A group of 50 Thai tourists lodged a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), today (Tuesday), demanding that they investigate a tour company which they accuse of overcharging  for trips to South Korean Island of Jeju.

They claim that they paid 13,999 baht each for a package tour to the island between August 8th and 11th but, upon arrival at the airport there, they were each charged an additional 10,000 baht plus 1,000-1,500 baht for a guide’s service and another 10,000 baht as a guarantee that they will not abscond.

They said they reluctantly agreed to pay the extra charges, otherwise the tour agent would not give them their return tickets, adding that many of them were later detained at the airport by immigration officials because their guide had deserted them, leaving them stranded at the airport.

Their lawyer, Ratchaphol Sirisakorn, suggested that the OCPB coordinate with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in their investigation of the agency, to determine whether the allegedovercharging of the tourists amounts to a fraudulent act.

According to an official of the OCPB, about 300 people have, to date, filed complaints with the office against the tour agency, with damages estimated at about two million baht.

The tour company normally charges a tourist between 7,990 and 13,999 baht for a packaged tour to Jeju Island.

Hundreds of Thais have, in recent weeks, been detained by South Korean immigration officials and many of them were deported back to Thailand after they were suspected of entering Jeju to work illegally in South Korea.