AN INDEPENDENT travel agent in Farnham has won plaudits after pulling out all the stops to ensure its customers have not been left out of pocket by the sudden cancellation of travel plans.

Before the pandemic, Peter and Lyla Alleman from Moor Park had been planning a trip to the USA to jointly celebrate their 75th birthdays.

They organised this via Preferred Travel Farnham, a fixture at 25 The Borough since 2010, and the package included flights, hotels and excursions over 11 days in early April.

The trip, of course, had to be cancelled because of the pandemic – but Preferred Travel rose to the challenge to help the couple recoup their money.

The agents had to threaten their own suppliers with legal action and withdrawal of their joint overarching contract before they relented and accepted responsibility.

And even then, with the couple facing many months before being fully reimbursed, the agents took matters into their own hands and repaid them in full.

“This is customer care of the first order, and just proves how, in the long run, it can pay to use the services of small independent high-street businesses,” said Mr and Mrs Alleman.

“Needless to say, we will be using Preferred Travel for all our trips in future.”

Paul Young, managing director of Preferred Travel Farnham, said: “We have been working around the clock, seven days a week, to help our clients. Many are facing financial uncertainty and we are doing everything we can to secure a refund as quickly as possible for those with a cancelled holiday.

“We have waived all our administration fees for summer holidays and are helping our clients change their bookings to 2021 where this is possible.”