Complaints climb in tourism “Paradise”

While Panama places strong reliance on tourist revenue, and is promoted as a “paradise” complaints from dissatisfied customers continue to climb.

Investing in vacation packages for clients should mean ensuring preferential treatment and rates at beautiful places, but in many cases, this ends in frustration says La Prensa.
The Consumer Protection Authority (ACODEC) says that according to angry customers, some promoters do not comply with the clauses stipulated in the contracts, charges are made for services that were supposed to be free and there is never space availability in the hotels for and operators promote services and products they are not able to deliver.
Industry representatives, reported by La Prensa, tend to put the blame on the customer, with one spokesman recommending that users show their holiday contracts to a lawyer.

 Last year, ACODEC settled small claims for a total of $28,122 against 2008 $26,728 in 2008, representing an increase of 5.2%.

For the first five months of 2010, there have been 17 claims for a value of $21,028

Agents with the highest number of claims were Prestige Travel, All Star Vacation, National Travel Club, Tourist Promotion and Multivac Decameron Panamasays La Prensa.
ACODEC also records complaints for amounts exceeding $2,500.
For 2009, the department received 25 complaints for a total of $115, 827. In 2008 there were 22 complaints totalling $123,567.

To May of this year 10 complaints have been filed for $ 36,781 against six companies.

The main complaints in this unit relate to avoidance of contract ($ 24,920), refund or credit ($,1099), breach of contract ($ 500) and unfair ($ 262).

All Star Vacations, National Travel, Multivac, Decameron Club and also on this list, incorporating contracts with Sol Meliá Vacation Club, Inc. Club Saen and partnerships between According to ACODEC some cases were referred to prosecutors, because they have closed deals and failed contracts with consumers, including Seza, Intervac and now Prestige Travel, whose officials resigned.

Of the 163 people who participated in a studied conducted by La Prensa, 55% said they had had a mishap with the vacation packages offered by local tourism businesses.

Jorge Loaiza, spokesman for Royal Decameron, said:”The problem is that people do not read contracts properly and there are clauses which state that a reservation must be made with three months in advance.
However, says La Prensa the offer of the holiday plans generally occurs in an atmosphere of pressure, where the vendors will insist to potential customers that if they do not sign the contract at the moment, they lose the right to a promotion or a particular benefit.

The president of the Panamanian Association of Tourism Operators, Angelo Paredes, emphasizes the importance of taking time. “When you are going to get into such a business you should take the contract home and review with a lawyer and see if that is what you really want,” said  Paredes.