izifaddag

I ended up coming to this forum by doing a google search and finding this thread - "Mileage brokers - Are they legit?". There was far too much of it to read all the way through but what I did read was very illuminating. I enjoyed reading all the different viewpoints of this subject from the anti and pro camps.

I would like to speak to it from the end customers viewpoint.
I have bought 3 tickets from 2 different so called 'travel agents' online using this ffm brokering method. It has not been a good experience culminating in being conned out of $5,250 by an individual who opens and closes businesses hiding behind corporate law and state lines.
Yesterday I was contacted by another person who was tricked out of 500,000 frequent flyer miles in his account by this individual and his now partner in crime.
Although they seem to be the money man the other one has provided the info for the con and they run a very shady business.
At first I thought that the original company International Discount Flights out of Reno, NE that conned me out of the $5,250 and run by Sanchez was a one off. I received a threatening email from Ramos - who seems to fancy himself a tough guy - which intimated that he had no idea what this fellow he had 'hired' had done in the past.
I was a little confused, feeling actually a little sympathy as he too had been used.
Wrong!
Yesterday I find out that this pair had conned 500,000 miles out of another guy.

Anyway, the purpose of this thread isn't to whine about losing over $5K. That is life and I will recover from it. The reason this thread is being put up is to warn others. Not just against these specific characters and the bogus gray area business they are running in California but against ALL these frequent flyer mile brokers.

There is zero recourse. The FBI, local police in any jurisdiction are either powerless or uninterested in going after them. So my advice is even though it is tempting to buy a cheap business class ticket don't do it because you are taking an enormous chance.

It is not only the money. They will screw up visa dates, take off departure schedules you name it. You will have difficulty getting phone calls and emails answered.
Bottom line is stick to Orbitz or Expedia. More expensive but safer.

UAPremExecflyer

Welcome to FT!
Expensive lesson learned for you!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...hey-legit.html

howtofreetravel

You should have paid with a credit card... so you would be protected

sonofzeus

Thanks for this. j/k

LondonElite

Sadly an expensive lesson. I would go a step further and say, 'stick with the airlines'. That way you are far better off when IRROPS happen.

MSPeconomist

I agree. Even if an OLTA ticket is cheaper, is it worth the hassle when things go wrong?

izifaddag

Unfortunately I am not that wealthy that I can just do whatever avoids hassle. I wish I could but I can't. I am sort of in the middle. Enough money to have one business class flight a year but not two. Therefore I try anything to shave the price down. That means Orbitz. Had good success with them in the past and now for me mileage brokers are out of the equation even though I do have one who is 'legitimate'. It is a sort of damned if you do and if you don't situation.

I tried that with the first one in 2011 with a gang of crooks out of NJ. It resulted in strange charges on my card from Air Canada. Weird stuff. It was Air Canada's fault apparently but it scared me. Discounted Business Flights even sent me a check but still it made me nervous and it was a giant hassle.

Those idiots btw left me stranded at Indianapolis airport at 6am. They fixed it but a giant pain.

What is OLTA?

What is IRROPS?

I just hope somebody googles this and finds this thread. At least some good will come out of it if I can protect another.

dukerau

I'm assuming Online Travel Agent. I've usually seen it as OTA not OLTA.

As for IRROPS, this should help

afuturefrequentflyer

Sorry to push the point (if you feel uncomfortable) but could you clarify exactly what happened? When did you realize you were scammed? Did you arrive at the airport without tickets? Did the airline refuse you boarding? Did he just packup and run?

howtofreetravel

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...hat-irrop.html

LondonElite

I think your experience makes the point that we were making. With a little bit of work, you should be able to get flights priced reasonably close to what an OTA can get. But even places like Orbitz and Expedia can really leave you in a mess when irregular operations happen. The problem is usually that no one wants to talk you when things go wrong. The airline tells you to talk to your travel agent, but your 'travel agent' doesn't really have a number where you can speak to someone who wants to/can help you. You go around in circles. With an airline ticket, you're much better off talking to a real person at the airport.

benberg2013

I have alot of airline miles which i want to sell. Can anyone help me?

izifaddag

With respect if I run into the precise specifics of what happened and the sequence of events it would be a little lengthy. So let's leave it with what I have already stated.

CDKing

Be prepared for PMs from possible under cover revenue protection people or scummy brokers. Google search for "sell my airline miles" should bring up a number of brokers you may wish to look into. There is no such thing as a legitimate broker so you wont find many recommendations. Also make sure you read through this thread because it will show you why its risky

izifaddag

I appreciate your point but I am not rich. I try to save a penny any way I can.
I tried to save money on business class tickets to Thailand using these mileage brokers and eventually it ended badly. I have used Orbitz for years and never had a problem with them. I have on a couple of rare occasions dealt directly with the airlines.
If I were to buy tickets through an airline there will not be a discount.
Although I have actually found the opposite on occasion! I have used Orbitz as a database and then gone to the airline and actually saved on the ticket.
It is all a jumble.
When I fly in July it will be economy.
The reason is that - it would seem - Jan 2 to Thailand is cheaper than July. By several thousand dollars!!
So I can only fly once a year business.
It might well happen that I buy tickets from a mileage broker so as to save a grand. It depends. At the moment there isn't enough of a difference to make me take a chance.
I hate using these brokers though. They are all essentially untrustworthy and even if they are as is a mileage broker you are still wide open for mr cockup to come calling.