Holiday nightmare as Budget go bust
Sean and Bernadette Kelly from Dunleer have a € 300 voucher but they are afraid it's worthless now. Credit: Paul Connor.
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WORRIED customers with vouchers or deposits placed on holidays gathered outside Budget Travel on Wednesday as news broke that the company is to close with the loss of 172 jobs.
The company had already closed 14 shops nationwide back in September but its collapse last Wednesday still came as a major shock to most.
Sean and Bernadette Kelly from Suntown in Dunleer had been given a € 300 voucher as a present for their 40th wedding anniversary and are now concerned their money has been lost.
'We got it in July and we were going to use it to book a nice holiday somewhere after Christmas,' said Bernadette.
A liquidator has been appointed to the troubled company, which closed a number of outlets earlier this year.
A notice placed on the door after the Drogheda store closed shortly after 3pm last Friday, read: 'Simon Coyle of Mazars has been appointed provisional liquidator to Budget Travel.'
Leanne Fitzpatrick came to see what was happening for her Mum, who got a voucher last Christmas.
'She heard that the company was closing on the radio and she asked me to come down and have a look. She was planning on going over to see her sister in the Isle of Man.'
Róisín Walsh was also concerned about whether a voucher given to her as a present from her son would be honoured.
'I was keeping an eye out because there are always special offers on and I was going to book somewhere in the new year but it's gone now,' she said.
Another woman, who did not want to give her name, said she had paid a deposit on a holiday to Disneyland, Paris.
'It's with Breakaway which are a different company so I'm hoping it'll be refunded,' she said.
The collapse of Budget Travel, which has been in business for nearly 35 years, will see the closure of 17 shops across the country including Drogheda, Dundalk and Navan.
In a statement, Managing Director Eileen O'Sullivan expressed her regret at the decision to place the company in provisional liquidation.
A High Court hearing to appoint a liquidator heard the company was caught off guard by the severity and speed of the recession and that passenger numbers 'fell off the cliff' in the 12 months to October 31st.
The company has losses of € 9.4m and was effectively operating at an average loss of € 50 per passenger.
- Fiona MAGENNIS
