The Contentious-Administrative Court decreed the preventive closure of the Transhotel travel agency this Thursdayafter several weeks in which hundreds of people reported not having received the travel, hotel and entertainment services that they had paid to the company, reported Underlined and sources from the Ministry of Tourism confirmed to The Observer.
According to the judicial resolution, signed by Judge Pablo Gandini and to which he agreed The Observerthe closure was based on the request for closure of the company from the Ministry of Tourism by “the number of non-compliances denounced”, presented on September 1, and by “Numerous complaints have been added” present in the case files “that may affect the rights of tourists.”
According to the document, the Ministry of Tourism found that the situation of Transhotel can alter “the soundness of the market or the prestige of the country as a destination” and indicated that keeping the agency open “can unnecessarily increase damage.”
From this Thursday Transhotel You have ten days to present your defenses before the Justice. After this period, the Judiciary It will define whether to maintain the closure of the company as definitive, or whether to lift the measure.
In the Ministry of Tourism they wait for the end of the term to know if they must make the guarantee of US$ 185 thousand effective that Transhotel deposited to cover losses of this type.
Sources from the portfolio indicated that if the travel agency does not present “solutions” within the stipulated period, they will begin with the calculation of the total losses generated by the company and will distribute the guarantee in a “apportionmentamong the victims.
From the ministry they are aware that the US$ 185 thousand they will not cover the total losses of the nearly 400 complaints to Transhotel that reached Tourism. The affected they made an initial estimate of US$240,000 in damages caused by the agency to 132 complainants, but they clarified that these numbers are not enough “Not even half of the victims.”
The cases include travel packages for individuals, families and groups, as well as hotel services, packages for shows, and even trips for the Qatar World Cup 2022, which will be played between November and December. At least five sports journalists had bought their trip through the company, one of them paying around US$3,000, as reported by The Observer.
No news from the owner
Until this Friday at the Secretary of State They have not had any news from Radamés Montero, owner of Transhotel. A few days after the situation became public, in mid-August, Montero spoke with the Minister of Tourism, Tabaré Viera.
Viera detailed to The Observer that in his only communication with Montero saw that he “cried” and “was bad” for the situationand assured him that he was not a scammer. In addition, he stated that the company it did not stop working, but closed its doors due to “scenes of great violence” that were lived in its facilities before the situation became public. “Very angry people came in”Vera added.
On Monday, August 29, Montero reported the loss of his checkbook in the 4th Section of Montevideo, and the Flagrancia Prosecutor’s Office asked to set address and provide a phone number to contact. Some of the complainants claimed that the company tried to return part of the money from the frustrated trips with checks, which later turned out to be worthless. Neither the Interior nor the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that there is a connection between this situation and the loss of Montero’s notebook.
