FROM JACKSONVILLE POST





The Florida Attorney General recently shut down six travel companies that made deceptive claims about vacation club memberships.
The AG said consumers paid thousands of dollars for discounts on hotels, cruises, and other travel deals, but later found they could get as good or better pricing on free travel booking websites.
A Michigan mother found a vacation rental home in Florida online and wired $1,500 to reserve it. When the family got to Florida, they found out the listing was fraudulent, the property was not for rent, and the property manager had turned away five other families who fell for the scam.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association says 15 million scam reservations were made last year that cost consumers over one billion dollars.
Earlier this month, I received a postcard from Southwest Travel inviting me to attend “an exciting VIP seminar.” After listening to a 90-minute presentation, I would receive two round-trip airline vouchers to most major airports in the continental United States. If I was one of the earliest callers, I’d also receive a 3 day, 2-night stay at a major 3 star hotel.
The postcard doesn’t say what the seminar would cover, but it would likely be a high-pressure sales pitch for a vacation club membership or timeshare. The fine print says I’d be responsible for all applicable taxes and fees.
There’s no address for the company on the postcard and Southwest Travel is such a generic name that I couldn’t reliably check it out. The BBB’s experience with such offers is that there are often additional fees and other strings attached to the tickets and the vacation club or timeshare deals aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.
The Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs issued an alert offering the following advice to avoid vacation scams:
• Research before accepting free or discounted offers. If a stranger calls and offers you a free or discounted vacation package, don’t offer personal information or payment until you’ve checked out the company. The salesperson’s refusal to answer questions or give you time to consider the offer should be a red flag.
• Verify before you pay. Check with the Division of Consumer Affairs at (800) 342-8385 to see if any complaints have been filed against the company. Check with the BBB.
• Read the fine print. Before signing any contract, read all the terms, conditions, policies and financial obligations. Consider having a lawyer review a contract for the lease or purchase of a timeshare.
Never wire money to strangers. Avoid anyone who only accepts payment via wire transfer or some other irregular form of payment. Always use a secure method such as a credit card or legitimate online payment option.
• Confirm your vacation package. If you purchased the package through a third party, call the cruise line, resort, airline, hotel, and other providers to confirm the arrangements. That includes the prices, dates and accommodations.

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