Travel agent publishes names claiming $100k unpaid bills
Cayman 123 Travel owner, Theresa Chin
(CNS): A troubled local travel agent which failed to honour bookings from a number of customers who missed their flights at Easter has published a list of names on its Facebook page, claiming the people and businesses owe over $100,000. The owner of Cayman 123 Travel has posted the list of people it claims owe various sums of money, demanding the cash or threatening legal action. From another travel company that 123 Travel alleges owes it some $44,000 to individuals who owe less than $400, the company, which appears to have gone bust, is asking all the debtors to settle up.
Last month owner Theresa Chin denied conning several customers out of airfares for flights over Easter that it never secured and blamed the problems on another travel agent and Cayman Airways.
Police confirmed at the time that officers were investigating several reports of travellers being conned.
Following the closure of the store and the arrival of disgruntled customers after the Easter Break, Chin told CNS that she was dealing with ongoing issues but made no comment on the customers’ missing bookings or the cash they had stumped up for the tickets.
Category: Local News
This is a very low and disgusting step for this lady. There’s a saying in law that you must come to court with clean hands. We an see that will definitely not be the case here. I figure if she had a real case she would already be in court instead of trying to publicly embarrass people. The list is more than questionable! I know for a fact that many people on there DO NOT owe her any money. I wonder, how does an ex employer end up owing her $44,000? Do you know how many trips that would have to be? At an avg price of $500 that’s like over 80 trips … who allows that? I don’t believe it because Ms. Chin wasn’t able to issue tickets and no travel agent would allow a person to travel without a paid ticket. So, how is it that people who this money? What’s the money for? What proof does she have? Just because she posts it on Facebook does she think that means it’s believable? She should be sued for defamation!!!
Have to agree that Theresa didn’t have to go to this level regardless of what happened or is happening. A lot of people respect her as a person but this was not expected of her. She was always so professional but this just looks like some tit-for-tat game now. My suggestion to you Theresa is pull the list before a suit comes your way. You don’t want to become like some other persons who are known for just degrading people on face book.
There are many sides to a story. But when someone retaliates after being placed in the news via a one-sided story then it is wrong. If you owe the woman pay her or produce your evidence to show you don’t.
People act like owing a bill is a crime! Everyone in this world owes someone, even the richest of person owes someone even if it’s their employee. What she is doing by posting people’s names on the internet is a criminal offence XXXXXX.
How could her former employees owe her considering she was deducting pension from them and NEVER even had a pension account set up for the company she even collected pension from them when Government gave a 1 year pension holiday. How could an employee owe you that kind of money and yet you write their cheques every pay day and you don’t try to collect what they supposedly owe you? I was made to understand that she made the health insurance lapse for the staff and the staff was unaware until someone got sick and ended up with a hospital bill for CI$10k which she does not want pay her portion and is currently being dealt with thru the Health Insurance Commission. If anything I would say it’s the other way around she owes the former employees not them owe her.
As a Caymanian and a former certified travel agent who was employeed by one of the few remaining travel agencies on Grand Cayman, please allow me to comment on this article. I would also like to share with you a very personal story of being GAY and how one can be discriminated against because of having to take medical leave. Am not going to name my previous employeer.I for the love of me cant understand why Ms. Chin would allow her accounts to get into such arrears. I can only wonder that she has named and shamed her previous clients, does she owe anyone any debts. When I lost my job I applyed to Ms. Chins travel agency and another for a job. One interviewed me, but Ms. Chin didnt even reply to my email. I was only left to wonder why I wasnt hired by the travel agency that granted me an interview. Here is my story.
Back in September of 2012, I took sick and was at home in bed for 3 weeks going back and forth to my doctor. Unable to barely swallow water or food. Not once was I visited my anyone from my place of employement. I became so weak that I visited my doctors office at the end of the 3rd week reffered to another doctor who admitted me to the GT hospital for test to be run. I spent 4 days in hospital and in that time 2 fellow employees care to visit. One stayed a few hours the other my manager barely stayed 10 minutes. It was as if I had did something wrong. My ex employeer sent a card and a small plant as a get well greetin. But not once did she visit me in the hospital. The card read something like this get well soon we all miss you ypur apart of the family and was signed by each employee. WELL that was all good but after being employeed for 6 years, am guessing I wasnt family after all but just a name and a number.
I was a very good travel agent, honest, hardworking. I was released from the hospital and my employeer informed. About a week an a half I visited my doctor who had admitted me to the GT hospital, only tolearn of my medical condition. Tears flowed down my eyes as she held me and tried to reassure me I would be ok in time. I was scared, lonely and afraid. Upon leaving my doctors office I called my employeer on my cell told her I was on my way to her office and that I needed to tell her something. WELL as this story goes I lost my job a few months later all because of being diagnoized with a livable disease. Yes I needed time off to get myself in order and come to terms with what had happened to me. I was I would still have my job but after a while all of that changed.
My ex employeer basically took it upon herself to call Social Services and in an email said they had to take care of me. Its so sad that to this day after going through what I endured I no longer had a job which I enjoyed and loved doing. All because its my view that had I not been diagnoized with my medical condition and YES DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE OF IT. In then end I had to fight to get my severance pay for the 6 years I was employeed. I am still unemployeed now for just under a year having to go back an forth to family in USA. It is my hope that no one Caymanian or resident has to ever go through what I had to. Being GAY and having a medical condition should never be grounds for losing your job. In my place work permits where issued and well me am just a forgotten name. I hope that the good Lord above sees it fit to one day grant me the time that the doors of all travel agencies in The Cayman Islands will have to close their doors.
NEWS FLASH ANYONE CAN BOOK THEIR TRAVEL AND VACATION TRIPS ONLINE VIA THE AIRLINES OR A WEBSITE. I FOR ONE WILL NEVER BE OVER CHARGED AGAIN.
Thank you kindly for allowing me to share my story,
Chet Oswald Ebanks.
Chet, you are very brave and having previously dealt with you booking my family’s travels, you were always very courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. Keep your head up and good things will come your way!
Thank you kindly was a pleasure as always.
Cayman protects all sharks, including the poor loan shark. Just tag and release…tag and release…
Why don’t she publish the names of the people SHE OWE!!
Why don’t you name them if you know who they are?
I did, it is called the phone book, everyone has one
Lol