The consumer watchdog yesterday issued a warning on Fantasy Tours, a travel agency which, it said, was offering an “unsatisfactory” service.

In a statement, the Director-General of Consumer Affairs named and shamed the company which had “failed to abide by its obligations”.

The statement was released on the strength of the Consumer Affairs Act, which gave the authority the power to issue warnings about “services supplied in an unsatisfactory manner”.

“Golden Travel Club Limited... that... operates commercially under the trade name Fantasy Tours, operating as tour operator, travel agent, tourist agent... has been repeatedly established by a number of decisions of the Consumer Claims Tribunal from where it results that... Fantasy Tours fails to abide by the obligations it has taken upon itself with regard to these services.”

Questions sent to the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, asking for more details, remained unanswered by the time of going to print.

The authority was asked what motivated it to issue such a warning, how many cases it had received and investigated regarding Fantasy Tours and how many decisions by the Consumer Claims Tribunal involved the company in question.

Mark Said, a lawyer, explained that when a public warning is issued, it simply means that consumers should avoid having any dealings or contacts with the company in question until further notice.

“Should you do so, you do it at your own risk once you have been forewarned and there is no guarantee whatsoever that you will retain any legal rights normally competent to you,” he said.

Fantasy Tours’ chief executive officer was unavailable for comment yesterday.