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Tagged Pages Archive | Halifax
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
4
September
Is it possible to get a good deal on a flight within Canada ?
4
September
2012
24
July
Halifax to Costa Rica - $446 roundtrip after taxes, September to November
24
July
2012
3
July
Halifax to San Juan, Puerto Rico - $268 roundtrip after taxes!
3
July
2012
29
May
Halifax to Edmonton - $414 roundtrip after taxes - summer travel!
29
May
These days, prices from Halifax to Western Canada rarely seem to dip too much below $700 roundtrip after taxes, especially for summer travel.
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2012
9
April
Halifax to Fort Lauderdale, Florida - $199 roundtrip after taxes - cheapest flight to Florida of all time?
9
April
UPDATE: April 10 at 2:55 PM - It looks to be sold out now. To those who booked it, have fun in Florida!
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2012
14
March
Halifax to Turks & Caicos - $230 roundtrip after taxes
14
March
There are some insane last minute deals through AirCanadaVacations.com going on right now - There's a flight from Halifax to Turks & Caicos for $230 roundtrip after taxes.
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2012
29
February
Halifax to Costa Rica - $443 roundtrip after taxes
29
February
There's a couple of ridiculously cheap airfares from Halifax to Costa Rica. They're especially notable because the travel dates are over a month away. I've seen crazy airfares to Costa Rica before, but you usually only get a few weeks notice or less.
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2012
23
February
Halifax to Jamaica - flight & hotel - $404/person after all taxes & fees
23
February
Looks like Thomas Cook has a pretty crazy last minute deal from Halifax to Jamaica. Here's how to find it...
Read more
2012
8
February
Halifax to Turks & Caicos - $258 roundtrip after taxes - cheapest ever?
8
February
AirCanadaVacations just dropped some of their flights to Turks & Caicos down to $258 roundtrip after taxes. That's about 57% cheaper than the usual cheapest price ($600ish).
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