With the tour operator “Skithe3V” going bust leaving goodness knows how many fellow skiers without a holiday or their hard earned money (probably), it begs the question; who should you trust with your money when you book your next holiday? In difficult financial times such as these, more legitimate operators and others will go under or close down. Over the recent years a multitude of wintersports ‘tour operators’ have launched themselves with the aid of the internet and very little else to back them up. Look around any major ski resort and you’ll find various clever internet evolved names describing themselves as tour operators, ski n board operators, chalet operators etc everywhere. They range from one chalet wonders to much bigger organisations but many have two things in common. They operate on a shoestring and offer no guarantees and/or financial protection to the customer whatsover. I know nothing about Skithe3V and have not researched them but I’m guessing that perhaps they had no ATOL bonding or any customer financial protection in place through membership of an organisation like the Travel Trust Association (TTA) for example. In which case the disappointed customers are likely to lose most if not all of their money.
So, I ask all holiday makers alike, when you’re booking your next trip, think carefully. Who are you paying your money to? What are their credentials? Where do they bank? Which country’s laws do they operate under? What happens to your money if they go bust? They may have a great website, a beautiful property in a great resort, throw in extras and have good reviews even, but that doesn’t mean anything if they go bust. What matters is that either you get your holiday or at least most of your money back, so please make sure you book with an ATOL bonded operator (if you trip includes flights) or with a company offering a financial guarantee for the money you spend with them. As a responsible member of the travel trade I really hate to see people lose their holidays and their money.
Dave
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