In this post I want to talk about something I am seeing more and more on the Internet and on Social Media. This is the proliferation of companies advertising travel Deals for unheard of prices. I have seen prices such as $399 per couple for 5 nights in a 5 star all inclusive resort.
While these advertisements are not illegal they are, in my opinion, very unethical and the ads do not tell the whole story. These ads are blatant advertisements for timeshare sales. I am not saying don’t do this but just make sure you know what you are getting involved with if you sign up. These companies will hide all the details and catches of these offers in their terms and conditions so, make sure you read their terms and conditions before you commit.
The terms and conditions contain such items as you must be a couple, you must have a valid credit card in the name of one of the travelers when checking in. No debit cards. You must meet certain income levels to qualify for the rates. Groups cannot take advantage of these rates even if each couple in the group books individually, couples only. You must attend a timeshare presentation that can last up to 3 hours. You can be moved to another resort of their choice. There will be extra fees. These are some of the terms and conditions. Again make sure you read all the terms and conditions before taking advantage of these offers.
Another thing these companies are doing is advertising that they have a A+ rating with the BBB. I read the rating of one of these companies and yes they somehow have an A+ rating even though they have 102 complaints. They also print, in bold print, to report all complaints directly to the company rather than to the BBB. This is a way of keeping their BBB rating at a higher level.
Again, this is not illegal but the ads do not tell the whole story. They put the details of the offer in the terms and conditions because they know most people won’t read them. So my warning is don’t take advantage of these offers until you have read the terms and conditions of the offer and fully understand what you are getting into. Buyer Beware.
