Kindersley RCMP investigate 165 fraud complaints against travel agency

Mitchell Klein says he saved up for a year to escape the snow for a two-week trip to Mexico, but had to cancel his beach vacation when a Kindersley-based travel agency didn’t book the trip and left his group out $22,000.
 
“All of our hard-earned money is all down the drain just like that, and especially for a 19-year-old like me, it’s quite a bit of money, so it’s heartbreaking,” he said.
 
Klein is among dozens of people who say they have filed complaints against T&T Travel Ltd.
 
Kindersley RCMP said between Jan. 21 and 25 they received more than 165 complaints of fraud involving a Kindersley business. Because they are still investigating and have no laid any charges, RCMP would not say which business, but multiple sources say it is the travel agency.
 
Klein, along with seven family members and one friend  booked a Feb. 8 trip in August and paid with a mix of cheques and credit cards. He said they have used the travel agency multiple times since it set up shop 15 years ago and didn’t expect any problems this time.
 
When they didn’t receive a confirmation number by last Wednesday, they knew something was wrong. Multiple calls to the agency went unanswered and calls to the airline and hotel showed nothing had been booked. Klein said the owner posted a sign on the door saying they were taking time off due to an illness.
 
After taking to social media, Klein discovered dozens of other people who claimed the business had done the same thing to them. He started a Facebook page for those affected which has since garnered nearly 800 members.
 
“Heartbreaking that someone in a small town would do this to the residents,” Klein said.
 
Attemps to reach the owners went unanswered. A call to the business went to voicemail where a man says “T & T Travel business is no longer operating as of Jan. 22, 2016,” before an automatic message says the mailbox is full.
 
Matthew Barton with the province’s Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority said if people suspect they have been defrauded they should contact their consumer protection division along with police. Following that, they should contact their credit card company or financial institution to cancel payments and cheques.
 
“Consumers should pay with credit card when buying services from a travel agency because they’ll enjoy greater protections and have more options to recover money when instances like this happen,” Barton said.
 
He also encouraged residents to research their travel agency either through online searches and reviews or by calling the Better Business Bureau. Travel agents do not need to be registered, however they can become members of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. Customers can also ask a travel agency is they have insurance.
 
“Do you homework and you can really save yourself a lot of grief,” he said.
 
Once a complaint has been filed with consumer protection, if laws were broken, penalties for a business can range from complaints order, to penalties and fines depending on the details of the case.
 
Klein said they have filed a complaint with RCMP and their credit card companies, but aren’t expecting to see the money from the cheques again. He said the family has rebooked their trip through another agency.