Insolvency proceedings have been opened against Helmut Gallist GmbH, an Oberammergau-based ticket agent and provider of tour packages for the Oberammergau Passion Play for many decades. Numerous creditors, including Passionsspiele Oberammergau Vertriebs GmbH & Co KG (POV), organizer of the play, will be affected.
Prior to its insolvency, Helmut Gallist GmbH had purchased tickets for the Passion Play from POV in order to resell them, usually in the form of packages consisting of tickets and accommodation. The customers of Helmut Gallist GmbH were both purchasers of tour packages and commercial tour operators.
Numerous individual customers and tour operators working with Helmut Gallist GmbH have contacted POV for weeks now and asked about the whereabouts of their payments.
Apparently, Helmut Gallist GmbH had not acted as a service provider or tour operator on its own responsibility vis-à-vis many of its travel customers, but as an alleged “intermediary” or “agent” of POV. POV, however, had not granted Helmut Gallist GmbH any power of representation for this purpose.
It has also turned out that in many cases Helmut Gallist GmbH had apparently accepted substantial advance payments for tour packages without providing the legally required insolvency protection in the form of a coverage certificate.
It must therefore be feared that the advance payments of numerous, if not of all, purchasers of tour packages of Helmut Gallist GmbH are not covered. These customers, just as POV itself, would then only be able to file their claims as debtors of the assets in insolvency in the insolvency proceedings.
Affected customers are advised to contact the insolvency administrator of Helmut Gallist GmbH to file their claims:
Michael George, attorney-at-law
Lecon Rechtsanwälte
Hans-Urmiller-Ring 11, 82515 Wolfratshausen, Germany
Phone: +49 8171 38730100
Fax: +49 8771 38730-222
E‑Mail: mail@lecon.eu
www.lecon.eu
