United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Lords debate hears ‘agents who withhold refunds shouldn’t get Govt support’
Tory peer Lord Moynihan has criticised travel companies that are holding back on refunding customers, accusing them of using the money as ‘interest-free loans’.
During a House of Lords debate on travel and travel agents, Lord Moynihan disclosed an interest, saying he was one of the many who’d had his holiday cancelled because of the pandemic.
He asked Lord Callanan, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister: "Does my learned friend agree that it’s unacceptable that some travel agents should still be holding back on refunding customers and using customer payments as interest free loans to their businesses without customer consent?
"Should not the ending of such practices be a conditional precedent of eligibility for government support schemes as well as future certification as fit and proper travel agents?"
Lord Callanan replied: "Companies do have a legal obligation to ensure that they treat their customers fairly and that they pay refunds when they are due and where disagreements exist we do encourage customers and businesses to seek to find a solution that is mutually acceptable."
The House of Lords was debating the effect of coronavirus on the travel industry.
Lord Callanan said he understood the industry was going through a very difficult time, but said the government has already put in place a ‘strong package’ of support that the industry can benefit from.
Ahead of the debate, ABTA Director of Public Affairs Luke Petherbridge said the association had briefed Members of the House of Lords that ‘the operating model of travel agents has added an extra hardship – they are basically running on empty – with the money they’ve earnt in commission being refunded when holidays are cancelled, and the drop in bookings meaning there is little opportunity to generate new revenue’.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel