Echuca Luxury Houseboats faces $30,000 payout in refunds

A luxurious houseboat operator on the Victorian-NSW border could be forced to pay a whopping $30,000 in refunds.

Echuca Luxury Houseboats could be forced to pay a whopping $30,000 payout in refunds. Picture: Facebook

A luxurious houseboat operator on the Victorian-NSW border will be forced to pay $30,000 in refunds if a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal appeal is successful.

Six parties fronted VCAT for a telephone conference on Tuesday afternoon during a civil claims hearing against Echuca Luxury Houseboats.

The parties are seeking $28,200 in compensation over bookings made at the start of the Covid pandemic.

The bookings were eventually cancelled due to the Victorian Government’s stay-at-home orders.

Previously, Echuca Luxury Houseboats had offered vouchers to those who had missed out on their holiday.

One of the parties told the hearing the voucher “is worthless” given they were supposed to travel in May last year.

The biggest claim being made by one party is $11,500 with figures ranging down to $1450.

A party representative told the hearing she had been trying to get her money back since the booking was cancelled last year.

“They (Echuca Luxury Houseboats) have just been unreasonable. They have done nothing to resolve anything,” the party said.

A representative from Echuca Luxury Houseboats was not present in the teleconference.

The VCAT member reserved his decision to be announced at a later date.

He said the decision could be appealed depending on the outcome of the case.

An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) spokespersons said when travel bookings are cancelled by providers due to government restrictions, the consumer guarantee rights under the ACL are unlikely to apply.

“In general, whether consumers are entitled to a refund for bookings cancelled due to government restrictions will therefore depend on the terms and conditions of their booking,” they said.

“The ACCC engaged with a range of businesses in collaborative manner during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand and resolve issues and disputes through pragmatic solutions, recognising the impact that the pandemic had on businesses and consumers.

“The ACCC engaged with Echuca Luxury Houseboats regarding its handling of bookings impacted by COVID-19. The business confirmed that it was providing full credits valid for a three year period to consumers who were unable to attend their booking due to government restrictions and/or State border closures.

“If consumers are unable to resolve a dispute directly with the business, they can pursue dispute resolution through their local state or territory tribunal.”