Travel Auctions – Worth Watching or Rip-offs?

Buyer Beware Sky Auction and Read Fine Print on Luxury Link or eBay

Mar 30, 2009

Auction websites can help older tourists cut package costs and get hotel deals, but hidden costs can make vacations expensive. Check Better Business Bureau lists.

Everyone likes bargains and travel auctions promise them. But those cheap hotel rooms, safari package prices, resort stays and even airline tickets that tempt visitors on popular websites may be nothing but a cheap come-on.

Buyer Protection for Online Travel Bargains

The first rule on bidding for travel is to check the direct website of a hotel, airline or tour company and compare the prices they show before entering a bid on such popular sites as Luxury Link, eBay or Skyauction.com.

The second rule – read the fine print. There can be blackout periods, the deals may only apply to a group rather than a solo traveler, and additional charges, surcharges, commissions and fees can drive low prices much higher, even when an auction is not an outright fraud.

Third – when bidding, make sure you pay with a credit card or PayPal. Travelers can complain to these agencies as well as to the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org), Federal Trade Commission and Internet Crime Complaint Center when they feel ripped off. When paying with a credit card, a complaint to Visa or MasterCard often will stop payment to the company in question until a dispute is settled.

“Legitimate sites will allow payment with a credit card or through a service such as PayPal and will list specific cancellation and refund policies as well as customer-service contact information. Winners will get a confirmation code or electronic receipt, often through e-mail, wrote Steve Stephens in the Mar. 29, 2009 issue of the Columbus Dispatch.

Internet Complaint Center Advice

By visiting the BBB beforehand, potential bidders can see how many complaints have already been filed against an auction site and how they have been resolved. It is simple to look at the latest reports there about both Luxury Link and Sky Auctions. Luxury Link is rated A- and is a BBB member. There is detailed information on its practices.

Skyauction.com, which is not a BBB member, has an “unfavorable” BBB rating and had generated 42 complaints during the past 36 months, but only 7 during the past 12 months. “Consumers report to the BBB they do not receive what they paid for, incurring extra travel costs to them. Consumers also allege that obtaining a refund can take up to five months. Almost 50% of complaints filed with the BBB against this firm were disputed by Skyauction,” the BBB report says.

The copyright of the article Travel Auctions – Worth Watching or Rip-offs? in Senior Travel is owned by Grace Lichtenstein. Permission to republish Travel Auctions – Worth Watching or Rip-offs? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.