The advertisement may boast beautiful beaches, glamorous accommodations and first-class transportation, but the reality of your spring break package could involve rundown motels and a Greyhound bus ticket to Mexico.
Spring breakers beware — travel scams do exist and do target college students looking for the too-good-to-be-true vacation deal.
Not all travel agencies are professional swindlers so doing some background checks and careful examination could make all the difference, experts say.
Scott Mooneyhan, a student at the University of Tennessee — Knoxville, bought a spring break travel package last year from Student Travel Services. He said the agency provided everything they said they would.
“$700 covered our flight, our hotel and a two-hour shuttle ride to and from the airport,” Mooneyhan said. “It was an incredible trip and the package didn’t have a hitch.”
Not all students are as lucky as Mooneyhan though.
Collot Guerard, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission, said most travel scams involve misrepresentations of what will be provided by the agencies.
“Complaints usually occur when the expectations which have been created by what was described are not met,” Guerard said. “Better accommodations were advertised, more amenities than were actually provided or more chaperones than expected.”
Guerard said the FTC tries to take action against duplicitous travel agencies.
“We have sued in the past, and we do bring cases in the travel area against companies engaged in misrepresentation,” Guerard said.
Sometimes travelers get their money back, but more often they do not, Guerard added.
“In more cases they don’t get money back because the travel agencies will have spent the money on themselves,” she said.
The FTC offers some advice to students looking for an honest vacation package.
Some precautions include checking out the operator, checking out the flight information, reading the fine print and understanding your rights.
Travelers do have the right to cancel a charter package with no consequence if the operator makes a major change, according to Department of Transportation rules. The FTC lists some major changes as a package increase of more than 10 percent, a change of departure or return date, a change of city or a hotel property substitution not named in the contract.
Talking to other students who have previously traveled with a particular agency is another good way to tell if the agency delivers what they promise. Students can also get on the Internet and check chat rooms for talk about certain vacations.
For example, Contiki Vacations, a travel agency specializing in vacations for 18 - 35-year-olds, has an extensive Web site where people can post and read reviews.
Another way students help their causes is to pay by credit card over the Internet or telephone and to avoid signing anything.
“If the student has paid by credit card over the telephone or on the Internet, they have much greater rights to get a refund from their credit card,” Guerard said. “The theory of credit card companies is if it’s a face-to-face transaction, then you the consumer have more opportunity to ask questions than if it’s an Internet or telemarketing sale.”
Guerard offered some extra tips for students investigating a travel package.
“I’m sure there are lots of students who have successful trips, but you just have to be very careful,” Guerard said. “You can look were the company is incorporated, where it is bonded or if there have been any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.”
