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You can keep it off. Call us. ■ NS MEDICATION PROGRAM 16311 Middlebelt Road • Livonia 422-8040 EXTENDED HOURS EVENINGS AND SATURDAYS Michigan's LARGEST Selection of "Faux" Jewelry TRUE JEWEL RY t X ® Copies of Cartier, Harry Winston, Bulgari and other Classical and Elegant pieces. The Difference is Only In the Price 280 N. Woodward Downtown Birmingham In the Great American Bldg. next to Crowley's 433-1150 102 FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1990 FRANKIE PAUL PLAYS IT ALL FOR YOUR GREAT FUN PARTIES Accordion or Piano Single or Combo 557-7986 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.