A TRAVEL agent is facing a police probe over claims she took thousands of pounds for luxury holidays that never materialised.
One group insists that Natasha Macdonald, 46, owes them £30,000 for their big booking.
Natasha Macdonald is being probed amid claims she owes travel customers £30,000
AlamyOne client claimed their two-week trip to New York and Florida fell apart[/caption]
The travel agent refused to comment when approached this week
Customers claim they were enticed to book with her after friends and family told them how she had been able to bag them a bargain booking.
She was able to offer trips to the United States, including stays in high-end hotels.
A 10-day car hire for half the price it would cost for two adults to book it themselves was also on offer.
Clients say Macdonald told them she could shave thousands off the typical costs as she had low overheads with no office to pay for.
But they say they later had to axe travel plans at the last minute, and that Macdonald’s firm AllAccess Travel Ltd has ignored their refund pleas.
One client whose two-week trip to New York and Florida fell apart said they were only able to claw their £7,500 back after pleading with the bank.
They said: “Natasha had sorted multiple holidays before and we never had a problem.
“The prices she was able to offer always felt like a steal. We thought we would be mad to consider going to anybody else.
“I thought I could trust her but something went very badly wrong somewhere.
“We were heartbroken when things fell through but it got worse when nobody would return our calls when we tried to get a refund.
“I’m just glad we were able to get our money back.”
One woman who planned a holiday for her husband’s landmark birthday claimed an airline confirmed that their seats were never booked.
And another client claims their £7,000 trip to Mexico collapsed, while a group is chasing a refund after their £30,000 trip did not go ahead.
Macdonald, of Renfrew, in January registered her agency Travel With TaylorMadeTravel.
Customers arranged trips over the phone and were sent bills and a link to pay online.
Invoices included details of her ABTA and ATOL registrations, which ensure travellers are protected against cancellations by holiday firms, but it is alleged she was using other companies’ numbers.
Those hoping to have their cash returned through the protection schemes discovered certification numbers on invoices belonged to entirely different firm, InteleTravel.
A company spokesman said: “Natasha Macdonald is not a member of InteleTravel — she left in January 2023.
“It is an offence to pass yourself off as an InteleTravel agent if you are not one and we would take action against anyone doing this.”
An ABTA spokesman added: “All our members are bound by our code of conduct to help them deliver the highest standards of customer service.
“We do take action where we are alerted to people wrongly using our name or logo.”
Macdonald refused to comment when approached by our reporter this week.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of a number of reports relating to a possible fraud involving the sale of holiday bookings.”
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