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The arrival of summer usually means vacation time for many people. Unfortunately, as the weather heats up, so too do travel-related and vacation-related scams. When preparing for your vacation, be cautious and ask questions up-front, to help avoid unpleasant and costly surprises after the fact. If you have a fax or
email address, According to the Director of the Florida Division of Consumer Services, the most popular offer made by unscrupulous travel providers is free or discounted Orlando vacations. To add legitimacy to the scams, the scam artists headquarter their operations in Florida. Over the past 8 years, the top travel complaint the Division has received concerns vacation certificates. Complaints have alleged that these certificates:
They have also seen a dramatic rise in cruise complaints or misrepresentation and warn travelers to always read the contract for a list of included accommodations. "Blast" faxes touting dream vacations at impossibly low prices are being sent in record numbers. Scam artists often target employees of large companies as their victims and present their offer as a special discount from company headquarters. When choosing a travel or vacation related company, deal with members of a professional association, such as the American Society of Travel Agents and National Tour Association. Also use the services of the Better Business Bureau. Avoid buying from any company that insist on sending a courier to your home or office for immediate payment. That business may be trying to avoid detection and charges of mail or wire fraud. Verify arrangement before you pay. You should receive complete details in writing about any trip prior to paying for it. These details should include the total price, cancellation and change penalties and specific information on all components of the package. Get the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the lodgings, airlines and cruise ships you'll be using. Don't' accept vague terms such as "major hotels" or "luxury cruise ships". A few days prior to departure, call to confirm your reservations. When paying, use your credit card to make your purchase. If you don't get what you paid for, you may be able to dispute the charges with your credit card company. However, don't give your credit card account number over the phone in response to a telemarketer who claims they need your car number for identification or verification. They don't. Your account number should be provided only to companies that you know are reputable, and used only to bill you for goods and services actually received. For additional information on travel and vacation packages, visit the Better Business Bureau at http://www.bbb.org/library/vacation.asp If there is a topic you would like to see added to our Tip of the Month, please let us know.
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you
have most likely received solicitations like those displayed here. They all show
great prices and they all have strings attached.