麻豆社

When a coachload of Wrexham holiday-makers set off on a 3 night break to Disneyland Paris in July, they were looking forward to the thrills and spills of the world-famous theme park. But instead of Disney magic the trip arranged by Links Tours Ltd seemed to hit one disaster after another.

Sarah Evans paid 拢1100 for her family of four to go on the Links Tours鈥� holiday:

鈥淢y daughters absolutely love Disney.聽 They are Disney buffs, they love it.鈥�

But when they arrived outside their Disney hotel after a 15 hour journey, the magic of Mickey began to wear thin.

Sarah said: 鈥渢he bus driver鈥�says there's no hotel booking been made for us鈥︹��we just couldn't believe it.鈥�

Wayne Barlow had paid 拢398 for the trip with his two children and partner Donna.聽 He says 鈥淲e were just in shock at this point.. People were thirsty and hungry. 鈥�

Small travel companies will often use a travel wholesaler to buy accommodation at a discount. But it seemed that Links Tours had failed to pay for their booking.聽Taking pity on the holiday-makers, the wholesaler stepped in and paid for an alternative hotel but it was miles from Disneyland. When their coach arrived at the theme park next morning there were no tickets waiting at the gate either.

Wayne says: 鈥淚t was raining.聽 The kids were upset..鈥�

As Links Tours hadn't paid the Essex-based wholesalers, no tickets had been arranged.聽聽 Once again, it was the wholesalers who stepped up to foot the bill.聽聽 But by the time the tickets came through it was late evening and the families had missed out on most of one of the two days they'd planned to spend in the theme park.

Sarah Says: 鈥淚t was all rushed really. That's how we feel. We haven't had a holiday.鈥�

But it seems the Links Tours chaos had begun long before the Disney disaster. The business ran by Christopher Jackson owes over three thousand pounds worth of unpaid County Court Judgements. His previous incarnation Links Tours and Travels Ltd owes nearly four thousand pounds.

There was even more tragedy in store for some holiday-makers like Sarah and Wayne. They鈥檇 booked further holidays with Links Tours to Harry Potter World, only to find out these had been cancelled. 聽Although these were refunded, Sarah is still chasing 拢500 she is owed for another trip to London that never materialised.

Sarah says: 鈥淚'd never go with them again, never. I wouldn't like any other family to go through what we've had to go through.鈥�

Links Tours has told us that as soon as they were aware of problems in France they 鈥渋mplemented a 24 hour rolling rota of staff鈥� to deal with it, they have 鈥渃ontinued to work to solve the problems of the July Disney trip鈥� and they ask customers seeking a refund to write to them at their 鈥渞egistered office鈥�. The company claims they paid their wholesalers for the trip but their suppliers insist Links Tours still owes them money.

A letting agent has shut up shop leaving tenants without their deposits and a landlord chasing eight months of missing rent payments. Trish and Parker Estates, which has an office on Mansel Street in Swansea, was run by Alan Parker and Trish Chidzidzi.

The couple, who graced our TV screens in reality show Come Dine with Me last November, are proud of their property empire.聽During the show, they told dinner guests that Trish likes to be known as 鈥楶rincess Trish鈥� and that she has her face on the company car and even on the letting boards.

Unfortunately for single mother of two Carly Johns though, she is still chasing a 拢475 deposit from their business. She began renting a fully-furnished house from the agency in 2014.

But soon she had troubles with her dream home.

鈥淚 went without proper heating for three years because my boiler was broke,鈥� she explained.

鈥淚 kept getting the same response; we are looking into it and we'll get it done.鈥�

But they never did and Carly says her calls went unanswered and she had no contact details for the owner of the property.

Luckily in May this year, the property鈥檚 owner, Janet Rose, knocked on her door as she had also been trying to reach Alan Parker, whom she says owed her eight months of rent that he hadn't passed on.

She said: 鈥淵ou could ring the office in Swansea time and time again and it went to answerphone. 聽We couldn't contact him.

鈥淗e owes us 拢3,500 roughly and we feel very upset about it because he's living off that money and it's not his money to live off.鈥�

By law, rental deposits have to be placed into a government-backed scheme. Carly Johns鈥� contract claims it was put in the Deposit Protection Service, but the company can find no trace of it ever being paid in.聽

She鈥檚 not the only one who can鈥檛 locate her deposit, first year student Shelbie Knight left her Swansea house in May, and is owed 拢280.

Miss Knight said: 鈥淚 rang his mobile number the day I got it and it just rung and rung and rung鈥� nothing.鈥�

According to Companies house, Trish and Parker Estates Limited is being wound down, despite having five unpaid County Court Judgements against it, totalling nearly 拢3,000.

Mr Parker's previous business Parker Estates Ltd was liquidated with nearly 拢4,000 worth of unpaid County Court judgements against it.

Mr Parker told X-ray that Trish has nothing to do with the business as 鈥淚 run the company..I made all the decisions鈥�. He blames the company problems on one client causing 拢8000 worth of damage to one of his properties: 鈥淭here's a whole knock on effect with 拢8,000 that I had to pay for a landlord to do up his property again.鈥�

When questioned as to why the deposits were not placed in a scheme, he said 鈥渆rrors were made鈥�.

He also promised that Carly, Janet and Shelbie would get their money within the next seven days.

鈥淚'm not here to run away. They will get their money. 聽That's what matters,鈥� he added.

Despite Mr Parker鈥檚 promises, so far they have not received the money they鈥檙e owed.