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Travel company Day Trip Newport leaves dozens of children in tears after canceling a once-in-a-lifetime holiday trip to Disneyland Paris, only two days before the families were to leave for what could have been their most memorable holiday ever.
According to Daily Mail, angry parents are saying that not only did Day Trip Newport cancel their trips unexpectedly, but they are also claiming their requests for a refund have been completely ignored by the tour operator.
Day Trip Newport claims to organize coach trips to Disneyland, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, Chessington World of Adventures and several other British zoos and theme parks. But recently, the company has been plagued with complaints from furious parents who all claim to have had trips canceled last minute by the company. Additionally, these same parents all claim to have received no replies when pursuing a refund for their canceled trips.
Some parents even claim to have been blocked by the company’s Facebook page after several attempts of communication with Day Trip Newport for refunds.
According to Daily Mail, Darren Small, 39, from Newport, reportedly paid around £2,500 in installments over the last year to take his family to Disneyland Paris as a pre-Christmas treat. However, Small started to become worried when his requests for a confirmation of the family’s departure time were ignored.
“We contacted Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe, where we were meant to stay, but there was no record of our name at all. We went into panic mode then,” said Small in an interview with Daily Mail.
Following this call to Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe, Small began to repeatedly send messages to Day Trip Newport about his family’s trip, which was due to take place over last weekend, only to be told that his trip was no longer going ahead.
Small is joined by dozens of other angry parents who have all experienced similar results when booking with the travel company. These angry parents have all taken to the company’s Facebook page to share their grief.
In response to the backlash Day Trip Newport is facing, one of the company’s owners wrote on their official Facebook Page:
“It has come to our attention that some people have not paid in full for upcoming trips. Any one that has not paid in full would not be entitled to come on the trip. This includes people from Xmas trips…Whilst we appreciate certain things get prioritised at this time of the year, as you would appreciate having 19 people not pay for a trip in full is an expense that could not be covered. I have previously said I do not do these trips for the money. I work full time and have three jobs to support my family.” In the post, the unidentified owner also stated that planning these trips are “purely a way of visiting places and making them accessible to other people.”
According to Daily Mail, a Gwent Police spokesman has stated: “At approximately 6:25 p.m. on December 12, 2018, we received an allegation of fraud from a member of the public in the Newport area…Arrangements were made for an officer to meet with the caller to discuss the report.”
Source: Daily Mail
