FLIGHT Centre
has committed to
assist parents of
schoolchildren whose sports
tours were cancelled by
affiliate Vision Sport.
Krugersdorp sports and
academic tour operator,
Vision Sport, has been
accused by outraged
parents of defrauding 150
school children out of their
sports tour bookings.
Vision Sport’s Michael
Beyneveldt, told TNW that
he booked school sports
groups for 150 children from
schools around the country
to travel to Argentina and
The Netherlands. Michael
alleges that 85% of the
children’s parents did
not pay across their final
payment to Vision Sport
and, as a result of this
shortfall, the flight and
land arrangements were
cancelled and the deposits
forfeited.
“The total value of the
groups amounted to around
R4 million. We paid across
R2 million in non-refundable
deposits but there was still
R1,3 million outstanding
from parents the week
before the groups were
supposed to travel when the
bookings were cancelled,”
he said. “We are in
meetings with our attorneys
and will undergo a forensic
audit. Through this process,
any money that is left over
will be refunded to clients.”
Michael says the company
has been in operation since
2014 and that they ticketed
their flights through Flight
Centre Business Travel
(FCBT). He says when the
final payments were not
made for these bookings,
the reservations that FCBT
was holding were cancelled
and released.
FCTG cfo, Euan McNeil,
confirmed to TNW that
Vision Sport South Africa
was a client of FCBT
and had booked several
flights with the division
for various tour groups.
“During the course of
November 2019, payment
deadlines in respect of
the flight bookings were
communicated by FCBT to
Vision Sport. These payment
deadlines were not met and,
as a result, put these flight
bookings at risk of being
cancelled,” he says.
Euan says FCBT acted
purely as the ticketing agent
for Vision Sport. Contracts
in respect of travel products
and travel-related services
were between FCBT and
Vision Sport. “Flight Centre
is not responsible for any
contracts or agreements
that may have existed
between Vision Sport and
the end traveller.”
Euan says clients of Vision
Sport have contacted FCBT,
and the division has offered
its assistance to secure
travel arrangements for
the tour groups that were
affected by the cancellation
of the flight bookings.
“Regarding the flight
bookings that were
cancelled as a result of
non-payment by Vision
Sport, FCBT is in a
position to afford updated
quotations and will collect
any outstanding monies to
secure such flight bookings.
As a gesture of goodwill,
FCBT will not impose a
service fee for any new
travel arrangements that
may need to be confirmed
for the aforementioned
clients,” said Euan.
