VETERAN agent and
owner of Trips Away
Travel, Monika Stichling,
has thrown in the towel, shut
up shop and is moving to
Namibia.
It was a R287,50 ADM from
South African Express that
was the final straw, she says.
On September 18 she
issued a SAX JohannesburgBloemfontein ticket for
R3 295,72. Her clients then
cancelled the ticket and on
September 28 she issued a
refund for R2375,72. Monika
says this amount was correct
and was according to the fare
rules, which stated that H
class was 50% refundable and
W class was non-refundable.
On December 19, Monika
received an ADM of R287,50.
She says SAX said this was
issued due to her refunding
the client an amount of
R3 447,12 rather than
R3 159,62, which they
claimed was the correct
amount. Monika says these
amounts are incorrect.
Monika disputed the ADM
with SAX but received no
response, she says. She then
deducted the R287,50 from
her next BSP payment, which
resulted in SAX removing her
ticketing authority in March.
Monika hired Advocate Louis
Nel, aka Louis the Lawyer,
to take on the case but he
says he also did not receive
a response from SAX. Monika
then tried to open a case of
fraud against SAX but says
that Fairlands police station
refused to assist her, saying
that the amount of R287,50
was too small an amount.
“It is very sad when a
travel agent with so much
experience has to throw in
the towel due to frustration.
Clearly in this case it was not
the amount of the ADM but
the principle of the matter,”
Louis says.
Fed up, Monika cancelled
her Iata licence at the end of
April, which she has held since
2001. She is moving back to
Namibia where she grew up
and will take up a position as
a travel consultant. According
to Monika, “consultants do
not carry the same amount
of liability for airline mistakes
that agency owners carry”.
SAA told TNW: “SAA
confirms that the debit memo
was settled in favour of the
agent through the billing
dispute process. The team
also confirms that they had
ample communication with
the travel agent on the
matter.” Both Monika and
Louis deny receiving any
communication.
