Hundreds of Russians around the world remain hostage to the financial insolvency of a large travel company
Hundreds of Russians around the world remain hostage to the financial insolvency of the company "Lanta-Tour Voyage". The bankrupt firm abandoned its customers to their fate. As a result, people are blocked in foreign hotels, running from the police under cover of night, storming the doors of the Moscow office.
Such hype in the travel company "Lanta Tour Voyage" did not happen in the hottest days of tourist seasons. Some could not fly away to warm up, and now they are trying to get their money back, others can not return from abroad to their homeland. The tour operator has suspended its activities.
“Here people have been waiting in line since 12 a.m., making lists. We are the 12th, this is not the worst option, says Ekaterina Sergeeva.
The option is really not the worst. In the cold, but at home and free. In Thailand and Vietnam, many hotels were actually taken hostage. Passports were not given and were required to pay for accommodation.
“In Vietnam, it is customary to leave tourist passports at the reception. This is a kind of pledge that tourists pay when leaving, so hotels blackmailed tourists, said the executive director of Lanta Viet Travel K. Prikhodko.
The few who managed to get out of Vietnam were those who managed to deceive the hotel guards and the police.
“Those who had passports fled quietly, those who could pay paid, and those who could not pay were left without passports, we hope for the best,” says Marina Savina.
The situation changed dramatically after the intervention of diplomats. “Our consul and attaché met with the provincial authorities and representatives of the tourism industry. According to the Vietnamese authorities, hotels will not prevent the departure of Russian citizens, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Ho Chi Minh City Dmitry Andryushin said.
In total, more than two thousand customers of this company were abroad. In Rosturizm, a specially created operational headquarters is engaged in this problem, hot telephone lines are open. In the Indian resort of Goa, tourists did not bother much, but for Vietnam and Thailand, Rostourism is preparing retaliatory measures.
"We are ready from today to publish "black lists" of those hotels, host companies that violate the rights of our tourists," - said the head of the press service of Rostourism Oleg Moseev.
Rostourism and air carriers assure that tourists will not have problems with returning home. On board vacationers take without re-issuance of tickets and without additional payments for the transfer of the departure date.
The tour company itself says that 100 million rubles, for which Lanta Tour Voyage was insured, should be enough to pay compensation and satisfy the claims of the company's customers. At least some of the claims.
This conversation was recorded in one of the Moscow offices of Lanta Tour Voyage: In general, Ingosstrakh will consider applications in chronological order. Given the fact that you are in Moscow, a company in Moscow, and you are now submitting an application, and it will be registered there as number 60 – I think this is a bid for victory. Because there are, for example, regional offices that have representative offices. As long as they submit their claims in writing, it will be a long time. Think about it, because a hundred million insured sums are not enough to reimburse.”
As of midday, Ingosstrakh has received about 150 applications from failed tourists. And that's only in Moscow. Attempts to claim compensation in the Russian regions have faced problems.
"The Lanta Tour doesn't give you that paper." A formal waiver is required, which they must provide that they are unable to fulfill the terms of the contract. In principle, the paper in Moscow was shown on television, in Domodedovo everyone was given. They don't give us and they don't know anything. They had no instructions. That's it, says Lina Krivoshapko.
"Who's to blame" is actually trying to figure out the Investigative Committee. He began checking the actions of the company, as well as officials of state bodies that are obliged to control the tourist business.
Source: http://www.1tv.ru/news/economic/197828