A local travel agency has reacted angrily to a letter received from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer affairs threatening possible jail time over a complaint received over the purchase of an airline ticket.
A company spokesman told THE NEW TODAY that the Ministry is trying to intimidate CaribJet when the records will show that it had nothing to do with the purchase of the ticket by the complainant.
He blasted those behind the letter to the company as nothing but “incompetent folks at Consumer Affairs.”
In a letter dated September 23, 2026, Acting Director of Consumer Affairs, Merlyn Horsford-Williams told the Manager of Caribjet Peter James that if he fails to reimburse the complainant that he runs the risk of having the law book thrown at him.
She wrote: “Please be advised that, where a contravention of the Act is established and the relevant provision is subject to the general penalty, the Act provides for a penalty of a fine not exceeding EC$5,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two (2) years, or both, upon summary conviction.
“In view of the circumstances outlined above, the Office requests that the necessary action be taken to facilitate the refund and that written confirmation of the action taken be provided to the Consumer Affairs Office within seven (7) business days of receipt of this correspondence.”
The spokesman for CaribJet is adamant that his company has no intention of complying with what he described as a “shameful” attempt by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to punish them.
Following is the full text of the threatening letter: –
Peter James
Manager
Caribjet
Maurice Bishop Highway
St. George’s
Dear Mr. James,
The Consumer Affairs Office writes in reference to a consumer complaint lodged by Dr. Tores concerning an airline ticket purchased through Joy’s Travel and the subsequent efforts to obtain a refund following an error made in the original booking.
The Office has investigated this matter and, based on the information and documentation obtained, has established that an error was made in the original airline booking facilitated through Joy’s Travel.
The consumer contacted Joy’s Travel and requested that the error be corrected. However, the error was not rectified, resulting in the consumer having to make alternative travel arrangements and subsequently rebooking directly through interCaribbean Agency.
As an effort to assist in resolving the matter, the Consumer Affairs Office also contacted interCaribbean Agency regarding the refund associated with the original ticket. The Office was advised by interCaribbean Agency that the refund request for the original booking must be initiated and/or facilitated by the agent through whom the original ticket was purchased, namely Joy’s Travel/Carijet Sales.
Despite the intervention of the Consumer Affairs Office and its efforts to have the matter resolved, Joy’s Travel and Tours has not facilitated the refund process.
The Consumer Affairs Office considers this position unsatisfactory, particularly in circumstances where the consumer made timely efforts to have the booking error corrected and subsequently incurred additional expenses as a result of having to make alternative travel arrangements.
Furthermore, the Office has independently sought clarification from the airline agency and has been advised that the original ticketing agent is required to facilitate the refund process.
Considering the foregoing, the Consumer Affairs Office formally requests that Carijet Sales take the necessary steps to facilitate the refund associated with the original ticket and bring this matter to a satisfactory resolution.
The Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (Act No. 2 of 2018) establishes a statutory framework for the protection of consumers and provides mechanisms for the investigation and resolution of disputes between consumers and suppliers. Section 34 of the Act empowers the Consumer Affairs Office to investigate complaints in circumstances where a consumer has notified a supplier of an alleged contravention and has not received reasonable redress. The Office is therefore exercising its statutory responsibility in investigating this complaint and seeking an appropriate resolution.
The Act further provides for the establishment of the Consumer Affairs Tribunal, whose functions include hearing and determining matters referred to it and resolving disputes between consumers and suppliers concerning goods and services.
Accordingly, should Carijet Sales fail or refuse to facilitate the refund and resolve this matter, the Consumer Affairs Office will consider taking the necessary steps to refer the matter to the Consumer Affairs Tribunal for determination and/or pursue such other remedies or enforcement measures as may be available under the Consumer Protection Act, 2018.
Please be advised that, where a contravention of the Act is established and the relevant provision is subject to the general penalty, the Act provides for a penalty of a fine not exceeding EC$5,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two (2) years, or both, upon summary conviction.
In view of the circumstances outlined above, the Office requests that the necessary action be taken to facilitate the refund and that written confirmation of the action taken be provided to the Consumer Affairs Office within seven (7) business days of receipt of this correspondence.
The Office remains committed to resolving consumer disputes amicably where possible and therefore encourages Carijet Sales to use this opportunity to resolve the matter without the need for further proceedings.
We look forward to receiving your prompt response and confirmation of the steps taken to resolve this matter.
