Paris (AFP)

"We feel cheated": worried, tourists and employees of the French subsidiary of Thomas Cook began to be known Monday morning in a travel agency in Paris, after the bankruptcy of the parent company in the night in the United Kingdom .

One week end of September in Italy for 499 euros or in Turkey for 519 euros, Sri Lanka in mid-November for 1,489 euros or Cuba for 1,589 euros: the shop still displayed the dream destinations proposed by Thomas Cook, before being hastily withdrawn ten minutes after the opening by one of the employees.

"It's over in England, we're waiting to see how we're going to be eaten in France," Vanessa reacts. This employee of the subsidiary Jet Tour came to take news of her colleagues and get information, despite the reassuring tone of Thomas Cook France. "Today, we are not going to sell, we are waiting to know what will happen".

A few moments earlier, Nicolas came to know what happened to his trip in early January in Guadeloupe. He has already paid 1,600 euros down payment, on a total bill of 5,000 euros.

"Visibly Jet Tour also stops sales," he says at the exit. "The opera agency is franchised so she has less to give back to the mother house and she will switch me to Exotismes, another tour operator.I am not too bad because if it was a dry flight, I was there for my expenses.

The exchange did not exceed three minutes: "It has just fallen, we can not tell you anything", answer inside the two travel agents, taken aback, to people who came to inquire.

"The management has called: we are instructed not to respond," told AFP and customers on the spot the manager who has just arrived.

Inside, both phones ring continuously.

"The trend was rather optimistic since the takeover by Chinese (the conglomerate Fosun in July, ed) We thought we would have the funds.For a dozen days, it was going from bad to worse until the blow Thanks for tonight, we feel cheated, "enrage now Vanessa.

While passing, Christine worries her for her trip to Cuba in December for which she has already paid 3,000 euros. The tour operators send her back to the Amiens agency which sold her the circuit.

Nicolas, he does not fool. "I came to see them a dozen days ago and they had to be well aware of what was going on," he grumbles. "They did not respect their duty of advice, but when you go home, that's why, otherwise everyone buys online now."

In the meantime, Thomas Cook France has announced the establishment of an emergency number for its 9,842 customers currently on vacation and called those who were to start theirs not to leave.

"It is a precautionary measure to avoid being thrown out by the hotelier or not being able to take the return flight," said AFP a spokesman for Thomas Cook France.

Refunds will not be able to intervene before the French subsidiary is declared in "cessation of payment". Which, at most, is a story "of days", says a source close to the file.

Scalded by an unfortunate precedent, Nicolas is not very confident.

"In 2010, I had to do a circuit in Russia with (the tour operator) Marsans who had also gone bankrupt just before," he recalls. "There too I had paid a deposit in full confidence.But the insurer APST had answered me with a false legal argument for not refunding me.It finally my home multi-risk insurer (...) who had me refunded when nothing required it ".

© 2019 AFP