Thousands of passengers stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport after their tour agent fails to show up

[webfact]

Thousands of passengers stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport after their tour agent fails to show up

The Nation

 

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul is seen at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night.

 

BANGKOK: -- Thousands of passengers were stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night after staffs of a company that promised them of a trip to Japan during Songkran Festival did not show up.

 

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanawarangkul has to step in by holding a meeting with authorities concerned at the airport.

 

Police have to relocate to new floor those who said they paid fees, ranging from Bt15,000 to Bt20,000, to a firm, Wealth Ever, for a trip to Japan between April 13 and 15, to give space for other passengers. Their numbers are said of them were reported to be about 1,500.

 

The airport is already crowded with Thais going out of the country during the long holidays of Songkran. Police are told that there would be a lot more of passengers, about 2,000 who are scheduled to travel with the firm in trouble coming to the airport on Wednesday.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312088

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-12

 

[canuckamuck]

Quote

Their numbers are said of them were reported to be about 1,500.

Are they they sure that this is what the numbers are said of them reported?

[jaywalker]

Give me refund!

 

"So solly. CANNOT".

 

TIT... Bend over & grab ye' olde ankles... and you might get 500 baht for doing so.

[ezzra]

The ol' bait and switch caper, promise a lot, deliver nothing, typical Thai, stinging

their very own people for a change.....

[wakeupplease]

Farangs must be in short supply now, so doing it to their own, welcome to LOSc

[colinneil]

The usual story, ahh that looks like a cheap deal, i want some of that.

So lots of people turn up at the airport, while the organizer of the trip legs it with all the money.

[jaiyenyen]

No, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Thai people would never do this kind of thing..............Would they?

I feel sorry for the tourists who've had their trip ruined.

[PatOngo]

I have no doubt the minister can work a positive spin on this, re route them to Nakhon Nowhere and claim soaring domestic tourist spending.

[Rhys]

... wish the best of luck with the head person at the helm.....5555....What no repayment of the phone chips for visitors, wristband, and intensive airport questionnaire?

[trogers]

Ahhh... the convenience and bargain hunting of online shopping. So easy to be fleeced...

[worgeordie]

Tour operators customers stuck at the airport,while tour operator

takes off in opposite direction,first class,with loads of money,

wealthy for ever,yeh.

regards worgeordie

[Sphere]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanawarangkul has to step in ....

 

She could send them all to the new hot-spring destinations......

 

 

[BEVUP]

I think the companies name says it all , doesn't sound like a holiday agent

[darksidedog]

1,500 people at 20,000bahtr is 30 Million, with another 2,000 expected today, takes the scam up to 70 Million. Nice little scam.  Folks working at the airport must be having a fun day.

[pgrahmm]

The media has been flooded with ads for trips to Japan....

 

The wife pointed these out - but I decided to book us a week elsewhere for our holiday....

 

I thought they were trying to get tourist dollars before Fukushima made it a really bad destination choice but apparently it's big time scammers....

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

The usual story, ahh that looks like a cheap deal, i want some of that.

So lots of people turn up at the airport, while the organizer of the trip legs it with all the money.

 

And the Nation report gives no comment on the tour company.

[grankboy]

Surly it's easy to find the dodgy travel agent, follow the money.

[Sphere]

Quote

Wealth Ever

 

Cathay Pacific raised an alert about this tour company, and it was reported by Bangkok Post on 30th March.

 

[Orac]

Two weeks ago there was an article in the Bangkok Post ( google Cathay Pacific warns of possible fraud over cheap Japan tour) where Cathay had reported the adverts for this trip to Lumpini police since their name was being used in connection with this trip yet nobody had booked any aircraft off them. Seems like, despite the complaint and the english language media here picking up on it, the police and Ministry of Tourism have done nothing at all about it.

[ladada]

Sadly for many of those 1,500 people this wont be the first time they've been scammed and it won't be the last, and even though this event is over thai social media, the next pyramid scheme with a different name will pull a near identical fraud, it's such lucrative business scamming thais since they have no desire to learn from the past

 

Part of the job falang boyfriend is the anti-scam enforcement role.. No - your not signing up for a work from home scheme that will earn you XXk-XXXk baht per month after paying somchai on lineapp the $K training fee, No - your no buying some crap life annuity from your friends sister on whatapp that comes with a free 5k shopping voucher, No - we're not helping that old lady get back to Ayutthaya, no - your not paying just 200baht to learn to make millions on thai stock exchange, No - not that multi-level marketing cosmetic scam again, No - we've been through this work from home stuff six months ago, No - we're not signing up and certainly not signing up friends because we can a free 1st class flight to Soeul.. Rinse.. Repeat.. 

[lvr181]

52 minutes ago, Orac said:

Two weeks ago there was an article in the Bangkok Post ( google Cathay Pacific warns of possible fraud over cheap Japan tour) where Cathay had reported the adverts for this trip to Lumpini police since their name was being used in connection with this trip yet nobody had booked any aircraft off them. Seems like, despite the complaint and the english language media here picking up on it, the police and Ministry of Tourism have done nothing at all about it.

".....the police and Ministry of Tourism have done nothing at all about it."    No money in it for them?

 

Okay, a cheap shot but why was no action taken? I would think that Minister Kobkarn would be all over this scam like a rash. A visit to airport doesn't really cut it.

[chuang]

Three days' Japan tour for 15K to 20K is too good to be true...

[USPatriot]

Ok so that's millions of baht.  I'm setting up a tour to go to Japan.  Sign right up very long lines at the office so use our website instead no waiting first come get best deals 

[cardinalblue]

Thais have a tendency to look at only price and unable to evaluate the big picture like what's wrong with this picture or ever heard of this company or what's its history/recommendation references....

[kartman]

On digging deeper the full name of the company was found to be  ' My Best Wealth Ever'

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Thais have a tendency to look at only price and unable to evaluate the big picture like what's wrong with this picture or ever heard of this company or what's its history/recommendation references....

No phone number or business address listed on the ad may have been ONE clue...

[Kabula]

Over the years that has been many reports of fraud, and incompetence with Tour Guides worldwide.

 

Book your own trip!

 

[webfact]

More cheated plane passengers lodge complaints at CSD today

 

 

BANGKOK: -- More passengers who were cheated by an illegal tour company for a tour in Japan filed complaints with the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police in Bangkok this morning after they were stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport last night because the chartered flights to fly them did not exist.

 

About 1,500 passengers were stranded when they couldn’t find the chartered  flights of both Thai Airways international and Japan Airlines which the company, WealthEver, said would fly them to Japan and Taiwan on a tour package from April 11-16.

 

All the passengers had no tickets for their flights but said that they were told to arrive at the airport where the company’s guides would be on hand to take care of their trips.

 

But no guides showed up to facilitate the flight procedure.

 

These passengers initially told police that they are members of a direct sale company, WealthEver, and bought the tour package from the company for the tour to Japan.

 

They paid from 10,000 to 15,000 baht for a trip to Japan and Taiwan between April 11 and 16.

 

The arrival of these passengers had overcrowded the airport, leaving no space for other passengers to check in.

 

Both mentioned airlines also came out to say they have no chartered flights arranged for them to Japan as the firm claimed.

 

But before the situation turned more chaotic, Minister of Tourism Kobkarn Wattanawarangkul was alerted and stepped  in by holding a meeting with authorities concerned at the airport.

 

The cheated passengers, swelling to almost 1,500, were them relocated to new floor instead, giving rooms to other passengers travelling out of the country during the long holidays of Songkran.

 

Five buses were last night arranged to ferry these cheated passengers to the CSD headquarters to file complaints.

 

Police said they were told more passengers travelling with the company were scheduled to arrived today.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cheated-plane-passengers-lodge-complaints-csd-today/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-04-12

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Maybe the CSD police should consult with the Lumpini police, who took Cathay Pacific's report warning of this scam back in March!!!

 

But of course, no one's going to ask the police what happened with this once they were informed of it almost two weeks ago now.

 

[Monkeyrobot]

4 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

Farangs must be in short supply now, so doing it to their own, welcome to LOSc

I think I broke a rib laughing at that one.