While you plan your summer vacation, don’t forget to be on the look out for travel scams. Travel scams are extremely popular today, especially on the Internet. You’ll need to be intelligent and skeptical if you want to get what you paid for.
Many less reputable online booking companies don’t offer any returns–period. That means that if your trip is canceled or if it was entirely misrepresented, you still can’t get your money back. If you accidentally fall for one of these scams, don’t panic. Simply call your credit card company to get the charge reversed.
A common scam today is to rent out properties that don’t actually exist as summer rentals. The scammer will ask you to wire down money to secure the property and they may even send you a fake set of keys. Once you get to the location you find that the property is owned by someone else entirely. The property might not even be there! To avoid this, only rent from companies you know are legitimate. Do not use online classifieds or even newspaper classifieds to find a summer rental.
Some companies will offer you a very low rate initially and, at the last minute, tell you that the price has increased unexpectedly. The price increase is not unexpected–it’s planned. The company is betting that you aren’t going to cancel your trip so close to your departure date. Don’t accept a last minute rate change. Ask them to honor the original price. Even if they won’t, it’s likely you can find a lower price somewhere else even last minute.
Is someone advertising a last minute plane ticket to Fiji that they just can’t use? Be very wary of buying travel tickets from individuals. It’s not usually possible let alone easy to change a plane ticket from one person to the other and the fees involved are usually enough that selling a plane ticket isn’t worthwhile. If you want to get a last minute deal, look at a website like Expedia instead.
Does your travel agent want an additional booking fee that they never mentioned before? Perhaps your hotel is charging you extra for amenities. Hidden charges often end up getting tacked on to the bills of summer vacationers because no one wants to argue while they are on their vacation. Make sure you read every bill you get thoroughly and don’t be afraid to question any additional charges.
Online credit card statements have made it very easy to check your transactions as you go. While you’re on vacation, make sure to take a few minutes to check your bank and credit card statements. This will help you catch potential fraud or accidental charges quickly.
After booking hotels, flights and ground transportation, always call the actual company involved make sure that the company received the booking. As an example, if you book a United flight through a travel agency you should call United to confirm that your flight has been booked. Travel agency scams sometimes operate by taking your money and claiming to book your trip and then conveniently “losing” your booking.
Don’t forget that we can help you book transportation with confidence. Our air charter and ground transportation services span the globe and can help you get where you need to go without having to worry about hidden fees, overbooking or other issues.
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