & due diligence

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onekeano

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A fiend of mine's son plays with a local football club - they've been doing very well and this year it was decided that they would organise a club trip for parents and children who wanted to travel.

There's a lot of enthusiasm about this proposed trip which will take place in the summer of 2017, however my friend is a bit uneasy that it sounds almost too good to be true. To book this travel herself would cost 60-100% more so even allowing for group discounts it seems very cheap.

On the question of who it's being booked through, they are told that the agent is in the US and the company is registered in Asia so it sounds very likely there is no bonding from Ireland. The local organiser is asking for full fees to be paid this week (there would be > 100 people travelling) and my friend is just a bit concerned that proper due diligence has not taken place.

It's one thing if the monies were to be lost but another significant factor is that this is a big part of our community so if it were to go sour it could have a very damaging impact on a lot of families?

Any advice would be much appreciated, especially any advice on how they could get some reassurances on the bonafides of the agent.

Roy
 
If you can provide the name of the agents perhaps someone here may have experience of them.
 
Yes please give the name of the agent. I know of one crowd who appear every year under new names/websites who proclaim to be based in the UK and offer huge discounts (70%) off the price of holidays in Europe. They are actually a scam and are based in China.
 
XMarks said:
Yes please give the name of the agent. I know of one crowd who appear every year under new names/websites who proclaim to be based in the UK and offer huge discounts (70%) off the price of holidays in Europe. They are actually a scam and are based in China.
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Thanks guys, the travel agency registry licence # is 354118 and the trade agents name is La French Ltd. The trade name is TouristsHeaven.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Roy
 
The TouristsHeaven Facebook page doesn't appear to have had any official posts in > 12 months, and it directs to an official website which is down. Eh, not encouraging :(
 
I've messaged them on Facebook for a website address.Ive just got an automated reply so far.
 
La French are on LinkedIn,but with very little detail.
Where did the organiser get the offer from?
Edit:they appear to use Gmail and outlook for contact which is never a sign of a professional outfit.
 
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The crowd I mentioned in my last post used other agent's genuine licence numbers and passed them off as their own. I would run a mile from this. They have no working website and no phone number.
 
Bottom line in situations like this: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And no voluntary organisation can countenance any proposal which entails the slightest chance of losing members' money.
 
Please voice your concerns before a potential near 6 figure sum is sent off.
BTW,how is the money to be transferred?
 
Whoever is organising this trip doesn't seem to know what they are doing... I think as far as this organizer is concerned, get the friend to insist on an Irish bonded travel agent. Too much of a gamble with anyone else and this organizer doesn't seem to have an aptitude for spotting a bargain from a scam.
If that puts the trip beyond economic reach, lower the sights...
 
vandriver said:
La French are on LinkedIn,but with very little detail.
Where did the organiser get the offer from?
Edit:they appear to use Gmail and outlook for contact which is never a sign of a professional outfit.
Click to expand...

agreed....sounds very unprofessional to say the least....
 
XMarks said:
The crowd I mentioned in my last post used other agent's genuine licence numbers and passed them off as their own. I would run a mile from this. They have no working website and no phone number.
Click to expand...

vandriver said:
Please voice your concerns before a potential near 6 figure sum is sent off.
BTW,how is the money to be transferred?
Click to expand...

have done so but not sure how much weight my opinion will carry on this....
 
odyssey06 said:
Whoever is organising this trip doesn't seem to know what they are doing... I think as far as this organizer is concerned, get the friend to insist on an Irish bonded travel agent. Too much of a gamble with anyone else and this organizer doesn't seem to have an aptitude for spotting a bargain from a scam.
If that puts the trip beyond economic reach, lower the sights...
Click to expand...

my friend did raise issue of bonding but seems to have fallen on deaf ears....
 
vandriver said:
If the website is down,where did the offer come from?
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apparently someone associated with the club had previously done a personal trip with this guy and it was great value............could be a loss leader if it is a scam...
 
Perhaps ask the trip organiser if they are personally covering liability insurance for all travelling, as it's quite unlikely this vendor won't be.
 
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