Don't Get Burned During Spring
Break
It's time
again for spring break months for most college students. If you haven't already
made your spring break vacation plans, the Better Business Bureau warns you to
be cautious.
Each year,
hundreds of college students get ripped-off by fraudulent spring break offers
that promise - but fail to deliver - that much needed "fun in the
sun." Travel fraud is a growing problem and college students seem to be
attractive targets for dishonest travel operators.
Not all
fraudulent offers involve losing money; some are simply misleading. The
accommodations may not be what you expected, or what you thought you paid for.
Promoters may sell packages that do not include confirmed hotel space or
flights. And, even if accommodations and flights are confirmed, the actual cost
of the package is sometimes misrepresented when companies fail to inform
customers about additional fees.
The Better
Business Bureau urges college students to take special precautions when booking
spring break trips. Here are a few suggestions:
Be wary of
offers that promise "the moon" for a very low price, or ones that
require immediate purchase to lock in the announced rate. Before paying
anything, request all details of the trip in writing, including total cost,
restrictions where applicable, cancellation penalties, and exact names of the
airlines and hotels included in the packet.
If a charter
flight is involved, ask for the charter operator's name and address, and then
check its registration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of
Consumer Affairs in
Be suspicious
of vacation certificates that claim you have "won" a hotel stay or
resort visit. If you discover you have to pay something to get the promised
"free" vacation, look elsewhere. Never give credit card information
over the phone to a company or person you're not familiar with.
Use reputable travel
agents to plan your trip.
For free
reliability reports: www.bbb.org
This
information is general in nature and is not intended as a reliability report on
any company, product, or service.