Users Reviews of Newair World Travel

I just do not understand how Singapore Tourism Board to control and monitor its member of agent? How come these things can happen again and again in Singapore? What does Singapore Travel Act limit and act travel agents? I wish these thing will not happen again in Singapore.

I booked 4 days and 3 nights travel packages for 5 persons to Chiangmai and Chiangrai in Thailand from 10th Feb to 13th Feb 2008 with NewAir World Travel Pet Ltd on 7th Dec 2007.

The first payment $1,375.00 was made by NETS on 7th Dec 2007 to the company through Mr. Tan (our travel agent). The remaining balance $1,375.00 of the trip was made by CASH as requested by Mr. Tan on 22nd Jan 2008.

Tickets showed that flight reservation had been confirmed for all 5 person.

On 31st Jan 2008, we double confirmed the trip details with the company (Mr Tan) and he didn’t mention anything.

On the day departure, we were not allowed to check in Changi airport Terminal 2 because our names were not found in the passengers’ list according to SILKAIR.

This is rubbish travel agency I have never met. Cheating customers is their specialty. Wishing others do not be cheated again. God will punish them.

By the way, the boss of the company is South Korean PR. They have shifted to Pearl Centre (near Outram Mrt, their unit no is #02-43)

We paid Newair the tour fees in full when all reservations are done. Yet, we have to waste so much time and effort to fight for our compensation when they failed to deliver the accommodation due to their non-payment to the hotel agent.

Newair's Mr Alan Tan has never showed any sincerity in compensating us, nor feel bad about hiding the truth from us which made my whole family and I travelled to our destination during a super peak period without any hotel to stay!! He even refused to pick up our calls when we called him many times for help!

We had to bear the winter cold and find accommodation at the very last minute in a foreign country. All hotels were making use of the super peak season to make more money then, so their walk-in rates then were almost 3-times the hotel rate we paid in the package! Can you imagine the kind of situation we were in, and the kind of anxiety and duress we experienced, especially for our parents??!!

Worst thing to find out when we returned to S'pore is that Newair ACTUALLY KNEW ABOUT THE LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION of hotel reservation before we departed. But Mr Tan chose to HIDE THE TRUTH FROM US and made us travel to the destination without any hotel accommodation!!

We asked Mr Tan that even if we can find accommodation at the last minute but if we did not have enough money to pay, wouldn't we have been stranded in the cold without any accommodation! Mr Tan replied us in a sarcastic manner, "All of you are adults. As adults, you all should know what to do during emergency period like that! Anyway, if not enough money, you all can use credit cards what!"

It was his fault but he has never initiated to contact us to discuss any compensation or refund plan. We had to persistently go after him for refund.

Even after doing so much and even by complaining to the STB and getting the police involved to fight for our rightful compensation, in the end, we are only refunded the hotel fees we paid. Newair's Mr Tan just refused to compensate us for the losses we went experienced due to his dishonest act!! He even CHALLENGED US TO SUE HIM in court if we are not satisfied!

Though we managed to get back a little of the refund for the accommodation, we still feel cheated as Mr Alan Tan did not perform his duty as our travel agent by informing us of any changes to our reservations when he actually knew it, as well as, by keeping our hotel fees for so long without any sincerity of refunding us. Don't you think this company and Mr Tan are unethical? It also seemed they kept changing staff and getting new staff who are inexperienced or foreigners but this Mr Tan is always around, which I find this very weird.

Now, we are more cautious of such small agency. Lessons learnt are: -
(1) Never trust your agent too much.
(2) Even when your agent said everything has been arranged and confirmed, you must do your own homework by checking with your hotel and airline whether your reservations have been paid for by your travel agency. There could be chances that there are reservations done, but no payment received from the travel agency by the deadlines given by the hotels or airlines.

All the best to you if you still choose to book from this agency after reading all the complaints here (as I don’t see any compliments here at all)!!!