‘Abandoned’ travel agency leaves clients out of pocket by up to $30,000

Closed sign on a glass door

A Melbourne based travel agency has sparked fury among holidaymakers after claiming to have gone into administration, with its owners seemingly abandoning the business and leaving clients in the dark.

And for some, out of pocket to the tune of $30,000.

Earlier this month, clients noticed a sign posted on One World Travel’s shop window: “One World Travel entered voluntary administration as of 3rd of June ’19”.

Which isn’t out of the ordinary, however, Smart Company has reported the business is still registered for trading with corporate regulator ASIC and no administrators have come forward.

The company’s ATAS accreditation was cancelled due to ‘voluntary’ withdrawal back in February, its website has been taken down, listed contact numbers have been disconnected and the company director’s whereabouts are unknown.

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It appears the business has been abandoned, with creditor enquiries stacking up and clients left in the lurch.

Ilya Furman, a solicitor representing 50 of the agency’s clients told Smart Company that one couple could be left out of pocket by $30,000.

“It ranges from airline tickets to full on packages, one couple had booked an Alaskan cruise for $30,000,” he said.

“At the moment we’re hoping either ASIC or another statutory authority takes action.”

He said the first alarm bell rang when a customer was told by a vacation provider that payment had never been made for a trip they booked through One World Travel.

Smart Company also conducted a web archive search to find the agency’s site and discovered its legal section, which is supposed to contain privacy information and terms and conditions, contained a placeholder of Latin text.

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