Ripped - Off By Siam Golf Tours ...

[buzz]

I have had a great relationship with Siam Golf Tours & Travel for over 4 years ... live on Samui but travel frequently ... just call/email Siam Golf (On Nut, Bkk) make a booking - have it confirmed - put money into their account - print the ticket and away I go ...

I booked and paid for a ticket to Bali way back in June (to avoid the fuel surcharge increase by TG from June 24th) ... emailed them to send me the e-ticket last monday (email went thru ok) - no response - emailed again and the mail could not be delivered - tried many times, same result ... started phoning them on their mobile number and office number - mobile not switched-on and office phone never answers ...

Called TG and they said yes, they still had a booked for me and that ticket issue deadline was Sept 6th 7pm.

Called IATA to find that they have no record of them ... so, I presume they are like a sub-agent ... majority of Thai travel agents probably do operate this way ... anyway, have never had a problem before ...

I think they have closed shop/done at runner and have pocketed my 20,000 odd baht ... such a dissappointment after years of great service ... and getting 'done' for 20,000bht also hurts !

A thai friend said they have probably shut down temporarily since the 'state of emergency' was declared ... but i don't think so ...

Anyone know what can I do further? (other than just right it off as a loss)

cheers ...

[buzz]

Called TG and they said yes, they still had a 'booking' for me and that ticket issue deadline was Sept 6th 7pm.

[Boater]

So you just asked your own question??? ... your ticket is still valid?

[buzz]

the actual booking is still valid till Sept 6th, but the money hasn't been paid to TG and thus the ticket has not been issued...

[PattayaParent]

So assuming you still want to travel anyway can't you pay them the money?

[midasthailand]

So assuming you still want to travel anyway can't you pay them the money?

I think someone is missing the point here! I'm pretty sure the OP is aware that they can fork out for another ticket but wants to know what can he do about getting ripped off. How to pursue avenues that will help him find out where his money has gone and can he recover it?

OP, sorry to hear your hard luck story, I am sure there will be more tales of that ilk if things keep going the way they are. Buyer beware!

Edited September 5, 2008 by midasthailand

[cmsally]

There were some cases like this in the Chiang Mai thread regarding a different travel agent. Even though the office was still open it didn't look like people got their money back.

Are they TAT bonded?

[imaneggspurt]

Travel agents like real estate agents are having a rough time right now, this may be a sign of the times that many will fold,.

[imaneggspurt]

So assuming you still want to travel anyway can't you pay them the money?

I think is trying to avoid paying twice ,.

[buzz]

a new ticket is going to cost we another 25,500bht ... all up it's going to cost me 45,500bht to go Bali from Bkk ...

[midasthailand]

a new ticket is going to cost we another 25,500bht ... all up it's going to cost me 45,500bht to go Bali from Bkk ...

I assume you were not going to play golf? If so why not play in Thailand? Hundreds of top quality courses, I imagine you could get at least 20 rounds with that money.

Edited September 5, 2008 by midasthailand

[aussiechick]

If they are a licenced tour operator then you can get in touch with TAT and lodge a complaint.

[onethailand]

IATA doesn't have sub-agents, an agent must apply directly and meet a number of criteria. And most travel agents are not IATA members.

If they have a TAT license, and have closed, you may be able to recover your funds from whatever deposit they paid to obtain their license, but I don't think it's going to be that simple as likely there will be others looking to file claims as well and the max bond for a license is 200K.

It is, however, unlikely that Thai would have had a ticket issue deadline in September for a ticket booked in June. At the very least, you should've been given an e-ticket locator number to check yourself. Anyway, the standard ticket issue deadline is a week, tops usually two weeks, so in order to keep it live they would most likely have had to extend it a few times.

Do they have a website, or address, that perhaps someone can check for you?

[buzz]

Thanks for your input onethailand ... I tried contacting TAT but haven't been able to get thru yet ... agree the standard ticket issue is about 1 week, so if they have gone out of business it's just recently as they must have kept extending it ... I'm getting a friend to go check their office hopefully today

[buzz]

Anybody know the correct number for the Thai Travel Agents Association ?

The numbers I was given are 02-266-6934/5, 02-2666-6923, but do not work (not answering) ...

[Furbie]

IATA doesn't have sub-agents, an agent must apply directly and meet a number of criteria. And most travel agents are not IATA members.

If they have a TAT license, and have closed, you may be able to recover your funds from whatever deposit they paid to obtain their license, but I don't think it's going to be that simple as likely there will be others looking to file claims as well and the max bond for a license is 200K.

It is, however, unlikely that Thai would have had a ticket issue deadline in September for a ticket booked in June. At the very least, you should've been given an e-ticket locator number to check yourself. Anyway, the standard ticket issue deadline is a week, tops usually two weeks, so in order to keep it live they would most likely have had to extend it a few times.

Do they have a website, or address, that perhaps someone can check for you?

When an agent does the booking, they can hold that ticket for a very long time before payment (though the agent may pressure you to pay up sooner). Last year, my booking to the US was held for three months before I paid it. This is the only reason I use an agent - I can get the flight and hold off paying for a long time.

[onethailand]

When an agent does the booking, they can hold that ticket for a very long time before payment (though the agent may pressure you to pay up sooner). Last year, my booking to the US was held for three months before I paid it. This is the only reason I use an agent - I can get the flight and hold off paying for a long time.

Being an agent, I can only inform you what the standard is. An agent can continue to request an extension to the deadline but it is rare that they can actually make a reservation and hold it for three months as it is the airline which determines the cutoff date. So an agent must call or request an extension on average every week.

[Inthai]

Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA)

10th Floor Wall Street Tower Building

33/42 Surawong Road

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Thailand

Tel: 66-2-237 6046/8

Fax: 66-2-237 6045

E-mail: [email protected]

try to contact them, should be able to assist.

Good luck!

[buzz]

Thanks for that Inthai...