Cruises

Tonight I was reading an article on Tnooz, asking if PricewaterhouseCoopers can sell FlyGlobespan customer data? I am absolutely gobsmacked that they are selling off consumers data as part of the administration, would you be happy knowing that your data is going to be sold to another company?

Privacy poliicy exempt in administration

When a company goes into administration does this mean that the data that the company has for each consumer can be made so freely available. I have managed to take a screenshot of the privacy policy of fallen airline FlyGlobespan and it states quite clearly that no data will be sold to any third parties.

Data protection act issues addressed

Surely the data protection act protects from our data to be sold on? I wonder what the data protection commissioner has to say about this. The article on Tnooz states that PricewaterhouseCoopers are satisfied that any data protection issues have been addressed.

My private data is exactly that. Private

As a consumer I would be enraged if I received any marketing material from a company that I have not subscribed to or used their services. You can imagine the type of information available; credit and debit cards, home addresses, telephone numbers, passenger information.

Worse still does this data include data like passport numbers? Aren’t we supposed to be living in a world where we take security seriously? I want to know what data is included that is going to be sold, and if I was a customer I would want the administrators to delete my data.

Freedom of information act

Under the Freedom of information act consumers are able to find out what data companies have held. I will try and contact someone at PricewaterhouseCoopers tomorrow. Many consumers have left comments on the administration of FlyGlobespan so it will be interesting to read what you think of this.

Your thoughts on the security of customer data

Why would the administrators sell this information on so freely? What if this information got in to the wrong hands? I would like to know your thoughts on this issue, would you like your details shared, does anyone know is this fits within the data protection act, or does it depend on what data is given.

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This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Is customer data unsafe when companies go bust

Tonight a friend asked me what I thought about booking a holiday off eBay. It had me wondering if many people use auction sites to book any aspects of their holiday and is it safe. I think you are protected if you make a payment on eBay with PayPal but how safe is it.

Anyone can create an advert

For a start there’s so little information on most of the ads to identify if the seller is a genuine seller. I was browsing and found one ad for a holiday in Las Vegas, it mentioned that they act as The Global Travel Group but to be honest anyone could create such an advert.

The ad didn’t break down the price, i.e. the flight details and accommodation. There’s a mention of the ATOL bonding number but anyone can find that online. The seller only has one review. I am not suggesting that this is a scam ad, but, it does not give me enough confidence to book this holiday.

eBay checks are a must

I do not use eBay so I am unsure if any checks are made when someone submits a holiday/travel advert, but there needs to be some level checking. Wouldn’t it be safer for travel agents or companies to be vetted before being able to submit their deals and offers?

Care should be taken

I found an interesting news article on TTG about someone who copied and pasted holiday deals from travel agents and put them up for auction at a different price. I am not trying to be a scaremonger but I do think consumers have to be very careful and make sure you do your research and get contact details.

Have you used eBay to book a holiday? If so, what was your experience? Would you book a holiday on the auction site? I am also interested to hear from anyone who has had experience of opening up a dispute for a booked holiday or accommodation.

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This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

My concerns about booking holidays on eBay

Quite a few people have asked for my opinion on the news that full body scanners are to be introduced at Britain’s airports. I think they were expecting me to have a rant about it, but why would I be worried about using a full body scanner if it is going to decrease the chance of terrorist attacks.

Full body scanners are vital

I think any use of technology to make air travel safer is vital and let’s be honest it’s better than full body pat downs, but what I do not agree with is passenger profiling. In other words passengers who are of a certain nationality will be more likely to have to jump through hoops to get through airport security.

Passengers should not be treated as possible terrorists just because of their race, ethnic background.

Expect additional airport security

Reports suggest that London Heathrow will be introducing new full body scanners within the next three weeks. I do think that it will be some time before all of Britain’s airports to be using them. Expect additional airport security though and make sure you leave plenty of time to get through.

Over the coming week’s travellers, especially those travelling to the US can expect a larger proportion of passengers will be searched by hand and airport staff have been trained to observe suspicious passengers. Airlines are asking passengers to check their website to find the latest updates.

Your thoughts on full body scanners

So what do you think about the introduction of full body scanners? Have you travelled recently and had any problems? What is your opinion on air passenger profiling? I really hope that common sense prevails and we do not adopt the security measures that our friends over the pond have to put up with.

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This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Air passenger profiling not the solution for airport security

Emails are starting to appear in the inbox from consumers who are thinking about travelling to South Africa to watch the FIFA World Cup during June and July. All of their concerns are about safety. A while back I wrote a post about the world’s dangers holiday destinations and South Africa was mentioned a lot.

High level of crime in South Africa

I have read a lot of negative press about World Cup venues like Cape Town and Johannesburg, but I have never visited South Africa. Even the Foreign, Commonwealth Office website states that South Africa has a very high level of crime but this does not take place near the main tourist destinations.

Would I go? Yes, if I could afford it. I think as long as you are aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions then you can make sure that your visit is safe. I would make sure that I am aware of the places not to wander into.

Take out adequate travel insurance

Considering the sheer number of people heading to South Africa, criminals will no doubt be out in force so if you are thinking about travelling to watch the World Cup make sure you research the tourist destinations where you will be staying and take out adequate travel insurance.

- If you do not purchase travel insurance you will be responsible for paying any medical bills
- Check with your doctor for any vaccinations that you might need
- Make yourself aware of any local laws and cultural differences
- Research the tourist destination before you go

Your South Africa travel tips

So what travel tips would you give anyone travelling to South Africa? I would be really interested to hear from those of you who have been on holiday there. Is it really as dangerous as some people suggest or does it only impact those heading outside of the tourist destinations.

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This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Is South Africa too dangerous for World Cup 2010

I have mentioned some of these improvements in separate posts but I wanted to combine them into one post. These are five changes that I think would make life easier for consumers. Changing holiday financial protection is a massive undertaking but it’s essential.

Here are my five improvements for travel.

Holiday financial protection

Either the government or the CAA needs to run a series of campaigns to educate consumers on how to protect themselves financially when booking a holiday. There’s so much confusion, you can see that if you read any of the comments left when a company goes into administration.

I realise that the majority of consumers focus on price but they should be informed if the holiday is not financially protected. This should be highlighted in any quotes, or invoices and options given so that the consumers can act accordingly.

Improved booking terms and conditions

I realise that companies need the legal spiel in their booking terms and conditions but I would like to see companies create a more user friendly version. This version would include useful information like the cancellation policy, holiday protection, complaints procedure etc.

Hopefully, this way more consumers will take the time to read this information. As a travel consumer blogger I will be hitting home the importance of reading the booking terms and conditions prior to booking a holiday because a lot of the issues I receive emails on could be avoided.

Banning third-party ESTA and EHIC websites

Plain and simple these sites cause confusion and why should consumers be out of pocket when both the ESTA application and NHS European Health Insurance Card are both free. I would like to see the government and NHS asking Google to remove such sites from the sponsors ads and search results.

Cut out the holiday selling tricks

One particular company is consistently mentioned in my inbox for inaccurate, selling tricks. Enticing the consumer on with super low prices, the consumer books online and then the next morning they are informed that the special offer no longer exists.

The other trick is again trapping the consumer on a cheap holiday, to find when it comes to booking, the price has increased considerably and no price breakdown. Most consumers have a budget and it’s frustrating when the initial search price is different to the final price.

Travel agents need to be more sociable

I would like to see travel agencies becoming more sociable. I don’t know about you but when I visit a travel agent I often feel rushed. I don’t feel like I can sit down with them and spend thirty minutes looking at my options because they have other customers to deal with.

Would it be a good idea to see travel agencies partner with coffee shops, with Wifi so that you could sit down and relax while searching on their intranet site, browsing through deals, flicking through holiday brochures; make it more sociable so holidays can be planned as a group.

Your thoughts and opinions

So what do you think about my improvements, please add your thoughts below.

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This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Five improvements for the UK travel industry in 2010