Have you had any experience with Travelbug Holidays ?
Travelbug Holidays Australia, based in Sydney, consists of dedicated marketing, IT, product developments redemption and sales teams who work together to provide smooth and efficient day-to-day operations, customer service and customer bookings.
How does their system work ?
From experience it appears that it works this way:
You receive a telemarketing call from a TravelBug representative, offering a deal that appears too good to be true. You pay TravelBug $xx and get a Voucher valid for 2 free nights accommodation, subject to buying Breakfast and Dinner at the establishment each day.
But then the problems begin:
You cannot use the vouchers at some of the places that you thought you could.
You have to spend a lot more than expected on Food to get the free accommodation.
The whole deal ends up being more expensive than you were led to believe.
The Travelbug website quotes:
Q. How do I get 2 free nights per voucher?
A. You simply go to the properties marked Food & Beverage offer. These properties offer 2 people 2 Free Nights accommodation by simply purchasing Breakfast and Dinner each day of your stay at the Nominated Spend Levels.
Q. Will the prices for the meals be inflated to cover the accommodation?
A. Absolutely Not ! Our properties ask that you spend a minimum nominated amount on your meals and how you spend it is totally up to you, No Inflated Prices and No Set Menu’s
How good are they ?
On the basis of the above, everything seems fine, BUT… it all comes down to how it is sold you on the telephone. Some of the sales representatives, who are all on commission, may easily gloss over some of the details, in an effort to get you to buy.
Then, once you receive your vouchers, you may not want to sort out accommodation immediately.
- You then find that dates and places are not as easily book-able as you first thought, (or, as you were told).
- You then find that a refund is not possible, as there is a time frame for refunds. (You weren’t told that, when you were told the vouchers were refundable in the original sales pitch ? I wonder why.)
It may not be a scam, but I am not sure that the product is being sold ethically.
- The Sales people do NOT give out sufficient correct information, to allow a proper buying decision.
- The company do not give a refund, even when they realise you would not have bought if you had the full CORRECT information, when buying.
More information is needed to see just how bad this is… but…
I would have expected a reasonable company to be prepared to provide a refund, under situations where they know that the sale was only made due to incorrect information.
Definitions of Scam:
- A dishonest plan, especially for getting money. www.macmillandictionary.com
- A fraudulent or deceptive act or operation www.merriam-webster.com
- A deception, fraud, swindle or confidence trick. www.slang-dictionary.com
Websites with more information on this topic:
- www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/11/beware-of-holiday-accommodation-scams
- travelbug-holidays.pissedconsumer.com/travelbug-holidays-is-not-a-scam-20101103205499.html
KERRING PTY LIMITED trading as Travelbugholidays
ABN 40 069 206 793
ACN 069 206 793
Kerring Pty Limited is registered in Elermore Vale, NSW, 2287, Australia
www.search.asic.gov.au
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Travel Bug Holidays is a SCAM. Their offers are more expensive than when you book individually from sites like wotif.com.
+ Travel Bug holidays literally steals 200 bucks off you for their “money-saving-deal” when providing no deal at all. For example, on their site they have a deal 2-for-1, where you pay for 1 night in a hotel and stay for 2. But the price for the first night is the double of what you’d pay on wotif.com (= there’s no free night.) They also have a deal “Pay for food, stay for free” but they don’t tell you that you have to pay a certain amount (usually over 100 AUD) for your meal at all them hotels. All this means that: 1) you don’t save a cent when staying in the hotels on their list
2) you pay Travel bug holidays 200 dollars for calling you
Comparing prices to Wotif is not indicative of it being a scam. Wotif is a discounted hotel provider, usually giving very low prices when booked in the last 7 to 14 days.
Example: One hotel where the normal room rate is $435, Wotif charges $179, but with conditions.
On your basis, the hotel itself is a Scammer, charging more than either Wotif and Travel Bug.
Re the food component cost: Travel Bug do state: “Our properties ask that you spend a minimum nominated amount on your meals and how you spend it is totally up to you, No Inflated Prices and No Set Menu’s.”
Each hotel on their website appears to state the minimum food spend, eg:
Personally I would not go for these deals, as we like to eat at different places, so Travel bug is not for me. But at least the info is there to check.
However, this is just a case of different discounting techniques.
Ultimate freestays is misleading customers to buy> I think it is a scam sort of, cos they try to sell me and say subject to no offer. I asked them 3 times and even the supervisor , and he reassured me . Beawre of thos indians sales rep who is only interrested in selling and NEVER ever deal with Ultimate freestays cos it end up paying more money. Their customer services are also misleading and also beat around the bush, instead of direrctly dealing with the issue!! SCAM !!! SCAM MIsleading! Lousy Company!!