A TICKET TO LOST PARADISE

It's no secret that travelling to distant countries is one of the attributes of a full, bright and busy life. And more and more people are imbued with mysterious magic of travel, preferring to go on an active holiday abroad rather than sluggishly spend time at home or in the country. And Azerbaijan has not remained aloof from global trends - more and more people, young, and what is more important, old, spare no time and money to see the world.

And travel agencies help us to carry the brunt of hasty preparations and hassle about buying tickets, accommodation and further entertainment events, and like good wizards, they find the desired option for us at the touch of a button. But even all this convenience often has its own complexity. So how do you choose the right travel agency to get the holiday you want?

Features of tourist service

Of course, any consumer who wants to rest abroad may have a natural question: why apply to travel agencies if there is the Internet and an abundance of information today? Sabina Seredneva, an employee of a travel agency in Baku, said: "It is better to apply to a travel agency not just because you save time and nerves - a specialized company provides you with services that ultimately cost cheaper than if you organized this tour independently. Even in the hotel or airline you select, the prices will be lower by about 30-50 per cent through a travel agency. This is because tour operators buy hotel rooms wholesale and in advance and airline tickets at discounted prices. Thus, a 5 or 10-per-cent commission paid to the travel agency is not too much for savings and convenience."

But you must take a pretty serious approach to the choice of the travel agency itself. According to Sabina, she herself always advises to choose a regional travel agency rather than an international Internet agency. "It's always better to come and talk face to face," says the tour operator. "First, after listening to the customer and his wishes, we will find him an acceptable tour both in price and quality. Second, if the customer is dissatisfied with the service or sudden problems, it will be much easier to resolve all conflicts by legal means if the firm is located nearby rather than in virtual space." Overall, the tour operator advises, it is better to examine reviews on the company on the Internet and social networks, and the most reliable thing is to consult friends who have already used the services of this travel agency. Naturally, the firm has a positive reputation if it has a certificate and licence which any client can demand.

Legal literacy

Rufat Yusufov, head of a department at a travel agency in Baku, advises how to properly conclude a contract for travel services: "There is the practice of establishing legal relationships between a travel company that sells a service to tourists and individual tourists or organizations. For example, when signing a formal agreement with a particular organization to allocate a certain number of tourist trips to some destination or even to establish mutually beneficial cooperation, it provides a lot of points that envisage all the nuances of the movement of orders and payments, including penalties, etc.

If a tourist refuses a trip earlier than 15 days before its beginning, the company keeps only the costs incurred in preparing the trip; with all other terms of the refusal of the trip, the company keeps up to 100 per cent of the tour price; when determining the amount of deductions for refusing a trip, the company makes calculations excluding the airfare. If there are conditions that impede the implementation of this agreement, the company shall inform the customer about the cancellation or postponement of the trip immediately. In this case, the customer can cancel the trip and get a full refund under the agreement."

Fraud

Naturally, many people inexperienced in dealing with travel agencies can fall victim to fraudsters. What do you need to take heed of to avoid it? Rufat Yusufov commented: "This issue is very complicated and tourists need to solve it in advance - before they pay for the travel services they purchase. Here, besides the fact that the tourist should be sure that he has appealed to a legal travel agency (for this he may ask them to produce their certificate for this type of service), he may ask them to give him information about a particular partner abroad where he is preparing to travel, i.e. to find out who will service him there and whether the Azerbaijani travel agency has a legal contract with its foreign partner. Today, most tourists are active Internet users and will have no difficulty finding objective, complete and necessary information about the host company or the particular hotel where they are going to stay."

Sabina Seredneva also mentions companies that provide extremely cheap tours: "Often the price of this package includes only basic services. When you pay, it turns out that this amount does not include numerous charges. Therefore, before signing the document you must read it, especially the parts which are usually printed in very small letters to be aware of how much you pay in the end. If you are requested to pay an amount different from the one specified in the contract, you have the right to challenge it and contact a lawyer."

Timeshare fraud?

One of the curious practices and services provided by travel agencies is the so-called club tourism or timeshare that is also offered to Azerbaijani holidaymakers abroad. Its essence is that by paying a small amount, the client becomes the owner of a room, villa or house in a resort for up to ten, twenty or even thirty years! The main conditions of the timeshare are to pay your share of the property and the annual expenses on the maintenance of this object according to your share. Thus, for an unrealistically low price, you get an opportunity to holiday in a different country every year as a timeshare owner is also given the opportunity to share his "villa by the sea" with members of his tourist network from other countries. The airfare is not included in the price.

Timeshares are particularly common in Spain: in the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic and Canary Islands and Turkey. This is the so-called "divided property" and a system of international exchange between its owners - for travel and leisure.

In Spain, the timeshare system appeared in the 1970s. Very soon, "timeshares, which became a lucrative business, ended up in some cases in the hands of unscrupulous employers. And today, some firms seek to get for the same flat an amount that exceeds its market value. This is achieved through the sale of timeshares to many people often at inflated prices. In other cases, scammers sell customers apartments that do not exist with false documents and then disappear. And scammers promote this business as follows: representatives of such companies invite people to their offices for an alleged big gift - a trip or a lottery. Falling for this tempting idea, customers end up at a free presentation in a respectable office, in other words, at a four-hour brainwashing session. No money? Take a loan, and the timeshare promoter will not leave you in peace until you agree to sign a contract here and now at least for a nominal amount per month - here is the big concession. But this discount is good only during the presentation - the main thing is not to miss the customer until he comes to his senses. But even if the client refused to accept it, he is still offered a trip, for example, to Cyprus - this is the gift or the prize, for which you have been invited. But, as it turns out, you have to pay for it - only the apartment provided for a couple of day is free, and it is not known what quality it is. Those who accepted it realized over time that they had fallen into real bondage, of course, if real property was sold. After all, they are already members of the club and must pay annual fees! They are limited in their choice. If the payment is not made, the customer is penalized and may even be expelled from the club. If you refuse, no one will refund the money. In Azerbaijan, for example, a significant drawback is the risk of being cheated due to the lack of experience with the timeshare. Unlike some countries such as Spain, we have no legislative basis. Thus, the risk increases the need for a large initial investment.

In Russia the reputation of timeshares is strongly "tarnished". The courts are examining hundreds of suits filed by those affected by the fraudulent actions of such travel agencies. If a timeshare organization has sold, for example, housing to too many customers, it usually cannot fulfill its obligations - provide a holiday for timeshare owners. Hence the complaints. Besides, there is a big risk to buy non-existent property. The bad reputation of timeshares is also related to the fact that providers of these services actually offer projects at inflated prices, often use aggressive selling techniques and lure people by providing false information about the possible use of real estate and the fee for its service. Timeshares are difficult to use as an investment: often there is no real market for their resale and besides that, service providers often do not make a record of the purchase of this property in the land or property registry (in case of bankruptcy, the buyer will have no rights).

Due to the growing number of fraud incidents, the European Parliament has obliged the member states of the European Union to adopt a law on timeshares. In Spain, such a law has been in place since 1998, and in 2012 it was amended to meet the requirements of the European Parliament. In accordance with the new law, following a complaint from a customer, the activities of a timeshare company become the subject of investigation by the law enforcement agencies. But according to the EU directive on timeshares adopted in 1994, sellers are required to provide comprehensive information to the buyer and ensure the buyer's right to withdraw from the contract. It also contains provisions for the protection of the rights of the buyer.

According to Sabina Seredneva, this type of tourism is not too common in Azerbaijan, and we do not have licensed firms that provide such services. If such organizations exist, they can act only as international travel companies. The expert in the field of tourism is not aware of those who have suffered from this business in our country. Although the poll we conducted among residents of Baku showed that such incidents have indeed taken place. It is just that ordinary citizens sacrificed their payments, not wishing to contact the police.

Meanwhile, in the West, this practice is common especially among the elderly and couples who prefer a stable sedentary holiday. They are happy to go to the same place every year - some timeshare companies do not offer international exchange. But for most travellers such a choice is unacceptable.

Thus, although the practice of timeshares is legally correct, the unfair treatment of customers, as well as moral pressure in the choice of destinations have already brought this particular kind of tourist services into disrepute.