Legal Question in Consumer Law in Massachusetts
Travel Agent Booking - False Charges
I made a travel booking with an agency. They said that if I fail to make a payment by a certain date they would
not hold my reservation. However, when I failed to make the payment, instead of just cancelling my reservation as stated, they threatened to send me a legal notice because apparently (and I don't believe this) they had already issued the ticket even before receiving any payment from me. So I would either have to pay a cancellation charge of $375 for each ticket or face a legal notice to appear in court. Can they really do that? They did not mention anything about cancellation charges when I made the booking. I did not sign any document mentioning anything about cancellation fees. All I signed for was an itinerary. This is the story in a nutshell. Also, this particular travel agent is well known for unprofessional behavior on various counts. There are more details but space will not permit it, so I will wait for someone to get back to me. Thanks!
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Travel Agent Booking - False Charges
This sounds like a scam. You can check with the consumer protection division of the Attorney General's office to see if they have an ongoing case with the agent. Or you can wait and see if they sue you and get a lawyer at that time, if they do. If you have something in writing threatening as you say, you can send, or have an attorney send, a "93A letter" return receipt requested, setting forth what you believe is wrong and asking for whatever you want them to do about it (a suggested letter is available at the AG's web site and at area consumer protection offices). If they fail to respond in 30 days in writing with a proper response, you can sue and ask for double or treble damages and attorney fees. Or you can retain an attorney now to do the whole case.
Without a writing or a credit card number from you, they are unlikely to have issued a ticket or have a contract for you to do anything but send them money. If you signed something without reading it carefully, or noting if it had blank spaces, you might find yourself in court. I suggest it is worth consulting me or some other attorney to review the entire situation.
Re: Travel Agent Booking - False Charges
Kindly contact my Office at 781-231-5200 relative to this Matter.
Thank you,
Jerril J. Krowen, Esq
www.krowenlaw.com
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