By Scott Sieber
For one of the wayward travelers, Valencia Valencia of Rosedale, who paid $5,000 for herself and five family members, the cancelled vacation ignited a firestorm of new problems. Since August, she has wrestled with a series of bounced checks and court battles in an attempt to regain her money from the travel agency, GiGi Worldwide Travel, Inc. Valencia said that while GiGi travel agent Gilant (Gillian) Philips attempted to reimburse her for the failed trip, the agency's checks bounced and only cost her more in bank fees. Despite her efforts and a Small Claims Court ruling in Valencia's favor for complete reimbursement early this year, she has never received a refund. “On the day the marshal came (to collect the payment from Philips' bank), mysteriously, there's no more money in the bank,” Valencia said. “To this day, she has not made restitution and she's still operating in business with no worries, no cares.” Philips tells a different side of the story, however. She said several members of the larger package deal failed to make payments, a violation which prompted Carnival to cancel the entire deal. A service representative at Carnival Cruise Lines said it is the travel agent's responsibility to ensure the full payment is made on time. If the cruise is cancelled within a week of the departure date, the cruise line provides no refund. When asked if her business is in debt, Philips gave a slight chuckle and replied, “Who isn't?” She went on to say that she does make an effort to repay the recipients of unsuccessful travel arrangements, and all payments are made from company profits. She would not comment further on her financial situation. Despite lengthy clashes in the courtroom, Philips said she harbors no ill will toward Valencia. “She was the one person I wanted to do right by,” Philips said from her St. Albans office. “I do want to resolve it with her and a lot of people have got refunds, but I haven't contacted her because I don't know if she'll talk to me.” Meanwhile, Valencia remains unsatisfied and has sought the assistance of several agencies, including the Better Business Bureau. A spokeswoman at the Better Business Bureau's New York office, who asked to be identified only as Miss Johnson, said GiGi Worldwide Travel has received two complaints in the past three years. One was resolved to the customer's satisfaction and another was resolved, but the complainant remains unsatisfied. According to Johnson, the travel agency maintains a satisfactory rating. The bureau's Web site states that “a satisfactory record means that a company has been in business for at least 12 months, and has properly addressed complaints referred to it by the bureau.” Johnson said the number of complaints received by a business does not affect its rating. “You can have as many complaints as possible, but as long as they have been resolved, then that's fine,” she said. The only way to receive an unsatisfactory rating from the bureau is to ignore a complaint, Johnson said. “It goes on until someone tells you that you have to do it legally and take her to court, and then you do all that, nothing happens, and you're still left without your money or restitution,” Valencia said. “Then where do you go? It is so frustrating because if you do everything that they tell you to do to get help and you don't get help, then what? I'm supposed to accept the fact that she has the right to do that.”Reach reporter Scott Sieber by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext 138.
