Babatunde Tinuala, a Lagos State resident, has accused Marela Sky Travels of refusing to refund his N496,000 after a failed work sponsorship application to Canada.
Tinuala told FIJ that he had been asking the travel agency to refund his money for three months after they failed to fulfil their promise to help him and his wife secure work sponsorships.
He said he paid the travel agency N496,000 on February 13, 2024, after he and his wife visited their office to register the couple’s interest in securing employment in Canada.
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“At their office in Amuwo Odofin, Mary Obi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), promised my wife and me that our applications would be processed within six months. She said it would cost us N1 million for her company to handle the application,” Tinuala told FIJ.
According to Tinuala, Obi assured them that if the applications failed, she would refund their money, deducting only N20,000 as a service charge. She also agreed to begin the application process with an initial payment of N496,000, with the balance to be paid upon completion.
Tinuala’s receipt
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However, after the six-month period elapsed, the couple did not receive any feedback. Tinuala said neither Obi nor her staff answered their calls or responded to messages during this time. Frustrated, he waited until December before deciding that he had had enough of their lack of communication.
“In December, we informed them that we wished to discontinue the process and requested a refund. They promised to refund us within three weeks, but it has now been three months, and they still haven’t returned my money,” Tinuala said.
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Since Tinuala requested the refund, the only response he has received from Marela Sky Travels staff has been, ‘We are working on it’, while he continues to wait for them to take action.
When FIJ contacted Marela Sky Travels, an agent asked for Tinuala’s details via WhatsApp. FIJ sent his receipt to the agent as requested, but they responded by saying Tinuala’s refund would be processed within another four weeks.
The post 3 Months Later, Marela Sky Travels Yet to Refund Lagos Man’s N496,000 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.