AIROPTIONS - AIR AWARDS Stole money paid for business class ticket ripoff Dallas Texas
In January 2006 I purchased a business class ticket from AIROPTIONS.NET, also known as AIR-AWARDS.COM, and TRANSGLOBAL EXPRESS, INC. allegedly located at 15455 Dallas Parkway, 6th floor, Dallas, Texas 75001, Tel: 972-764-3563 and paid for such ticket $1836.03 by wire, as required by the seller, to the Airoptions.net account with Wells Fargo Bank #0700775778 in Plano, Texas.
To this day, one year after payment, I haven't received the purchased ticket or the money back. In this long time I was only offered contradictory excuses and unfulfilled promises.
For many months now they simply ignore my email messages. Calls to their phone numbers are routinely transferred to answering machines and recorded messages are also ignored.
Their business scheme is set to avoid direct contact with customers. The address reported in their website in Dallas, TX, may just be a virtual office provided by Regus, a company located in the same building. At least one of Airoptions.net / air-awards.com principals operates from Southern California from the 310-573-7778 number.
In short and in fact they are crooks of the worst kind and, as in my case, straight-out thieves. They lurk under the protective shade of lenient laws on internet commerce and the indifferent or even complicit attitude of business organizations, ie the Dallas BBB, IATAN, CLIA and JURNI.
Emilio
Port Angeles, Washington
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Emilio
Port Angeles,Washington,
U.S.A.
REPLY TO REBUTTAL
#3Author of original report
Wed, December 19, 2007
How very interesting and telling that the same man that offered me a refund in writing now says it was a nonrefundable ticket!
Indeed, the invoice said the money for the ticket was non-refundable, but a later message by Jay Larsen stated that "At this point, you have 3 options: We ticket the reservation as is, we wait to see if we can change the dates, or you cancel and we refund your money". As plain as that. See below for text, date and time of full message.
Then, when questioned by the Dallas BBB, they argued that I had not claimed the ticket! I did, and they ignored me.
The fact that the Dallas BBB washed their hands in this issue, and that other commercial operatives ignored this fraudulent activity, only shows that in the end the customer is truly unprotected and that they do not care or will do no effort to right a wrong.
I have posted this complaint here to prevent other people to be victimized as I was. It is not nice to loose almost two thousand dollars from crooks and liars. Now, it is up to anybody to make their own conclusions.
Below, the full message from airawards/airoptions, signed by Jay (Larsen) offering the refund of the money:
From: info@air-awards.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 3:13 PM
To: xxxx
Subject: RE: Travel Quote Request EZEYVR - Status of ticket - URGENT
ATTENTION REQUIRED
>Quoting info@air-awards.com:
> First, I show that I responded to your email on 2/2 at 2:12pm.
>
> Second, we have been working on your reservation, and we have been able > to change the outbound by a few days. We currently have this as the outbound:
>
> Departure
>
> May 1 DL 110 Buenos Aires 9:45PM arriving in Atlanta 7:05AM on May 2
> (Business)
> May 2 DL 464 Atlanta 8:45AM arriving Vancouver at 10:57AM (First
> Class)
>
> What we are doing is calling Delta every day to try to change this
> reservation to an earlier departure.
>
> Unfortunately, we have to depend on the frequent flier for this type
> of ticket. If it were up to us, we would have finished this
> transaction long ago. We are trying to get the reservation changed.
>
> At this point, you have 3 options: We ticket the reservation as is, we
> wait to see if we can change the dates, or you cancel and we refund >your money.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jay Larsen
> www.air-awards.com
Jay
Dallas,Texas,
U.S.A.
Don't buy a nonrefundable ticket and expect a refund
#3UPDATE Employee
Thu, November 01, 2007
Ghergo purchased a nonrefundable ticket from us over a year and a half ago. He then decided he wanted the ticket refunded. He has since been trying to get a refund, and he has gone through this with my employer, the supplier, Airline Reporting Corporation, the Dallas Better Business Bureau, and anyone he could reach. They all thought his case was baseless, and they all sided with us (he even wrote a highly inflammatory letter to the Dallas BBB alleging a conspiracy when they ruled against him). Nonetheless he still continues to be a nuisance and continues harassing us. We have sold millions of dollars worth of travel over the last 13 years and have never had a crazy customer before. Statistically, I suppose, it was bound to happen.
The reason why Ghergo states that we "lurk under the protective shade of lenient laws on internet commerce" and the indifferent or even complicit attitude of business organizations, ie the Dallas BBB, IATAN, CLIA and JURNI" is because they have all sided with us.