Recent news that Hertz would begin photographing its rentals got me wondering: What about the “ding” scams that have made the car rental industry millions of dollars over the last few years?
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Remember Prime Travel protection, the Colorado travel insurance company that shut down amid allegations it sold unlicensed policies? Turns out it’s not dead yet.
Next time you cancel a hotel room, get a number. Otherwise you might have to pay for your reservation, whether you show up or not. Cancellation numbers, like reservation numbers, are verifications of a transaction. They’re useful not only for the hotel, but also for your credit card company in the event of a dispute.
Jack Taras and his friends thought they would be checking in to the Occidental Grand hotel on the Dominican Republic’s postcard-perfect Eastern shore for Spring Break. But when Taras, a 19-year-old sophomore from Providence College, arrived at the resort, he was greeted with the hotel industry’s latest trick: he was walked down.
Kay Schroll says she lost $6,820 — the price of two cruises — when she bought travel insurance through Legendary Journeys, but then had to cancel her vacations for health reasons. Her case is just one of many that have landed on my desk since the bankruptcy of Prime Travel Protection, the Colorado company that offered these unlicensed policies.
Florida’s Department of Financial Services has confirmed it is investigating travel agencies that sold insurance underwritten by Prime Travel Protection, a Colorado company that filed for bankruptcy protection last month and left thousands of travelers uninsured.
When Gary Moll disembarked from a recent cruise in Santo Domingo, he encountered a fishy fee he’d never seen: Uniformed agents offered a $10 “Tourist Card” to passengers coming ashore. Are these cards for real? Moll doubts it.
The all-inclusive Mexico vacation fax scam is nothing new. Is this one — or not?
Just when you thought you’d seen every car rental scam in the book — and if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you probably do — along comes another clever way of separating drivers from their money. Call this one the flooded engine rip-off.
Carole Hunter thought the $1,950 for a weekly rental in San Francisco was too good to be true. She was right. The condo didn’t exist.
So who is Prime Travel Protection Services? I asked that question yesterday after one reader lost two cruise vacations when his insurance claim wasn’t honored by the company. This morning I got a call from Jerry Watson, the president of Prime Travel Protection, with the answer.
What do Prime Travel Protection Services, Travelers Protection Services, Vacation Protection Services and Trip Assured have in common? They may be the same company.
You’ve probably heard of hotels overcharging you for what you eat or drink. You know, $10 for a bottle of water. Six bucks for a candy bar. Here’s the latest twist on that scam — a hotel that charges you for what you don’t consume.
Here’s a warning for anyone who pays for their gas with a credit card: Read the terms of your sale very closely. More gas stations are tacking on a surcharge for anyone who pays with plastic.
Thinking of buying a cheap airline ticket voucher online? Oh no you don’t.
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