Through telesales Travel Club Express, a Dutch company, is offering cheap travel deals to Belgian residents. At the end of the conversation the company offers the possibility to send some additional information at their home address. But that additional information is not entirely without obligation.
Anita, one of the victims, testifies to “De Inspecteurs (Radio 2)“: “The company called me and offered me a cheap travel deal, they would send me more information by mail. I received the package, but nothing else: no invoice and no request for payment. Shortly thereafter I received a letter from a bailiff with the request to pay an outstanding invoice of €220,38.”
Anita is not the only one to receive such a payment reminder, on web site Klacht.nl Agna was called by Travel Club Express to congratulate her with the fact that she won a holiday for six people. The only thing that she needed to do is to pay a one-time administrative fee of €179,95. Instead of receiving the promised holiday, she received a letter from the bailiff requesting payment of €220. In total, 108 complaints were already reported on Klacht.nl.
Sven Pichal (De Inspecteurs) presented the story to the European Consumer Centres Network and they are very formal: “There hasn’t been a valid telesale, so you don’t have to pay the invoice. You can contest this payment reminder by email or with a letter.”
The fact that a bailiff is asked to pay outstanding invoices raises eyebrows. Also because Travel Club Express is already on the gray list of the Belgian Economic Inspection, a list of dubious telesales.
Unless via Twitter, travel club express has not (yet) responded to the calls and mails from the Belgian radio show.
Travel Club Express leidt aanzienlijke schade bij consumenten die wel gebruik maken van onze reis mogelijkheden maar niet voldoen aan hun betaalverplichting.
— TravelClubExpress (@TravelClubExpr1) May 31, 2018
Ha, is dat zo? De @FODEconomie waarschuwt voor jullie valse marktpraktijken. Jullie hebben geen been om op te staan. Dus hou op met Belgische consumenten te bestoken. En aan iedereen die brieven of mails krijgt van Travel Club Express: betaal niet!
— Sven Pichal (@svenpichal) June 1, 2018