According to several travel agents, tour operator
SunTrips has continued to delay payments on agent commissions, and
now clients are receiving the brunt of the instability at
SunTrips.
“I've heard of clients being walked from hotels
because of nonpayment from SunTrips," said Chris Russo, president
of Rocky Mountain ASTA. “One agency in particular has a group next
week that has been moved three times because the hotels will not
accept SunTrips documents.”
The tour operator also canceled operations to
Cancun until February, according to an agent.
“SunTrips is refunding all Cancun vacation packages
in full,” according to an e-mail recently received at TravelAge
West from an agent. “Unfortunately, they are not processing
these refunds normally.”
Clients are being told they will have to wait at
least three weeks to get a credit card refund and four to six weeks
for check payments, according to the agent.
When contacted last month about delayed agent
commissions, the company’s general manager said in a statement that
the delay was temporary and commission would be processed the week
ending Oct. 21.
As of this month, several travel agents have told
TravelAge West that they were still waiting on their
commissions.
The company’s president recently released a brief
statement saying that commissions will be paid once SunTrips
changes owners.
“SunTrips is taking the necessary steps to pay
travel agent commissions. Once the sale between OneTravel Holdings
and Crystal Finance is completed SunTrips will be evaluating
commissions and bringing them up-to-date. The sale is expected to
be final at the end of November 2005.”
The delayed payments have caused some agents to
lose faith in the company.
“This does not feel good,” said Barbara Ann Roby of
Marketplace Travel. “We’re not going to believe anything they say
now.”
www.suntrips.com
