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2012
25
September
Don't fall for the '$128 for 2 roundtrip flights' OneStopTravel scam
25
September
Over the past little while, I've had a lot of people ask me about a deal they've seen pop up on a variety of those 'daily deal' type sites (you know the ones, the Groupon-esque clones that were all the rage last year, and initially had some legitimately great deals but have now all turned into a wasteland of spa treatments and massages you can never get an appointment for).
The offer I'm referring to specifically is the one claiming that you can buy '$128 for 2 roundtrip flights', usually to somewhere like Europe or Hawaii. The offer will claim that this is a '$1100 value' and you're 'saving 90%' off the usual airfare cost.
Here's a real-life example from DealTicker:
You just know there has to be a catch right? Outrageous taxes and fees tacked on? It's true that the airport taxes & fees are not included, but that's not the real catch here. Let's take a look at the terms & conditions...
The key part to this scam (it doesn't deserve to be called a 'deal') is that you also *must* book your accommodations through the website specified (usually escapetheordinaryonline.com) and that you're required to purchase a minimum number of nights.
People that fall for this scam will find themselves forced to book accommodations at rates that are vastly inflated to what the hotel would normally cost. In the end, once they've done the math, they'll find that they actually ended up paying more than they would have had they booked their flights + hotel on their own.
Of course, it's the headline that suckers people in. The headline could read '2 free roundtrip flights' and it would still be a bad deal for you in the end. But of course, that would be a little too obvious that something wasn't right, making people more suspicious before purchasing. Giving it a price like $128 is an attempt to give it an air of legitimacy.
The purveyor of this scam seems to be a company claiming the name of OneStopTravel, apparently based out of Orlando, Florida. Googling around, you won't even find a website for them. Unless it actually is the site located at OneStopTravel.com (I wasn't really sure), in which case, the look of it should set off enough alarm bells already.
The site they force you to book your accommodations through is listed as escapetheordinaryonline.com, and has a contact e-mail address using the domain myholidaybreak.com (another dodgy looking site).
Run, don't walk.
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2012
17
September
Kelowna to Los Angeles, California - $265 roundtrip after taxes
17
September
2012
1
September
Is it possible to get a good deal on a flight within Canada ?
1
September
*Spoiler Alert*: Not likely, but please don't shoot the messenger.
Read more
2012
12
June
Kelowna to Istanbul, Turkey - from $781 roundtrip after taxes!
12
June
I've been waiting a long time for this! Turkey has always been near the top of my list of places on this planet that I want to check out (and it's a long list). Fares are *never* cheap though, and usually hover around a minimum of $1300-$1400 roundtrip after taxes.
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2012
5
April
Kelowna to Chicago - $348 roundtrip after taxes!
5
April
The WestJet Blue Tag Thursday deals have been kind of ho-hum lately, but they dropped a *really* exciting one today! I believe this is as cheap as I've ever seen to Chicago from Kelowna. Ever.
Read more
2012
16
March
Kelowna to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - $199 roundtrip after taxes
16
March
Air Transat just released a last minute fare to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a pretty crazy price of $199 roundtrip after taxes.
Read more
2011
8
December
Crazy price drops to Central America!! From $429 roundtrip after taxes
8
December
There are some huge unadvertised price drops on American Airlines to Central America at the moment from cities across Canada, including Kelowna. Perhaps the largest overall drop, ever.
Read more
2011
29
November
Kelowna to Belize - $588 roundtrip after taxes
29
November
It looks like there's a really cheap flight from Kelowna to Belize in January, over 55% cheaper than it usually costs to get there.
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2011
31
October
Huge fare war from Kelowna to Amsterdam - $721 roundtrip after taxes - affecting fares up to May 2012
31
October
There's a huge fare war to Amsterdam (AMS) going on at the moment. It's extremely rare to see the major airlines drop a price to Europe like this from Kelowna.
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2011
24
October
Expedia promo to Vegas. Not as interesting as last year, but still interesting.
24
October
Those of you that have been following my posts for nearly a year might remember the Expedia flub last November that lead to packages to Vegas for as cheap as $19/person after taxes & fees for flight + hotel packages from all across Canada.
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