Under some circumstances, you do have legal recourse for pursuing a rouge travel company if you’ve been scammed. Unfortunately, these circumstances are few and far between, making it very difficult to recover your money or regain the vacation experience that you’d been dreaming of. More often than not, the only thing you can do is post consumer reviews and complaints against the company, making your voice heard and hopefully saving other travelers from suffering a similar fate.
Internet consumer complaint sites are numerous, as are consumer review sites online. The Better Business Bureau is always a good place to report scams and other consumer complaints to as well.
If the travel issues arose with a real company then you can certainly complain to the company itself. You can also hire legal help to pursue official action against the organization. Too often though, travel scams are run by disreputable individuals who are accustomed to covering their bases. Therefore, it can be difficult to even pin down a company or organization to file charges against.
What this really means is that as a consumer your best option is trying as hard as possible to avoid travel scams and rogue travel companies in the first place. Here are a few tips for making your travel planning and vacationing as pain-free as possible.
Free Trips Offers Are Usually Too Good to Be True
Airlines and well-known travel companies sometimes hold contests as a means of promotion. Such recognizable companies really do offer travel prizes to winners but there are also many rogue travel companies that offer supposedly free trips in order to convince customers to buy other products or services also offered by the company. Remember that if you have to pay for anything in order to receive the “prize” then it really isn’t free. Be wary of any “free” travel offers you may receive.
Unsolicited Emails and Other Travel-Related Offers
If you suddenly begin receiving travel information in your email box, odds are that it’s not coming from a valid source, especially if you haven’t recently requested that such information be forwarded to you by a reputable travel arrangement company or travel agency.
If the emails are coming from a reputable organization that you recognize then you can click on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the promotional message and have yourself removed from the company’s mailing list.
If, however, the messages are coming from a company you don’t recognize or a source that is unknown then clicking the “unsubscribe” link or replying to the message in any way can be damaging, as these messages are often used in phishing scams and can lead to infiltration of your computer system. If you don’t know who is sending the messages or don’t recognize the company name then you’re best bet to alleviate the problem is to mark the email as spam and delete it. Your email span filter should prevent future messages from getting through.
Whatever you do, don’t fall prey to such scams. Unsolicited email marketing is one of the easiest ways for rogue travel companies to lure in victims. If you don’t recognize the company and can’t find good consumer-related information about it online then odds are that you’ve come across a swindler that will cheat you out of your money and give you nothing of value in return.
Understand Exactly What You’re Getting with a Travel Deal
One of the most common travel “scams” is one that requires you to sit through a long, boring and time-consuming presentation on timeshares or travel clubs in order to receive a “free” trip. More often than not, the free trip will be a cruise or a resort stay in some far-off destination. While the cruise or the resort accommodations may in fact be free, you may be expected to pay for everything else required for the trip, including flights to and from the cruise departure point or to the destination in which the resort is located.
Know exactly what you are getting with a travel deal before getting yourself into a pickle. In the best case scenario, you will have just wasted a few hours of time in sitting through a lengthy and pointless presentation. The worst case scenario is one in which you lose money on a vacation scam in which you get nothing at all in return.
Confirm All Your Travel and Hotel Arrangements
If you have received a travel package in which hotel accommodations, transportation and other arrangements have been made for you, you should request information on how to get in touch with each and every service provider yourself. Check with each of the companies that will provide you with hotel, travel or tour services, and ensure that your arrangements have actually been made. Don’t fly somewhere only to find you have no hotel room upon arrival.