SA TOURS is taking a stand against the allegations made by members of a 10-pax tour group who failed to board their flight to Shanghai last Sunday (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 12).
In an email statement to TTG Asia e-Daily, SA Tours spokesperson, Eva Wu, reiterated that while they regret the series of events that transpired after SA Tour’s third-party representative failed to receive the group at Changi Airport, the travel agency has already done “everything in their ability to rectify the situation”.
According to the tour group, no pre-departure briefing was conducted because of the representative’s absence, but Wu explained that for groups with no tour leader (as was the case in this instance), the briefing had already been done by a tour consultant when the final payment was made, two weeks before departure.
Wu said the group was also fully aware that there would not be a Singapore tour leader, but that they would be escorted once they arrived in Shanghai.
She said that during the four-hour standoff outside SA Tour’s office at People’s Park Complex, the group made derogatory remarks and stopped customers from entering the premises. They also rejected SA Tour’s offer of another flight on the same day.
“They demanded for S$10,000 (US$8,209) in compensation each, when their tour fare was S$500 (excluding taxes) per person. They insisted on making a scene outside our office, rejecting our pleas for them to discuss the matter with us in our office. They also made derogatory remarks and stopped customers from entering our office,” said Wu.
“Throughout the entire exchange, despite their behaviour, we tried our best to communicate with them in a calm and civil manner,” she added.
SA Tours is now cooperating fully with the Consumers Association of Singapore to resolve the dispute.
