Pay real money, get virtual services
Currently, on social networks, it is not difficult to find communities selling vouchers and cheap travel combos such as: Cheap travel; Hot deals vouchers & nationwide tour combos; Hunting for cheap 5-star tours; Cheap travel combos... To attract buyers, many fanpages launch promotional packages such as free breakfast, airport shuttle support.
However, besides the tourism stimulus programs launched by travel agencies and reputable businesses, many people have been "disillusioned" when encountering fake fanpages that scam consumers.
Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh in lane 85 Nguyen Luong Bang (Dong Da) was very disappointed when he experienced a service quality that was far inferior to what the seller advertised. In the first days of the year, his family wanted to visit Sapa and worship at Ong Hoang Bay Temple (Lao Cai), so when he saw a tour group on Facebook offering a Sapa tour at a price 700,000 VND/person cheaper than usual, he registered to buy the tour.
But when we went, we found out that the tour quality was not as advertised. The three-star hotel in the contract was just a cheap motel room, located far from the city center. The specialty restaurant was turned into a cheap restaurant. When tourists were upset because the quality of the meal was so bad, they were charged an "astronomical" price for additional dishes. When they complained about the service quality to the seller and social networks, the tour provider blocked their number and blocked their Facebook.
In fact, recently, on travel groups on the social network Facebook, there have been continuous calls for help from tourists who were tricked into losing their deposit to buy airline tickets cheaper than the official listed price.
Not only people buying tours are facing this situation, but also tourism businesses are facing the same situation. On the Facebook group “Association of Professional Tour Operators 4.0”, Phuong Nguyen’s account “exposed” that some people were “hiding behind” the Halong Ambassador Cruise company to sell a 3-day, 2-night combo on a 5-star cruise for 2 million VND/person.
Many units found the service price quite cheap so they spent tens of millions of dong to buy this combo. However, after transferring the deposit, the sellers of this combo informed that the trip was canceled but refused to return the money for the travel combo.
Be a smart consumer
To avoid being scammed, travel experts say we need to be smart consumers when buying cheap tours and travel services.
According to AZA Travel Director Nguyen Tien Dat, in order to have quality stimulating products, travel, transportation and accommodation units must cooperate closely to organize promotional programs, but the discount cannot exceed 40%. Therefore, products that are widely advertised with prices reduced by 60-70% are likely to be advertising tricks and customers will have to pay more surcharges or have their services cut.
To scam consumers, many people have set up fake websites of reputable travel companies to sell tours, airline tickets, and room rentals at prices that are significantly different from the market. However, as soon as the buyer transfers the money, the people immediately cut off all contact, so consumers can only complain and cannot get their deposits back.
Agreeing with this reflection, Vice President of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club Pham Tien Dung said that another form of fraud that is also applied by these subjects is the tourist visa service during peak holiday seasons.
"Many people have complained about booking visa services with a commitment of a high "pass" rate, but after the victim transfers the payment, the subjects will let the victim complete the application themselves... Then, when the visa is not approved, they will use many reasons to blame the victim and not return the money" - Mr. Dung informed.
To help tourists avoid “losing money and getting sick”, Vice Chairman of the National Competition Commission (Ministry of Industry and Trade) Nguyen Quynh Anh recommends that consumers carefully research information about the service provider and promotional programs before choosing a product. For buying and selling activities on social networks, people should choose social networking sites with a blue tick (registered accounts) or choose reputable social networking sites where they know the seller’s information clearly.
From the perspective of a tourism expert, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh advised that in order to avoid being scammed, customers should not transact with individuals whose information is unclear. At the same time, absolutely do not transfer money to personal accounts that are not the company's specific account. At the same time, it is necessary to go to the company's headquarters to confirm the amount of money transferred instead of just via social networks.
Similarly, Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association P Hung Quang Thang stated that tourists need to be cautious with offers of unusually cheap travel services, because deep price reductions at this time are difficult to achieve when airfares and hotel room rentals are both increasing. Tourists should also take screenshots of tour sellers via video calls, save photos of the seller's ID card, photos of transactions made... as evidence to report if they are unlucky enough to become a victim of fraud.
"Tourism is different from selling clothes, cosmetics... Although it is also sold online, the tour organizer must be a company with a clear identity to be able to link up with transportation and accommodation units to have preferential programs at cheap prices. If only 1-2 individuals advertise on their own, it is not trustworthy. Cross-checking information will limit the possibility of falling into a scam trap when booking a cheap tour" - Mr. Thang shared.
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