Χρεωκόπησε χθες το βράδυ και ανέστειλε την λειτουργία του ο αγγλικός διαδικτυακός και last minute tour operator lowcosttravelgroup.
Δυστυχώς, ο συγκεκριμένος οργανισμός είχε σημαντική παρουσία στην Ελλάδα, κυρίως σε Ρόδο και Κρήτη, μέσω σοβαρών γραφείων.
Είναι ενδεικτικό ότι υπάρχουν ξενοδοχεία που έχουν συμβόλαια σημαντικά υψηλότερα των 100.000 ευρώ για εφέτος, ενώ τους τελευταίους μήνες δεν εκπλήρωνε τις οικονομικές του υποχρεώσεις, με αποτέλεσμα οι σχέσεις του με τους ξενοδόχους να είναι τεταμένες και να απειληθεί ακόμη και με έξωση των πελατών του, προκειμένου να καταβάλλει μέρος των οφειλομένων.
Ο lowcosttravelgroup με έδρα την Μαγιόρκα, είχε μετακομίσει το μεγαλύτερο μέρος των γραφείων του στην Κρακοβία της Πολωνίας για λόγους μείωσης κόστους, ενέργεια που τελικά δεν τον έσωσε.
Σύμφωνα με εκτιμήσεις ταξιδιωτικών πηγών της Αγγλίας, αυτή τη στιγμή ο t.o. έχει στο εξωτερικό περίπου 27.000 τουρίστες, ενώ έχει 110.000 κρατήσεις ενεργές, οι οποίες και δεν θα εξυπηρετηθούν, αν και έχουν πληρωθεί από τους τουρίστες.
Από χθες το βράδυ το site της εταιρίας δεν λειτουργεί και έχει αναρτηθεί η ακόλουθη ανακοίνωση:
«We deeply regret to announce that the lowcosttravelgroup (“LCTG”) ceased to trade on 15 July 2016, following exhaustive attempts by the group’s directors to rescue the group, which has been hampered by the recent and ongoing turbulent financial environment.
This notice applies to the following companies and brands:
1.Lowcosttravelgroup Ltd
2.lowcostholidays Spain S.L.
3.Hoteling.com part of Lowcostholidays Spain S.L.
4.Lowcostbeds.com A.G.
Smith & Williamson LLP, jointly with CMB Partners UK Ltd have been appointed as administrators over the UK group entities with effect from 15 July 2016.
On behalf of LCTG, the directors wish to profusely apologise for the inconvenience and distress that this will cause to our customers.
The following information is provided to assist customers, agents, suppliers and creditors.
Lowcostholidays.com
Customers In Resort
Customers who have booked a Holiday combination (Flight plus Hotel)
If you are already on holiday you will be in possession of your flight tickets which remain valid.
You may be asked by the hotel suppliers, transfer suppliers and car parking suppliers (if you have booked these services) to pay them locally which you may have to pay & reclaim against
I.Your Travel Insurance provider (if you have travel Insurance)
II.Govern de les illes Balears (www.caib.es) who is the regulator of the Spanish Travel Agency.
III.Your credit card provider for services not received.
It would be advisable for you to keep all receipts of expenses incurred in order to claim a refund or compensation.
You should also register your claim at lowcosttravelspain@smith.williamson.co.uk
Customers who have booked Hotel Accommodation only
You may be asked by the hotel suppliers, transfer suppliers and car parking suppliers (if you have booked these services) to pay them locally which you may have to pay & reclaim against
I.Your Travel Insurance provider (if you have travel Insurance)
II.Your credit card provider for services not received.
It would be advisable for you to keep all receipts of expenses incurred in order to claim a refund or compensation.
You should also register your claim at lowcosttravelspain@smith.williamson.co.uk
Customers Due to Travel
Customers who have booked a Holiday combination (Flight plus Hotel)
If you have booked a combination flights and accommodation (+ other services, e.g. transfer, car-hire, etc) your contract for the flights will be direct with the airline and payment will have been made to them in most cases at time of booking. If you are in receipt of your flight ticket from the airline you will be able to check-in and travel as normal. If you have not received your flight confirmation details, you should contact the airline directly to determine the status of your flight reservation. If the airline informs you that your reservation is not confirmed then you will need to rebook your flights with another provider and make a claim using the options outlined below:
Your hotel reservation will not be valid so you will have to re-book your hotel accommodation and any other services that you may have reserved via Lowcostholidays.com (e.g. transfer, car-hire, airport parking etc) with another company. You can reclaim lost amounts against:
- Your Travel Insurance provider (if you have travel Insurance)
II.Govern de les illes Balears (www.caib.es) who is the regulator of the Spanish Travel Agency.
III.Your credit card provider for services not received.
It would be advisable for you to keep all receipts of expenses incurred in order to claim a refund or compensation.
You should also register your claim at lowcosttravelspain@smith.williamson.co.uk
Customers who have booked a Holiday combination (Hotel Only)
Your reservation will be cancelled by the hotel supplier and you will need to rebook your accommodation.
You can submit your claim for the amounts paid to Lowcostholidays.com using any of the following options
I.Your Travel Insurance provider (if you have travel Insurance)
II.Your credit card provider for services not received.
It would be advisable for you to keep all receipts of expenses incurred in order to claim a refund or compensation.
You should also register your claim at lowcosttravelspain@smith.williamson.co.uk
Hoteling.com
You may be asked by the hotel suppliers, transfer suppliers and car parking suppliers (if you have booked these services) to pay them locally which you may have to pay & reclaim against
I.Your Travel Insurance provider (if you have travel Insurance)
II.Your credit card provider for services not received.
It would be advisable for you to keep all receipts of expenses incurred in order to claim a refund or compensation.
You should also register your claim at lowcosttravelspain@smith.williamson.co.uk
Lowcostbeds
Agents/Tour Operators/OTA’s
Customers In Resort
Your customer’s hotel accommodation may or may not have received payment from lowcostbeds A.G. (LCB) or the 3rd party supplier that made the reservation directly with the hotel. It is possible therefore that your customers may be asked for payment by the hotel before they leave. You may wish to contact the hotel directly to make payment or alternatively let your customer pay the hotel and reclaim from you. In either case you will then need to contact: lowcosttravelswiss@smith.williamson.co.uk in order to register your claim.
Customers Due to Travel
No forward hotel reservations made via LCB will be valid therefore you need to make arrangements to re-book all your future reservations via another supplier.
For agents who have pre-paid LCB for future bookings you will have to contactlowcosttravelswiss@smith.williamson.co.uk
Hotel and XML Suppliers and General Creditors
Please contact lowcosttravelswiss@smith.williamson.co.uk with details of your claim.
Please Note:
LCTG is no longer trading so there is no possibility of contacting the company. If you need to process a claim against LCTG (or any of its companies or brands) please contactlowcosttravelswiss@smith.williamson.co.uk with details of your claim – contact can only be made via email.
Lowcosttravelgroup
General Creditors
Please contact lowcosttravelgroup@smith.williamson.co.uk with details of your claim.
Please Note:
LCTG is no longer trading so there is no possibility of contacting the company. If you need to process a claim against LCTG (or any of its companies or brands) please contactlowcosttravelgroup@smith.williamson.co.uk with details of your claim – contact can only be made via email».
