As with any business sector, fraudulent companies and scams often creep up with “too good to be true” offers and deals, and the travel industry is no exception. Finding and using a travel company is one way to make travel arrangements conveniently and sometimes at better prices than you could get your own. However, if the company is less than reliable, odds are you won’t be getting anything like what you pay for. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has warned of fraudulent travel companies in the past and offers some excellent information about avoiding scams and bad deals.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) online provides reports and ratings of travel companies. You can find information regarding the number of complaints filed, the number of complaints resolved, and the number of outstanding claims against any listed company. If there are few complaints overall, and if the number of unresolved complaints is low or non-existent, then it’s a good sign you’re dealing with a reliable travel company. It is also a good sign if the company you are dealing with has a “clickable” BBB Online Reliability Seal.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an excellent resource for verifying the legitimacy of a company. Searching online for information is a good resource as well but be wary of the source of information. For instance, if you were to search a travel company by name for known scams, such as “bookit scam,” you may turn up nothing more than forum threads or discussion boards. Oftentimes, people complain very publicly about a company without giving all the background information and while one person may have a bad experience, many more are likely to have had good ones.
Some of the red flags to watch out for are unverifiable information, like telephone numbers, mailing addresses, and even travel offers. In a 2006 travel advisory report, the Better Business Bureau recommends “consumers get the details of the promotion in writing, including the refund and cancellation policy, before they send a check or provide credit card number information. If asked to provide a credit card or bank account number for verification or identification, the BBB says to reconsider. This information can be used to make fraudulent charges or debits to the consumer’s accounts.”
Take cues from other sources within the travel company as well. Before providing credit card information, call the company and judge its reliability from the customer service representative or travel agent who assists you. Be sure they can provide answers to all your questions and that they are easily reachable. The quality of this service is not only a good judge of the quality of the company, but will be important if changes need to be made or other issues arise.
Make sure you accept your responsibility when booking travel arrangements as well. Do you understand the cancellation and refund policies? Have you read everything before you agreed to it? Most companies aren’t out to rip you off but some companies may be less than reputable and may hide fees within their travel agreements which makes their offers seem much less appealing. As a consumer, it’s important to be aware of such issues. Of course, any and all questions should be easily answered by the travel agents who work for the company. A simple phone call should be enough to settle any matter, so if you get the feeling that the company only wants your money, you might want to book your arrangements elsewhere.
If you come across a good travel deal, especially in unsolicited advertisements through the mail or email, you should definitely check the company’s record with the Better Business Bureau. If a company doesn’t provide a place of business, continue searching online until you are confident you have verified their legitimacy. Keep in mind that some companies advertise travel specials but aren’t really travel companies. Offers that seem too good to be true usually are and you might discover you have agreed to spend your vacation sitting through a timeshare sales pitch.
Before you choose a travel company and book your arrangements, do a BBB check of the company regardless of whether they have the seal or not. Call their office to see if a live person is available for any questions and use common sense. Travel companies are an excellent way to get good deals on vacations and getaway packages; they are certainly worth checking out.