Hundreds of Aussies in the lurch after tour company scraps travel plans at last moment
Hundreds of heartbroken travellers from Australia and New Zealand have had their holiday plans scrapped at the last minute.
Tour company AVG Travels informed customers just days before departure that "Due to ongoing operational disruptions during this current peak travel period, some bookings are taking longer than expected to finalise."
The email sent last Friday by CEO David Deo accidentally CC'd more than 200 other travellers in the same boat.
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John and Louise should be flying from Sydney to China today. A Current Affair
"The 229 people can see everybody else's personal details," said Christine from Brisbane.
"I definitely do think they've breached the Privacy Act."
Christine had spent just over $3000 on a trip to China for her and her husband through AVG Travels.
"My husband retired two years ago, and we're both pensioners now. The money doesn't come easy," she told A Current Affair.
Melbourne resident Amma Owusu was supposed to be celebrating her birthday in China.
Instead, she spent the day banging down the door of AVG Travel's head office, demanding a refund.
The A Current Affair camera crew was also in tow.
"I just want my money back, (AVG Travels) stuffed up enough, (AVG Travels) wasted my time," said Amma.
As a result, Amma was immediately refunded on the spot, while other travellers remain in limbo after they were told by the company to find alternate dates for their trips.
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Melbourne resident Amma Owusu was supposed to be celebrating her birthday in China. A Current Affair
According to travel industry expert Nicola Dale, the cancellations could be due to the inability to fill bookings.
"We all have to be flexible and things happen, but this is a different story," she said.
"You need some sort of flexibility but there's a guarantee for each tour company that they can do that - and for this one, there obviously wasn't."
Many disgruntled travellers have told A Current Affair they've contacted the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
According to a statement from the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), AVG Travels' membership was cancelled back in August 2022, after ATIA found the tour company had "failed to meet financial and ethical standards".
AVG Travels has also been suspended by the Council of Australian Tour Operators, pending an investigation.
A Current Affair has sent questions to AVG Travels, but the company has not responded.
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