Taking a break
Travelers are warned of Spring Break scams
by Steven Wolcott Kansan staff writer
Surf, sand and sun could turn into legal hassles and other problems if students don't double check travel plans first.
Pat Kelly, owner of the Travel Center of Lawrence, 1601 W. 23rd St., said students should keep that in mind when they made travel plans for Spring Break.
"We got a call last week from a group of fraternity guys who had booked a trip to Mexico from a company outside Lawrence." Kelly said. "The company had given me the visa, and they sent a Mexican tourist card and a copy of their birth certificate to get into Mexico."
Kelly said that the Travel Center had the cards and were able to get them for the game.
"It would have been really frustrating to get to Mexico, then not be allowed in the
Kelly said that many out-of-town operations hired a student to represent them.
Dolores Salinas, administrative assistant for the Better Business Bureau in Wasleo, Texas, said the bureau had many inquiries about accommodations on South Padre
These students are not travel agents, and they don't know much about customs regulations, taxes, hotel deposits and other extra expenses involved in travel, Kelly said. The companies that recruit them often neglect to tell them about these exres, he
"Instead, people should take care of themselves by checking these companies out." Torskey said. "For example, call the office and see if they have reservations for you."
"A lot of times they prey on students by telling them they'll get a free trip if they can round up 20 to 30 people to go with them," Kelly said.
Eric Torske, of the Consumer Affairs Association, 819 Vermont St., said that the attraction of these trips was that the company would send everything would be taken care of for a flat fee.
"We recommend that the student get everything in writing and find out about the hotel's refund policy before they sign anything." Salinas said.
Mark Knight, a Douglas County assistant district attorney, and Mary Horsch, press secretary for the Kansas attorney general's office, said their offices had not received any complaints from students about Spring Break travel scams.
"That doesn't mean it doesn't happen," Knight said.
Jo Hardesty, director of Legal Services for Students, said that Legal Services could check on companies that students had suspicions about.
Horsch said that if a student had problems and thought fraud was involved, he should call the local district attorney or the state attorney general's office.
"We can check with state attorney general offices around the country and see if there have been any complaints filed against the company," Hardesty said. "Many of these companies are very mobile and move from state to state."
"We have been successful in a few cases in getting people's money back, but if the company has moved on, we are not as successful." Hardesty said.
Hardesty recommended that students should deal directly with a reputable travel agent or with the hotels themselves and avoid any middlemen.
Sometimes students themselves are the cause of travel problems.
Breeze Carlie, executive director of the South Padre Island Visitors and Conventions Bureau, said kids who just showed up were needed to find a place to stay would be out of luck.
A spokesman for the Central Florida Better Business Bureau said the months of February and March were a major tourist area Daytona and other Florida beaches.
"Now that Pathe has become so popular,
it's tough to find a place to stay," Carlie said. "Kids need to start making reservations. December if they want to guarantee rooms."
Students should be prepared to pay higher prices for those rooms than they might be used to, as well as for other things such as beer and souvenirs.
"Of course, prices are up during those months," the spokesman said. "What people don't realize is that businesses must hire people to handle the crush of students."
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KANSAN Taking a break/March 1.1989