Issue Date:  -  Friday, 12 October 2001

Customers of Travelshop protected by fund

The Department of Consumer and Employment Protection has reassured WA customers of travel agents Travelshop.com.au Pty Ltd, which trades as Travelshop that consumer losses resulting from its operations closing down today will be covered by the Travel Compensation Fund.

Its six Perth outlets ceased trading today.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection Patrick Walker said that because Travelshop was obliged to be a member of the national fund, any transactions up until midnight last night were covered by the TCF.

He said customers should first ring the retail outlet they dealt with to arrange to collect fully-paid tickets from either the retail outlet or another location, such as an airport.

The Travel Compensation Fund can be contacted on 1800 021 024, although claims may take more than two months to process. Claim forms can be downloaded from the fund's website at www.tcf.org.au Travel Central Pty Ltd, which may take over Travelshop's operations in WA, has applied for TCF membership, but the application is still being processed. If Travel Central is successful in its bid, consumers may be able to continue their existing bookings on which they have placed deposits, although this is uncertain at this time.

Mr Walker said that if consumers were still not satisfied after taking the above steps, they could ring the Consumer Protection Call Centre on 1300 30 40 54 for more advice.

"Travel agency closures, while relatively uncommon, demonstrate the value of having a national compensation scheme for travellers, like the TCF," Mr Walker said.

All licensed travel agents in Australia must belong to the Travel Compensation Fund or risk prosecution.

Media Contact

Neil Stanbury on 08 9282 0613 or via email at nstanbury@mft.wa.gov.au.