Fighting Fraud
By Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland
Airline fares and other travel costs have skyrocketed this summer. Factors like surging fuel costs and high consumer demand are driving these increases, but it’s not just increased travel costs that will affect consumers. Travel delays due to weather and staff shortages have led to recent delayed and canceled flights. Besides this, consumers also have found difficulty in selecting a third-party travel service. Many times well-recognized business names are spoofed, or imitated by less reputable companies to trick users into thinking they’re dealing with the hotel or airline directly.
A local businesswoman from Amherst encountered this situation when she recently took a business trip to Columbus and made a reservation for a Dublin, Ohio area hotel. She Googled the hotel name and believed she was making a reservation for herself and two other guests directly with the hotel. Instead, it was a third-party booking agent named Reservation Counter, LLC. The woman was shocked when she found out she used a third-party agent which charged her fees, taxes and rates that were considerably higher than what her hotel was asking. When she called the company, they denied her a refund.
Reservation Counter is based in Utah. BBB has received over 400 complaints from consumers in the last three years about the company. Consumers report they had issues canceling reservations and thought they had been misled into thinking they were booking directly with the hotel. In 2020, BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. The company responded with a letter refuting the alleged claims and did not agree to take any action to resolve the pattern.
To avoid situations like this, BBB Serving Greater Cleveland is providing the following tips to help ensure an enjoyable vacation:
- Start with BBB. Research companies, such as hotels and travel agencies, on BBB.org. On BBB.org, customers can read reviews and view complaint detail.
- Avoid broad internet searches. Entering phrases like ‘best deals’ into a search engine can sometimes bring up websites that look official, but are not. Also, double-check web addresses to ensure you are using secure and official websites.
- Be alert for travel scams. Watch out for phone calls or letters touting a ‘free trip’ or websites offering prices that appear too good to be true. Learn more about travel scams here.
- Get trip details in writing. Before making a final payment, get all the details of the trip in writing. This should include the total cost, restrictions, cancellation penalties, and names of the airlines, hotels, booking sites, and travel agents. Information like this will help if a trip is canceled or one of the carriers experiences a delay.
- Check delays. Consumers can check flight status on carriers’ websites or through their telephone reservation systems. If an airline causes a substantial delay or cancellation, consumers should read their carrier’s terms and conditions to see what compensation, if any, they are entitled to.
- Pay with a credit card. Paying with a credit card provides additional protection if something should go wrong with the travel reservation.
- Planning to travel internationally? Check to see if there are any advisories affecting travel from the Department of State.
If you have spotted a scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Additional Questions? Reach out to your BBB at 216.241.7678 or [email protected]. For more news and tips visit BBB.org.
