Unlicensed travel agency fined

SINGAPORE – Its license was revoked in 2011 after a spate of customer complaints but Tourist World Travel Services (TWTS) continued to operate.

Last week, that offence led to fines of $7,500 and $4,500 for the firm and its director Seah Juat Ngoh respectively. The agency and Seah were convicted and fined under Section 6 of the Travel Agents Act.

On Monday, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which regulates tour agencies, said an enforcement raid in September 2011 found “ample evidence” that TWTS continued to operate despite losing its licence.

The permit was revoked by the STB a month earlier after the travel agency had drawn flak from customers for months. Grouses centred on air tickets that had not been booked despite payments made, demands to top up travel packages already paid for and tickets with incorrect departure dates.

The STB did not provide figures on the number of complaints but the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) received 23 complaints against TWTS in 2011. The number of complaints against travel agencies in general has risen in recent years. Case received 1,436 complaints last year, up from 1,396 in 2011 and 994 in 2010.

Efforts to boost professionalism include a Case-Trust-Natas joint accreditation scheme for travel agencies in which regular checks are done to ensure that practices meet standards. Natas is the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore.

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority records show that TWTS is still listed as a live company and that it was registered as a business in 1987. A call to Seah’s mobile phone found that the number had been terminated.

News of the fines came as a comfort to Mrs Mary Anne Ganaison, 36, who had a bad experience with TWTS. She had paid $3,000 for two air tickets to Canada to attend a cousin’s wedding in 2011.

The civil servant was due to depart the following week but did not receive the e-tickets. She called the agency and was told the flights had not been booked.

“The woman who sold me the tickets could not be contacted and everyone else just said they didn’t know anything,” she said. She eventually got the tickets but only on the night before her flight.

The STB has reminded the public to deal only with licensed travel agents and check that payment is made to the right party. A list of licensed agents can be found at https://trust.yoursingapore.com

limjess@sph.com.sg 

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Unlicensed travel agency fined