This company now appears to trawl internationally via telephone, targeting and preying on the vulnerable elderly, selling them trips that can't possibly be taken. My 85 year old aunt, who suffers from cancer and some dementia, was coerced into providing her Visa card details to this company who subsequently removed $689AUD from her account. She thought that she was buying a book about a particular location, not a deposit on travel that she cannot take, particularly when she lives in Australia!
While she obviously provided her credit card details to this company over the phone (!), she clearly did not understand the sales pitch and what was being sold to her. She says that she told the person who called that she was a senior and was not well enough to travel to the USA. This apparently was not enough to warn off the unethical telemarketer representing this company, who continued pushing the sales pitch until she provided her credit card details.
Needless to say, there is no paperwork to be found and nothing received from this company other than the withdrawal of the money which is of course traceable via the bank which issued the Visa card. As a result of this, I have taken on her enduring power of attorney and I have contacted the company via email directly to demand return of the monies, but have had no reply as yet.
I have reported this company's behavior to her bank; to the Australian Federal Police; to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) FIDO Consumer watchdog branch to add to their unlicensed overseas callers and scam lists. I am also pursuing the reporting of this unethical behavior to the travel industry and other bodies internationally.
I am cynical enough to assume that there will be legal loopholes and subcontracting arrangements for this company to hide behind even if they do actually reply to my demand for return of the money. I am appalled at this company's reprehensible behavior and I post this report to publicize it and reduce the possibility of this happening to other elderly people who may not be able to complain as long and as loudly as I can on my aunt's behalf.
I note that this will join several other complaints about the questionable activities of Coral Beach Travel and Tours.
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