Southern Africa’s Travel News Weekly
January 27 2010 I No. 2091
Recommended by business executives and teenage backpackers. It’s just like being at home, except someone else makes the bed in the morning.
TRAVEL NEWS WEEKLY
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Reservations: 0800 113 790 or www.citylodge.co.za. Galileo Access: CG, Amadeus Access: TA.
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News
7/7/08 11:06:58 AM
Feature
2010 Fraudsters
Travel Technology
Be on the look out
Online agents -- it’s happening Page 6
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Air France will launch its thrice-weekly service between JNB and CDG on Feb 18. The service will go to daily from April 2010.
Beware of this ‘agent’! Natalia Thomson
A
S swiftly as hopes of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Bali for 51 holidaymakers were dashed, so too was the reputation of would-be travel agent Stephanie Kohler, who is accused of defrauding not only her ‘clients’ but also suppliers in the travel sector. Using her contacts at a local school, Stephanie (who has not confirmed to TNW whether she is indeed a travel agent) managed to secure referrals and firm bookings for tens of consumers as word of an unbelievable 10-day Club Med package at R5 730pp fully inclusive spread like a virus. Ironically it is the viral power of social media that has been her undoing as irate clients use blogs, Twitter, online customer complaint lines and Facebook to warn others of her alleged fraudulent activities – a campaign that she claims has caused “massive damage” to her reputation and future earnings. A special website – www.stephaniekohler.co.za – has even been set up by ‘victims’. Justifying the “too-good-to-betrue” package rate, Stephanie allegedly convinced her clients that as a travel journalist she was recompensed for her articles with bed-nights, which she was then able to sell on to earn a living. A plausible story, especially since one
of the group’s 51 travellers had previously used her services for stays at the Table Bay and The Palace, among others, all of which had gone without a hitch, or so he thought. Dr Marios Conidaris – who not only paid Stephanie in full for the Bali trip but also advised friends, who in turn spread the unbelievably good news around about the special – was later advised that the vouchers he had been issued for his stay at the SA properties were fraudulent and he would be required to foot the bill – R10 950 for his Table Bay stay alone! But it was only two weeks before the party of 51 was due to leave for Bali that the alarm bells started going off. Spyros Bylos and his wife Denise learned of the special and contacted Stephanie, who allegedly advised that she had “run out” of packages at that rate but could offer the same package, including a stay at Raffles Hotel in Singapore, for R12 000pp. Spyros eventually paid out R48 420 only to learn later that his Club Med booking had been cancelled due to non-payment. Only 16 of the 51 would-be travellers had actually been booked with Club Med and an amount of about R200 000 paid to the operator. Operating under the name Pioneers African Travel CC,
co-owned by her partner, Keith Mellor, Stephanie allegedly spent days avoiding urgent enquiries from clients seeking their travel documentation in the run-up to their trip. And, when she was reached, she apologised sincerely for the “incompetence” of her staff and Club Med, regretting the “mistakes made” and offering to pay back the money owed. In a bid to placate irate and suspicious clients, and impatient suppliers, Stephanie is also said to have sent fraudulent proofs of payment. It turns out that while some of the 51 clients’ bookings had been paid for, most had in fact not, nor were the Singapore Airlines’ e-ticket numbers actually valid. In some cases a booking was actually never made. Out of 51 clients, who had paid between R5 730pp and R12 000pp for a 10-day Club Med fully inclusive package to Bali, including flights and a stay-over at the renowned Raffles Hotel, only three are alleged to have been paid for. The entire trip was cancelled but, despite this, no refund To page 2
Specialized flies high! The Specialized Personnel Group has launched Specialized Aviation Personnel, focusing on the niche market of aviation-related recruitment. Heading up the new division is airline specialist Joyce Aleksic (left) who has in excess of 35 years’ experience in the aviation sector. Specialized Aviation Personnel will offer recruitment services for all commercial, operational and technical roles throughout SA and internationally. Completing the formidable team are Kati Eksteen, gm Travel Division (middle), and Pam Pokroy, md Specialized Personnel Group Photo: Tijana Huysamen
Big expansion for kulula Jeanette Phillips KULULA.COM has confirmed that it will increase its schedule by 25% overall from March, with operations to George up by around 36%, Cape Town by 18% and Durban by 48%. The airline told TNW that
the increase in capacity came as a result of better fleet utilisation and the introduction of its first two B737-800 aircraft. The airline will also have more capacity for the upcoming World Cup. More details on the schedule increases will be made public shortly. ■
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