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14/07/10
Statement re 1800 Hotels

Travel agents on standby to assist holidaymakers affected by bankruptcy proceedings at 1800Hotels - ITAA.

“Minister must update our travel - consumer law - it was written before the internet was invented!”

Wednesday 14 July 2010.   Customers who have made bookings with the website 1800 Hotels which on Tuesday night announced it was involved in bankruptcy proceedings should ask a licensed travel agent to help them confirm / rebook their accommodation according to Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) CEO, Simon Nugent.

Mr Nugent pointed out that  “Thanks to the totally outdated travel licensing regime in this country 1800Hotels did not have to provide a bond to protect consumers.  

  “We recommend that customers who need to rebook accommodation ask a licensed and bonded ITAA travel agent for help.  ITAA members have a better chance of rebooking customers’ rooms at, or close to, the rate originally quoted.  And of course, if people book through a licensed agent, their money is protected by our bonding scheme.  

 “We are currently exploring whether we can make arrangement with some of the supplier “bed banks” who used to work with 1800Hotels so as to minimise the problems consumers face.  However, the news is not good.  Several bed banks have told us that all forward bookings made by 1800hotels have already been cancelled.

 Addressing the underlying issue of consumer protection, Mr Nugent noted that, incredibly, the Irish company owning the 1800hotels website is completely unregulated and un-bonded.  
 
“We call on the Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey to act urgently on reform of protection for the travelling consumer.  After all, the current Travel Act was written back in 1982 before the internet was invented.   It is full of holes as Tuesday’s news reveals.  Ironically proposals for reform have been with the Department of Transport since January 2009 but 18 months later, the Minister has not yet even commented on them.   

 

Ends

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