So here I am perusing lodging accomidations for my vacation next month and decide to check options for Des Moines which happens to be the last stop on my trip. I'm only going to be there one night and don't need anything fancy so I go to where any budget minded traveler goes, Motel 6, and yikes, they want $57/night (mind you this is a Monday). I've stayed in Des Moines before and can't remember room prices being this high.
I try the next best alternative which is usually a Super 8/Days Inn type place to see if I can possibly do better, and double yikes, now were talking $60-80/night. Then I suddenly remember I have AAA membership and check the AAA rate for a Super 8. $49.50/night. That's more my speed.
I normally wait until there's a few days left to make reservations, but I have no clue whats bumping up the demand for motel rooms in Des Moines and figure that I'd better book a room while there's still one available.
So I make my reservation and the screen seems to lag for a few minutes, and then this chat box comes up...
...and I figure, well its Super 8's website, so it must be legit, and I type HI. Then they tell me I've been enrolled in some program called Travelers Advantage, and they'll bill my credit card for $10/month unless I cancel. Damn it, I just wanted to book a room!!!
So I immediately cancel my reservation, although I'm not sure that cancels my enrollment in this program. So I check Super 8's website for information about Travelers Advantage and lo and behold I can't find anything. It apparently is some third party outfit.
I check to see if Travelers Advantage is some kind of scam and find out that its one of many names used by an outfit called Trilegiant/Cendant, who apparently are running this enrollment scam through a number of legitimate businesses, namely ones related to the travel and banking industries.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_alerts/tlg.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/scam_...omplaints.html
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff112211.htm
This is so NOT what I needed just two weeks from vacation, and I will NOT be doing business with Super 8 until they knock this shit off. How any legitimate business can possibly be associated with an outfit like this I'll never know.
Needless to say, I'll be monitoring my CC statement online very closely over the next few months.
And why can't our authorities shut these scam operations down? Like permanently?





Reply With Quote



. The hotel staff doesn't check. They could care less anyway. Their butts are covered if the customer says the right thing, and it looks good on their performance records to keep the rooms rented.
If that phrase doesn't work try saying you saw a discount deal in Conde Nast magazine or Sunset magazine. I got a room at the NYNY in Las Vegas for $48 a night using that phrase. It was a one bedroom suite in the tower that I shared with two other people. Sweet! This was a weekend stay, also.
They let me cancel w/o too much of a fight. They gave me a cancelation number and I'll have to watch my bank statment to see if they did really cancelled it. The membership line and to cancel number is: 1-800-548-1116 and its EST time.
!!!!!! Its annoying people who keep charging me eventhough its only 9$ - thats 9 more dollars I have pay interest on.

Bookmarks