MELBOURNE-BASED travel consultant Zvi Dov Bartak has been sentenced to community service and ordered to repay his clients almost $25,000, in a hearing in the Moorabbin Magistrates Court last month.
Bartak, who formerly operated an agency called Time2Travel, was accused of taking payments for travel and accommodation which did not eventuate.
Testimony related to several incidents including a flight to Israel with Cathay Pacific which was never booked, as well as payments received for a Qantas flight to Fiji where the booking was cancelled.
A Gold Coast booking worth $13,000 was also never fulfilled, according to a report in the Australian Jewish News which also details a “Pesach in Paradise” holiday retreat Bartak allegedly organised in Surfers Paradise which was cancelled in 2016.
After an investigation, Bartak was arrested in Feb this year and charged with five counts of obtaining property by deception, allegedly telling police he had used client deposits to finance a business venture and pay for his personal expenses.
The magistrate told him he would be facing prison if not for the fact he had pleaded guilty and that the money involved was less than $30,000.
Athough Time2Travel Melbourne appears to no longer be operating, the brand shows on the website of another venture with an identical logo called “Travel Experience Guru” (travelexperience.guru) which is offering VIP Formula 1 travel experiences, mindfulness and meditation retreats and a range of adventure experiences.
Time2Travel Melbourne and Travel Experience Guru are not ATAS-accredited agencies.
Source: traveldaily