Buyer beware: summer travel season is ripe for travel-related complaints.
The significant cost of travel makes it a tempting arena for fraudsters. That’s the warning from state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. He urges families to be on the lookout for travel-related schemes and scams designed to take your hard-earned money.
Many complaints have to do with membership travel clubs. Consumers are invited to high-pressure sales presentations offering supposedly free hotel stays or other benefits, which invariably end up costing the consumer as much as, or more, than he would pay without the so-called deal.
Another area of ongoing problems is timeshare reselling. Van Hollen says the difficulty of selling some timeshares can lead people to fall prey to fraudulent timeshare resellers. He urges everyone to be skeptical of offers of free trips or other prizes, which can turn out to be nonexistent or riddled with restrictions, hidden costs, or false guarantees.