When it comes to vacation club scams, it is always a good idea to know what to expect when things go completely wrong. The point of being able to identify Vacation Choices scams is so that you are able to identify a scam when you are caught in the middle of one. It will help you to understand better what to do and how to rescue your vacation.
(image courtesy of keepwaddling1 on Flickr)
In all honesty, the best way to protect yourself from a potentially bad vacation experience is to take plenty of money with you to either buy emergency plane tickets back home, or set yourself up in a nice hotel and ride out your vacation time. When you see some examples of common vacation nightmares, you will understand why it pays to avoid scams at all costs.
The Check-Out Trap
One of the more common vacation club scams is one that is often arranged by the owners of dirty hotels or bed and breakfast establishments that should be condemned by the health department. You pay for your tickets and your lodging through a vacation club and then set off on your trip. When you arrive at your hotel, you see that it is dirty and try to check out. That is when you are told that if you check out of the hotel, your return plane ticket is voided.
The Abandoned Home
People who rent vacation properties assume just as much risk as travelers who stay in hotels. A popular vacation rental scam is when scam artists use abandoned homes as rental properties. They take pictures of the properties and then advertise them as vacation rentals. The scam artists then ask for a deposit on the rental and then conveniently disappear. When the vacationers arrive at the location, they find out that it is an abandoned home and that they have been scammed.
The Free Timeshare
It is possible that you have seen stories about free timeshare vacation in movies or on television shows. Timeshare companies promise a free weekend vacation to anyone who just listens to a simple sales presentation. The truth is that there is a series of presentations and then a very strong sales pitch to try and get you to buy a timeshare. There is no vacation involved in this scam at all.
The Travel Agent Scam
Companies will promise people significant discounts on hotels, airfare, rental cars and other items if they take a quick course to become their own travel agent. If you pay this company a registration fee and pay for travel agent course materials, then you can be a travel agent. After you pay for the course, you are told by the airlines and hotels that your travel agency status is fraudulent because you are not affiliated with a travel agency organization.
If you want to avoid being the victim of a travel or vacation choices scam, then learn to recognize the signs of a scam and avoid getting involved.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post.You may read more of my disclosure here.