AN ELDERLY couple have vented their frustration at the disinterest of the authorities after losing £6000 inheritance when a travel agent suddenly folded.
Tony Blackburn, 74, and his wife Janet, 64, booked flights with World Choice in Wanstead to travel to New Zealand next February for their granddaughter's wedding, using money left to them when Tony's mother died in January this year.
However the company unexpectedly closed down in September, leaving several holidaymakers stranded abroad and many more, like Mr and Mrs Blackburn, seriously out of pocket.
Despite repeated attempts to contact the former owner Keith Patterson and several phone calls to Trading Standards, they have not received their tickets or a refund three months on and have now been forced to take out a £5000 loan to book another set of flights.
Tony, of Acacia Road in Leytonstone, said: “I'm so disappointed. Both my wife and I are pensioners, which makes it difficult to get by, so we don't have this kind of money to lose.
“We've given all the information to Trading Standards and they just don't seem interested. We've contacted ATOL and ABTA and they haven't even deigned to reply. No-one seems to want to deal with our complaint, no-one's that bothered.
“How I'm going to pay off £5000 on a credit card I have no idea, but I don't care about that any more. We're going to go and we're really looking forward to it.”
After World Choice closed, builder and former nightclub promoter Wayne Almond reopened the shop as Clockhouse Travel and promised to pay back the money customers had lost. However, he then closed the shop only a few days later, citing problems with the lease.
The Guardian approached Mr Almond to ask if he was still planning to honour his promise, but he was unavailable for comment.
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