Paradise lost: yet another travel agency fails to deliver

A Fourways-based travel agency that continued to market and sell package holidays to the Maldives, despite the key drawcard — direct flights from Joburg — being unavailable since December 2022, suddenly shut up shop at the weekend.

Francois Swart, 39, appears to have operated his agency Priority Escapes as sole director relatively successfully in 2021 and 2022, with celebrity endorsements of his Maldives holiday packages and many positive reviews on HelloPeter.

So those who planned their trips to “paradise” with what Swart called his “escape artists” (consultants) this year did so with full confidence. What they didn’t know was that last August, Air Seychelles, which had been operating the direct flights from Joburg to the Maldives’ capital, Malé, announced that it would no longer fly that route from the end of December 2022.

Many Priority Escapes clients were told by Swart just weeks or days before their departure that their direct flights “to paradise” — for which the agency had issued them vouchers — were not available.

They were given three options: postpone their trip until October when the unspecified direct route was said to resume, at no extra cost; switch to other, non-direct flights, with Priority Escapes picking up half that cost; or a refund, staggered over several months.

Many of those who bought alternative flights on Emirates or Qatar airlines, not wanting to sacrifice their dream holidays, arrived at Malé airport recently to discover, when attempting to get transport to their resorts, that their accommodation had not been paid for.

They were thus forced to repay huge amounts. While some did get a portion of their losses refunded, many who paid extra for alternative flights or opted for refunds hadn’t received a cent from Priority Escapes when the bombshell dropped at noon on Saturday.

“We find ourselves in a position where we are unable to meet our financial obligations in respect of Priority Escapes clients and service providers,” Swart told affected clients.

“We have no option other than to cease trading with immediate effect.

“This unfortunately will have an effect on your upcoming holiday to the Maldives, which is not able to take place.”

There was no word about refunds. 

When consumers pay for good or services with a credit card, there’s a good chance they can get their money back by lodging a chargeback dispute with the bank which issued their card, provided they do so within 120 days from the transaction processing date, or the delivery date of the goods or services. 

But several people have told TimesLIVE Premium that they were made to pay via EFT.

“I paid in full in July for a trip in December,” said Sabreenha. “I specifically asked to pay via credit card but was told, no, it had to be an EFT.”

The agency had accepted bookings and payments right up to Friday, August 11.

On Sunday, Swart issued an update: “We are investigating the viability of a turnaround plan...the business has engaged with business rescue advisers.”

He invited his clients to e-mail claims@priorityescapes.com

One of the participants of a 123-member WhatsApp group for affected Priority Escape clients has been keeping a tally of their losses: by this afternoon, his total stood at R10.1m from 57 complaints.

“Tip of the iceberg,” one member said.

On that list is a company owner who booked 35 staff members on an “incentive trip”.

By the time Suzanne Graver booked a Maldives holiday for herself and her family — a party of six — in January 2023, for departure in June, the direct Joburg to Malé flights did not exist.

They went ahead with the booking and payment for flights and accommodation because in a voice note to Graver’s son, in January, Swart gave the assurance that: “If for whatever reason the charter flight does not operate, which seems unlikely given the volumes that we are currently selling, we would accommodate you on Emirates or Qatar at our cost.”

“I was only alerted to the problem with our flights on June 19, six days before we were scheduled to leave,” Graver said, “and not by the agency, by another customer.

“Only then did Swart confirm that direct flights to Maldives had been terminated.”

Desperate not to forfeit their holiday, the family opted to book new, indirect flights with Qatar Airways, at a cost of R206,000.

“Luckily for us, Priority Escapes had paid for our hotel accommodation and sea plane charter — many people arriving after us had to pay again.”

But Graver has not received a refund of what she paid for the non-existent direct flights, nor for those Emirates tickets. Last Thursday, Swart’s attorney sent her an offer: a refund of R128 000 in six monthly instalments, starting on September 30.

Two days later Swart disabled his website and social media presence and announced that the company had stopped operating.

“We were pressurised to make payment for our entire Maldives package, 100% upfront, an amount of R715,873 — within 24 hours of our booking because Swart said: ‘Flight seats only hold for 24hrs at a time,’” Graver said.

“Between January and July, so many people paid Priority Escapes for direct flights to the Maldives which did not exist, so none of that money was paid to any airline,” Graver said.

“Where are all those millions now?”

Devasha Tomlinson and her husband were on their way to the Maldives at the weekend, oblivious of the Priority Escapes drama until they landed.

They’d chosen to fly from Durban to Malé via Dubai with Emirates, their airline of choice. In total, they’d paid the agency R114,000 for their seven-night holiday.

“Being very cautious, two weeks before our departure we called Emirates to confirm that our flights had been paid for and were told the seats were booked but not paid for, Devasha said.

The agency remedied that after Tomlinson had stern words with their “escape artist”.

But when they arrived at the airport in Malé on Saturday and went to the counter of their chosen resort — Cinnamon Velifushi — they were told that their accommodation had not been paid by Priority Escapes.

Hotel representatives refused to transport them to the resort unless they paid another R95,000 for their stay, which they did.

Strangely, the Tomlinsons had taken the precaution of checking with the resort that “everything is fully paid and confirmed, including seaplane transfers” earlier this month, and were told “we are pleased to confirm your booking with us ...”

In May Wayne Webb and his wife paid Priority Escapes in full — R152,000 — for their family holiday, departing later this month.

Travelling with two young children, the direct-flight element was a major drawcard. Less than three weeks before their departure, Webb received the “bombshell” that there had been “some challenges in launching our direct flights to paradise this year”.

“We immediately turned to Google reviews and our hearts sank when we realised this had happened to many other people and had been going on the entire year,” he said.

“And when I contacted the hotel in the Maldives, they advised me that there was a booking under our name, but that it had not been paid for.”

Through his attorney, Swart offered to refund Webb over the course of four months, starting next month.

TimesLIVE Premium e-mailed Swart’s attorney, asking why, despite knowing that Priority Escapes had no means of delivering on its “direct flights” promise from January 2023, were such packages marketed and sold as such during the first half of 2023, and how staggered, delayed refunds were justified in cases where no suppliers had been paid by the agency.

Responding last Thursday, the attorney was at pains to point out that she acted for Priority Escapes in this matter, not Swart, the sole director.

“My client is limited by non-disclosure agreements with suppliers, which will dramatically alter the landscape,” she said.

“This has rendered it very difficult for my client to refute what is stated on social media.”

Swart has claimed that direct flights to Malé will resume from the end of September, but provided no evidence of such. The attorney suggested that the writer meet Swart this Friday (August 18) at his Fourways office, to provide “a peek” at the documents to enable “more balanced” reporting.

“My client has been finalising negotiations with a supplier which will enable the direct route which it has always operated to resume,” she said.

“These negotiations will be set back significantly by poor press coverage, and this will have an impact upon my client and its employees, but also upon the economy. My client assures you that the money paid by his clients has not been misused by my client to feather Mr Swart’s nest, and that he has every intention of paying back the money required.”

The attorney said she had advised her client to go into business rescue, but he was reluctant, “because it will mean the end of the business”.

“The period that this problem [with direct flights] arose is a short one, and my client has settled with many of the clients who were affected,” she said.

The Flight Centre Travel Group had some booked clients’ Maldives holidays via Priority Escapes but cut ties “a considerable period of time” ago.

“We are identifying bookings that have been impacted,” the group’s GM of supply, pricing and marketing, Sue Garrett, told TimesLIVE Premium.

“It appears that two [of our] bookings may have been affected due to Priority Escape's inability to fulfil their commitments There were a number of last-minute flight changes which resulted in customers needing to be reaccommodated on indirect flights and, recognising the persistent inconveniences faced by our customers, we took the decision to stop using the services of Priority Escapes,” Garrett said.

“If any customer has been affected or should there be any other support required, they can reach out to their dedicated travel agent or call 0877 40 50 00.”

Otto de Vries, CEO of the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata) said it was “unforgivable” that Priority Escapes had actively promoted and sold packaged trips to the Maldives with direct flights, knowing full well that service was no longer available.

Priority Escapes was not an Asata member.

“The South African travel industry is not regulated, which can make it difficult for consumers to find trustworthy and responsible travel partners,” he said.

“We strongly encourage customers to engage with Asata members, which can be verified through our website.

“Asata members adhere to a strict code of conduct, a constitution and the Asata charter.”

Commenting on the staggered refund offers Swart was making up until the end of last week, De Vries said it was the norm for travel agents’ refunds to clients for cancelled bookings to take up to six weeks, because that’s how long it can take to recover the funds from the suppliers.

“But in the case of these direct flights, the supplier was not paid,” he said.

“Of course, it’s possible that one of our members could do something like this,” De Vries said, but statistically, most recent travel agency scandals — Hello Darlings included — have involved non-Asata members.

He advised consumers who book holidays via travel agents to contact the airlines and resorts before departure to make absolutely sure that their bookings were not only made but paid for.

“If you are about to spend a large amount of money on a package holiday, you want to know service will be fulfilled.”

A quick Google search would have revealed that Air Seychelles terminated its flight to the Maldives in December 2022.

“Airlines generally required airfares to be paid over by agents within 14 days of booking,” De Vries said, “but it’s not unusual for agents to only pay accommodation suppliers in the month of travel, sometimes only two weeks before the guests’ arrival.”

Many affected Priority Travel clients have laid fraud charges at various SAPS stations.

They have also consulted with Pretoria-based attorney Eugene Maré of Maré Attorneys and will be attending a virtual meeting with him on Tuesday at 4pm to discuss a possible liquidation application in respect of Priority Escapes.

Those interested in attending that meeting should e-mail eugene@marelaw.co.za