Couple lose out as holiday firm crashes

Pensioners Peter and Patricia Richardson received their travel documents for a £300 Blackpool break just two days before South Elmsall firm Ken Clarkson Ltd ceased trading.

They were due to go away for five days on Monday but are angry that no-one from the firm, which includes Clarkson Coaches and Clarkson Travel, has told them anything.

Retired hotel porter Mr Richardson (71) and his 70-year-old wife only found out the firm was in trouble because they wanted to cancel the holiday and rearrange it for later in the year as Mrs Richardson had been ill in hospital.

But the Richardsons were told via a recorded message the firm had ceased trading.

Although some bookings after a certain date will be honoured theirs was not one of them and they will lose their money.

“It may not be a lot of money to some people but it is to us,” said Mr Richardson, of Dale Hall Close, Maltby.

“But it’s more an irritation than anything because we haven’t received any correspondence or phone call to tell us anything.

“We got a recorded message which gave us the number of consultants but I rang up three times and three times I was told someone would ring me back and they haven’t.

“The last time I asked for their website and email, but after trying to contact them by both methods I found that neither the email nor website exists. 

“I booked the holiday in January and we received our travel documents on February 19—two days before they stopped trading on February 21.

“I also contacted the Bonded Coach Holidays organisation, which is like ABTA, where firms have to pay a bond to cover any company getting into difficulty. It was all detailed in the Clarkson brochure with the BCH logo.

“But we were told that Clarkson’s stopped paying the bond back in October and they should not have published that information in their brochure.”

Mr Richardson (pictured) said that the couple had paid £10 and £20 for home pick-up, which was one of the reasons they booked with them.

He added: “If I hadn’t phoned up to cancel the original booking we would have been waiting at home to be taken to Rotherham bus station, expecting a coach to take us to Blackpool.

“We booked with them because they were recommended by friends and we were told they were absolutely brilliant, but we have just been left in the lurch.

“We have heard through the BCH that the consultants are trying to move the company on and that all holidays from April will be honoured.

“It seems investment was needed in the company and that was not forthcoming so they were advised to cease trading and so not go into liquidation, but that doesn’t help us.”

No-one was available for comment this week at KMC Consulting in Leicester, which is handling the company’s affairs.