UK Govt Warns Pilgrims Of Rogue Travel Agents

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (UK)

Minister warns British Pilgrims to beware of rogue travel agents

The British Government is warning the 25,000 British Muslims making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca next month to be on their guard for rogue travel agents.

Last year many pilgrims were ripped off by a variety of scams, including:

* Paying for a five star hotel, but getting a poor quality cramped room

* Visas and flight tickets not arriving

* Last minute changes to flights.

In extreme cases agents are simply disappearing - taking pilgrims' money with them.

Consumer Minister Gareth Thomas said: "Unfortunately for some pilgrims what should be the occasion of a lifetime is turning into a nightmare. It's not acceptable and we want to put an end to it."

The Government wants British pilgrims to be aware that they have legal rights under the Package Travel Regulations and may be eligible for compensation if a tour operator has failed to honour its contractual obligations.

To avoid the conmen, people are also being advised to:

* Check that the person selling the trip holds an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL)

* Consider booking with a company that has been independently recommended by friends or family

* Use a tour operator who has been accredited by the Saudi Embassy

* Check whether the company is a member of a reputable trade organisation such as ABTA or AITO.

* Agree their travel itinerary in writing before parting with any money.

* Keep documents such as contracts, invoices and letters in a safe place, as this helps with redress if things go wrong

It is also important that any problems are reported to the relevant authorities.

Gareth Thomas MP added:

"These conmen think that they are above the law because they exploit people who are either unwilling to complain, don't know how to complain - or simply don't realise that they can complain."

"People must give evidence to the Police or Trading Standards so that we can crackdown on these unscrupulous practices. We want to be able to take more action like the successful case in Leicester where a boss was fined £20,000 for leaving customers in the lurch."

Khalid Pervez from the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK said:

"The distress, hardship and mental agony these people cause is highly deplorable and has no place in a civilised and democratic society, like the UK. This issue is directly or indirectly affecting over 2 million British Muslims. We unanimously condemn the fraudulent, illegal activities, corruption, inhumane and degrading treatment from the rogue Hajj & Umrah tour operators who think that rules, regulation, procedure and the law do not apply to them. Therefore, we reiterate that all Hajj & Umrah tour operators and travel agents must abide by the law in order to safeguard vulnerable British Hajj travellers."

Chairman of LACORS Cllr Geoffrey Theobald OBE said:

"The majority of travel operators arranging Hajj pilgrimages are providing an excellent service. However, there is still a minority who are simply out to make a quick buck at the expense of others.

"I would advise all travellers planning to go on a Hajj pilgrimage to follow these basic steps to make sure the trip goes ahead smoothly. We want to ensure that Hajj pilgrims remember the trip for all the right reasons."

Notes:

1. Gareth Thomas is writing to every MP encouraging them to raise awareness of this issue in their constituencies.

2. Mohammed Salim Ismael admitted ten counts of breaking travel regulations and was fined £20,000 in April 2007. The case was brought by Leicester City Council's trading standards team.

3. Pilgrims can check whether their operator has an ATOL on the Civil Aviation Authority's website at http://www.atol.org.uk or by calling 020 7453 6424.

4. Contact details for nearest local authority trading standards offices are available from Consumer Direct 08454 04056 (http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk) or local town halls.

5. More detailed information for pilgrims and Hajj travel organisers can be found on the BERR website http://www.berr.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page38205.html.

6. The Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK works at a grass-roots level for the welfare and wellbeing of British Hajj & Umrah pilgrims

ENDS

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