SIBU: Holiday makers and honeymooners here have been advised to be careful when signing up for cheap tour packages.
Travel agents here on Monday said there had been several cases in the peninsula where fly-by-night operators made off with their clients hard earned money last year.
They advised people to purchase their packages from companies registered with Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta).
Managing director of Equitorial Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd, Robert Tan said “this will ensure that they get bona fide deals that come with travel insurance.”
He said clients opting for packages offered by unlicensed operators might not be aware that they were treading in deep waters as there was no insurance coverage.
“You see, these customers are taking a huge risk when dealing with such kind of operators. They will not be compensated if the operator ran off with their money.
“And there is nothing much they could do if what had been promised differed from what they experienced. The thing is these operators would have their own networks and would work with unlicensed agencies overseas.
“Worst still, if there is a mishap during the course of the tour, the customers would be the ones to suffer as there is no insurance coverage,” Tan said.
He was reacting to calls from Matta president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun who advised people to make sure they bought bona fide deals that came with travel insurance.
Tan, meanwhile, recalled some years back when holidays makers here were conned of their money by a company purportedly offering bona fide package.
Hence, he stressed the need to run a background check on the travel service or tour operators before dealing with them.
He suggested that members of the public go for well established companies registered under Matta.
Licensed companies could be categorised into three types, namely airline ticketing, inbound tour operators and outbound tour operators, he pointed out.
Metropolitan Travel Service Sdn Bhd manager Michael Wong Ngee Khih echoed Tan’s view, saying that as freelance operators do not have registered companies, they could just make off with the money collected.
Wong, who is Matta Sarawak Chapter Sibu representative, cautioned that companies offering tours online may not be registered with Matta.
“So, the onus is on the people to use their judgment and vet thoroughly the company that they intend to deal with,” he advised.
Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman advised members of the public to deal with well respected and established travel companies.
This, he said, was to avoid people getting cheated by the fly-by-night operators.
“There are six cases brought to the consumer claim tribunal pertaining to complaints on tour services last year. But, there were only two this year, and both had been settled.”
He related there were 176 cases on various complaints on products and services reported this year, of which 152 had been settled.
“The higher number of cases (various complaints) brought to the tribunal shows better awareness among consumers on their rights,” said Wan Uzir.