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eaded for Majorca or
Milan on the cheap?
Don't get taken for a
ride when you take that
bargain-priced vacation.
What sounds like a leave-
the-world-behind adventure
could turn into a never-left-
home nightmare if it begins
with a phone call.
While many low-cost travel
opportunities live up to their
as-advertised promises, just
as many turn out to be too-
good-to-be-true trips which
the Federal Trade Commis-
sion's office of con-
sumer/business education
describes as telemarketing
travel scams costing con-
sumers millions a month.
If you're on the go — or
would like to be — some
telemarket scammer pro-
bably has your number,
because most have years of
experience pitching phony
services, including travel
packages. lb turn down a deal
you can't refuse, you have to
be able to see it coming.
Here's how.
A common one involves
"travel clubs." For an "affor-
dable" membership fee of $50
to $400, the phone solicitor of-
fers you a travel "package"
that includes round-trip air
transportation for one, plus
lodging for two for one week
in a popular vacation spot.
The catch? There's no ticket
to ride unless you pay for a
high-priced round-trip ticket
for party no. 2. As a result,
you may wind up paying dou-
ble or triple.
Another scam starts with a
postcard informing that "you
have been specially selected
to receive a free trip." All you
do is dial a toll-free number
for details. Catch? To be eligi-
ble, you must become a
member in a travel club.
New charges are tacked on
every step of the way. And
your reservations are never
confirmed until you comply
with hard-to-meet hidden
and/or expensive "conditions."
A scam operator is likely to
tell you that he needs your
commitment on the spot
because this special offer is
time-limited. Tipoff: Your
questions will be unsatisfac-
torily answered.
The caller may agree to
send you written confirma-
tion of the deal, but writing it
down is no proof the deal's on
the up and up. Usually, the
literature bears little
resemblance to the offer.
1. Be wary of "great
deals?' Suspect any offer
that's too low-priced. A
legitimate business can't af-
ford to give away anything of
real value or to undercut
substantially everyone else's
price, warns the American
Society of Travel Agents.
2. Don't be pressured in-
to an impulse purchase. A
good deal today should still be
a good deal tomorrow. A
legitimate business doesn't
ask for instant decisions
where investment is involved.
3. Ask detailed questions.
Exactly what does the price
cover — and what's not in-
cluded? Ask if there will be
additional charges later. Get
the names of the specific
hotels, airports, airlines, and
restaurants the package in-
cludes. Later, contact these
places yourself and double-
check arrangements. Get ex-
act dates and times. Ask
about cancellation policies
and refunds. If you don't come
up with all the answers, don't
put down any down payment.
4. Get it in writing. Before
you buy into a travel package,
get all the details in writing.
Once it arrives, make sure it
confirms everything you were
told by phone.
5. Never give out your
credit card number. An
easy close-the-deal-and-run
tactic is to get your card
number and charge your ac-
count. Beware the operator
who says the number is being
used "for verification pur-
poses only." Giving your
credit or charge card numbers
— or any other personal infor-
mation (including bank ac-
count numbers) — is always
risky.
6. Never send money by
messenger or overnight
mail. Instead of a credit card
number, a scam operator may
ask for a check or money
order right away — or offer to
send a messenger to pick up
payment (worse yet — cash).
Danger? Using money rather
than a credit card to finance
your "dream vacation" means
you lose your right to dispute
fraudulent charges under the
Fair Credit Billing Act.
7. Check the outfit out.
Before investing in any travel
package, check with govern-
ment and private organiza-
tions to see if any complaints
have been lodged against
them (list follows). Be aware,
warns the ASTA, that
fraudulent phone-scammers
are often here-today-here-
tomorrow, under another
assumed name.