Trip to Japan turns to disaster

BANGKOK More than 1,000 Thai travellers were stranded at Bangkok’s busy Suvarnabhumi Airport, on the eve of Thailand’s annual Songkran holiday, when their holiday arrangements to Japan no-showed.

They thought they had bought packages from a travel agency and early media reports appeared to confirm that, but within hours it became apparent WealthEver, the organiser of the fake Japan tours has no connection with Thailand’s travel industry.

It probably represents the biggest holiday scam to hit Thailand’s holiday travellers. Tourists were visibly upset and angry when they realised they had prepaid between THB10,000 to 15,000 for packages that were fake courtesy of Facebook pages.

Credit Thai Rath

Tagged a travel agency, WealthEver turned out to be nothing of the sort. Media claimed it was a direct sales company and even a fortune teller, the latter ironic for the duped tourists. None of assertions proved true, but considerable damage was done to the good name of Thailand’s travel agency as a result of jumping to conclusions.

It was quickly confirmed that thousands of passengers stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Tuesday night, had been scammed by WealthEver without any of the travellers asking for the company’s credentials. They had paid for the tours through bank transfers.

The Office of the Consumer Protection Board said there was no evidence that WealthEver had been registered as a direct sale company, while there was no listing for a travel agency called WealthEver on the Department of Tourism’s Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration.

However, according to Department of Business Development data, the WealthEver Company Limited registered, 25 January 2017 with a registered capital of THB2 million. It was in the business of wholesale non-alcoholic beverages and importing and exporting bottled drinking water, tea and coffee products. According to registration details it is headed by Ms Pasit Arinchalapit, with a company address of 88/6 Moo 9 Nong Yao sub-district, Lat Yao district, Nakhon Sawan province.

Police are gathering evidence before taking action against the firm that spoiled trips of a lifetime to Japan for about 1,000 tourists. They were  left at Suvarnabhumi airport with no flights or holiday bookings.

The alleged scam was carried out by marketing outfit WealthEver.  Passengers said they were told different stories: Some thought they were booking through a certified travel agency; others were told the trip was a perk for joining the MLM (multi level marketing) scheme.

They paid THB10,000 to THB15,000 for a trip to Japan and Taiwan between 11 to 16 April supposedly on  charter flights.

When they arrived at Gate 1 of the Suvarnabhumi airport departure hall, at 2000, Tuesday,  as directed, there was no sign of the promised WealthEver representative to guide them to check-in for their flights. The company removed its Facebook page as well. Passengers checked various airlines and found no charter flights had been booked for their trips. They vented their disappointment and anger on social media sites.

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