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Abta rejects call to use complaint resolution firm
Amie Keeley
amie.keeley@
travelweekly.co.uk
Abta has dismissed a call to partner with a growing consumer complaints portal backed by Money Saving Expert.
The association, which runs its
own trading standards-backed dispute system, said it saw “no benefit” in partnering with
Resolver.co.uk. The site, which is a member of the Ombudsman Association, said it receives up to 8,000 travel-related complaints a month, concerning flights, hotels, operators and agents. Founder and owner James
Walker said its aim, as well as being an aid for consumers unhappy with a service, is to act as a filter to reduce the number of complaints firms receive. He said it would not charge Abta to be a partner. Abta’s long-running complaints
scheme last year handled 12,000 cases, of which 400 went through to independent arbitration. Walker said: “We’re not trying to replace what Abta has. We’re
trying to be the step before people reach them with a complaint. “We can help consumers put
together a well-structured case so it’s easy for the ombudsman or a business to look at. So far, there’s been total silence from Abta.” Walker claims Resolver, which has been added into Money Saving Expert’s complaint guides, stops 45% of consumers complaining because they read their rights and realise they “don’t have a case”. Walker said he set up the company after he experienced the bite of consumers going to third-party sites to complain when he was in a previous role. A spokesman for Abta said: “For
years Abta has been offering a dispute-resolution scheme and an independent arbitration scheme when complaints hit an impasse. These have been praised by bodies such as the Office of Fair Trading, and more recently was approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. “We would see no benefit to
customers or members to use a facility that has not been approved.”
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Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Florida
Midcounties sets up Florida areas
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Midcounties Co-operative Travel is to open interactive Florida-themed areas in its Walsall and Gloucester stores and plans to extend the concept to up to 20 of its shops next year.
The consortium said the move
aimed to boost Florida sales through a joint venture with industry veteran John Donnelly, and was not a reaction to Virgin Holidays’ decision to stop selling through agents. The first area, in the Walsall shop, is planned to be set up before Christmas, followed by the Gloucester store in the new year. Midcounties established a partnership with Donnelly’s JDA Group in 2013, initially offering Florida holiday homes. Floridian Homes, which trades
as Co-operative Florida Holidays, now offers packages combining flights, car hire, hotels and attraction tickets, and features more than 2,000 homes in Orlando and on the Gulf Coast. Co-operative Florida Holidays recently brought out its first consumer brochure.
6
travelweekly.co.uk 12 November 2015 Midcounties said Florida sales
through its shops, homeworkers and consortium members were up by 20% year on year. The Walsall shop will boast a 300-square-foot area dedicated to Florida, with iPads linking up with large wall screens aimed at bringing the brochure to life. Webcams will screen live events and locations in the Sunshine State, and customers will be able to see interactive maps of resorts and places of interest. Alistair Rowland, travel
general manager at Midcounties Co‑operative, said: “We will create an unusual, interactive experience for customers choosing Florida whether Orlando or the Gulf Coast. “We will roll out the concept to
stores where the demographic fits and add the technology where we can see a return.” Donnelly, who created the first
Holiday Hypermarket concept with Midcounties chief executive Ben Reid almost two decades ago, added that the move would bring “theatre” to the high street agency. He said: “Walsall is the first and it’s great to be working with Ben and Midcounties on this and further developing the concept."
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