Image Courtesy of Flickr
Vacation clubs are a strange thing. On the one hand, they have the potential to be very good ways to save some money on the kinds of vacations you like to take. On the other hand, they can also become nightmares if you picked one of the shady types of vacation club. It can be extremely hard to tell which kind of club membership you have before it’s too late. The following may help you figure it out while there’s still time to back out.
Lots of Hoops to Jump Through
As a general rule, the better a company is, the less hoops they make you jump through to use their services. A vacation club that makes you adhere to a million rules typically has fees set up to grow their profits at your expense. The more work you have to do for your vacation, the more ridiculous the entire idea becomes. Seriously, why should a vacation involve a bunch of work?
Too Much Legalese
Legalese is a nice way to tell you that a company essentially owns your soul. In many cases, legalese is simply a company trying to keep itself from getting sued over silly things it has no control over. However, when a vacation club posts more legal disclaimers than you’d expect to find on a plutonium supplier’s website, it makes you wonder what kinds of travel club complaints they may have faced in the past. Don’t just wonder — do your research.
Who Owns the Company?
If you can’t easily find out who owns the travel club, that’s a serious problem. Usually, the owners of any kind of company are clearly marked at the bottom of the website. Generally this is for intellectual property protection reasons, but it also marks the fact that a website is owned by a legitimate business. If the business isn’t legit, no markings make it harder to find the owners in case a lawsuit comes up.
Where are the Owners Located?
Sometimes off-shore companies are on the level, but often they aren’t. In most cases, you want to deal only with vacation clubs that are located in your home country. The exception to that is clubs that are located in the country where the vacations in question take place. If the club isn’t located somewhere that the owners could easily be found if necessary, this is a huge red flag.
What are You Paying For?
If you can’t easily say in one sentence what you’re paying for, you’ve been duped already. Often a scam company will lead you through a long spiel about what they offer, and make it sound so convincing and great that you’re tempted to sign up without even knowing what you’re getting yourself into. If they put on the pressure and want you to sign up immediately, walk away quickly.
By following just a few common sense tips, you will be able to find a vacation club that will suit your needs.
