Seyunique has been uncontactable for more than a month and agents are expressing concern that it appears that their clients’ tickets have not been issued and that land arrangement deposits have not been paid across to accommodation establishments.
eTravel ITC, Gillian Gerber, told Travel News that she had made a R400 000 booking with the Bedfordview-based island specialist tour operator for a 95th birthday group planning a trip to the Seychelles in July.
“I paid R128 500 across to Seyunique in February to cover the issuance of eight air tickets and the hotel deposit at Paradise Sun for 14 people. I have been trying to reach Jane James since April and initially thought that they were uncontactable due to lockdown but as the months went by, I began to get concerned. I then made contact with the resort directly and was told by the Paradise Sun gm that the hotel had not received any deposit from Seyunique and that a representative from the operator had emailed them to cancel the reservation in early June. When I contacted Border Air (which represents Air Seychelles in SA) to confirm that the airline was holding the clients’ deposits as vouchers for future travel, I was advised that the eight tickets (which had been paid for in full to the operator) had never been issued and the airline was not able to offer my clients any vouchers,” alleges Gillian. Commercial manager of Border Air, Helena Maxwell, confirmed this to Travel News.
Gillian says she visited Seyunique’s Bedfordview offices but the office buzzer was not answered. However, the security guard told Gillian that he had seen people coming and going from the office during the course of the week.
Another eTravel ITC, Odette Cronje, told Travel News that she had paid Seyunique R70 000 in February for a booking that was meant to depart in May. She last received correspondence from the operator on March 17 and has been unable to get hold of them since. Last week Odette contacted the resort directly and alleges that she was advised that no funds had been paid across for her client’s booking. The Air Seychelles tickets had been issued by Seyunique.
Other agents also complained of being unable to reach the operator, saying that although the Seyunique emergency contact number was still ringing, it then cut off. Both eTravel head office and Border Air confirmed that their attempts to contact the operator had gone unanswered.
Travel News has been trying to contact the operator for more than a month by phone, emergency cellphone, email and Facebook Messenger but messages have all gone unanswered. Family members of Jane James were also unable to comment on her whereabouts.
