BOGUS TRAVEL AGENT DASHES HOLIDAY DREAM

A bogus travel agent who conned a Toowoomba couple out of thousands of dollars, dashing their dreams of a European holiday, has been prosecuted and fined $7500.

Grant Anthony Richards, 36, formerly of Oakey, was convicted in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on two counts of breaching the Travel Agents Act 1988.

Fair Trading Minister Margaret Keech said the offences were serious and Richards faced three months’ jail if he did not pay up.

“Richards’s business ‘Layby Holiday’, claimed to offer customers the chance to lay-by a holiday by paying it off in weekly instalments,” Mrs Keech said.

“Believing Richard’s was a licensed travel agent, the couple signed up for a Contiki Tour in Europe.

“In the following months they received payment summaries from ‘Layby Holiday’.

“However, when they started having trouble contacting Richards, they decided to cancel their agreement. They were told they would receive their money back if they put their cancellation request in writing.

“After they had sent their request in writing and no money was sent back, the couple lodged a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading.

“Richards admitted to investigators that he wasn’t a licensed travel agent and had spent the holiday deposit money for personal use.”

Mrs Keech said the prosecution was the second of a travel industry rogue.

“Since the Travel Agents Act 1988 and the Tourism Services Act 2003 were introduced, the Office of Fair Trading has been weeding out rogue operators,” Mrs Keech said.

“Burpengary woman Rehana Mohamed was the first to be prosecuted. She was fined $25,000 in 2005 for posing as a travel agent, falsely promising cheap airfares and ripping customers off by over $1 million.”

Mrs Keech said people should always ask if their travel agent is licensed.

“Travel agents turn over big sums of money and those that are licensed must abide by a Code of Conduct. People ripped off by a licensed travel agent can also make a claim for money lost through the Travel Compensation Fund,” she said.

For more information on your consumer rights and common scams visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au.

Media contacts: Jo Gibbons 3224 2007 or Olivia Nemeth (OFT) 3119 0067.