Complaint Review: Travel Services International

My wife and I attended a sales presentation by Travel Services International (located at 140 East Bay Street Ste. A in Charleston) while we were on vacation. During the presentation, we were told that we could purchase a vacation membership with TSI which would provide us with 40-80% savings compared to travel websites such as Expedia.

We were shown slides which compared prices for cruises, hotels, and condominiums which showed the TSI price vs. the price which could be found via typical travel websites. A prominent sign was shown during the presentation advertising their claimed A+ Better Business Bureau rating, which impressed both of us.

The sales pitch was high pressure and did not allow us to compare prices online while we were there; in addition, we were told that the special pricing discount that they were offering (~$4000 off the normal price of the membership) was only available while we were in the room. If we wanted to think about it and come back the next day, the membership fee would have been $9995.

They created additional pressure by offering an additional $1000 off the membership cost to the first couple to sign an agreement. As we thought this was an A+ BBB-rated business which could save us money for future vacations, we decided to sign up for their service and receive the extra $1000 discount. When we got home, we immediately discovered that this business only had a B rating and is not BBB accredited.

We still wanted to give TSI the benefit of the doubt so we waited until we received our membership information. Once we logged into the website, we compared prices for cruises and hotels, and it was immediately obvious that the prices on their website were more expensive than what we could find on travel websites.

At this point, we contacted their support services via email. In this email, we provided screenshots of comparisons of prices for searches for hotel rooms and cruises which showed that we could find better rates on our own. We received a response from Patrick Weaver, one of the supervisors for Customer Service. He said that he could address all of our issues but that we needed to give TSI an opportunity to walk us through the "learning curve" associated with their website.

He also stated that I needed to "speak to him directly I wanted any monies returned". When I spoke to Patrick on the phone, he told me that he would provide us with a personal concierge, Serena, who would help us find lower prices due to the "learning curve" associated with their website. When we asked Serena to conduct searches for us, we were able to once again easily find prices that were less expensive on travel websites.

Once I filed a BBB report, Patrick contacted me and offered me $500 (of the $6593 which we paid) on the phone if I would close the complaint on the BBB site. He would not make this offer in writing, and he also told me that I was upset because “I had not done my due diligence and knew that I had been had.”

There is actually no way to perform any due diligence about their prices since you cannot login to their website unless you are a member, and they do not show you the prices live during the presentation. The main reason we trusted TSI was because of the A+ BBB rating which they showed prominently, which actually comes from the company which creates their web site. I think this company (SaveOnResorts.com) is also sketchy because if you look at the BBB website for them, you can see numerous complaints similar to ours for other companies offering travel membership savings.

Since Patrick would not make an offer in writing, I refused to accept his offer. In response, I received the following email from Matt Anderson, the CEO of TSI:

Mr. ***** -

You purchased your membership more than more than 7 months ago. You are well outside of your rights of cancellation. Unfortunately our company has paid our 3rd party SaveOnResorts and cannot afford to refund you the purchase price. To show you in good faith, we are trying to work this out to our best ability.

We are willing to give you $1,500 provided you sign a hold harmless agreement. You would continue to stay a member at only yearly of $199 if you choose to pay it. If you do not travel some years, you are not required to renew or pay the $199.

We will also upgrade you to "VIM" Very Important Member and give you access to a dedicated personal concierge to handle all of your future travel needs. This is our FINAL offer and there will be no further communications if you decline this offer. All communication will be handled through our attorneys office.

Thank you

Matt Anderson

CEO -Travel Services International

1-800-210-5783 EXT 700

In response to Mr. Anderson, I would like to point out that we complained almost immediately once we received our travel membership login information and could compare prices with travel websites. In addition, Mr. Anderson made no effort to address our concerns about the misleading use of the BBB rating and inability to provide the 40-80% savings promised to us. I also believe that federal law was violated since consumers are supposed to have a 3 day cooling off period for these types of purchases.