This Monday, the association 60 million consumers alerted about a new kind of scam. With testimonies to support it, it accuses a site of usurping miles, the loyalty system of certain airlines, to sell trips at knockdown prices. An illegal and hunted system.
It is true that the offer is tempting. A long-haul flight in business class for a discounted price of up to -60%, the proposition is enough to delight the most economical. This kind of good deal is offered by the site discountclasseaffaires.com, but as 60 million consumers noted on Monday, some customers of the so-called online travel agency were never able to reach their destination, even though the tickets had already been paid for. Explanations.
Tickets purchased and then cancelled
Customer testimonials from the discountclasseaffaires.com website are damning to the operator. When Monia gets her tickets for a Paris-Casablanca round trip in business class for 1,800 euros for two people with Air France, she thinks she is saving 700 euros compared to the prices offered by the company.
The latter managed to travel on the outward journey, but her return ticket no longer existed once she reached the airport. She was forced to buy new tickets the same day for 3,000 euros. A strange mishap for the tourist.
Especially since the head of the travel agency she spoke to on the phone didn’t seem suspicious and the site is “rather well rated” online. As she tells 60 million consumers, she gave her bank details over the phone to the head of the agency, Laurence Moreau.
This name also comes up in the story of Pascal, another customer of the site who found himself stuck in Singapore. With four other aggrieved customers, they decided to sue the Discount Classe Affaires “agency” to recover the lost sums.
“In some cases, the financial loss exceeds €7,000,” says 60 million consumers.
A site already known
At the root of these tempting offers, the association mentions a traffic of miles, these discount points issued by airlines, which allow to travel by financing part or all of a ticket. By illegally obtaining miles via illegal platforms, tour operators like discountclasseaffaires.com can therefore offer tickets at knockdown prices. A prohibited technique.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of this type of platform, but they do exist and are even quite accessible,” explains Adrian de San Isidoro, journalist for 60 million consumers and author of the investigation.
On the other hand, airlines seem to be already informed and are vigilant to take action when they discover the use of miles for a third party. As was the case for consumers contacted by 60.
“The site ‘discountclasseaffaires.com’ is known to [notre] “anti-fraud service”, also acknowledges Air France, questioned by 60 Million Consumers.
The company also mentions the possibility of stopping the activity of the agency that encourages the resale of miles. Contacted by 60 million consumers, discountclasseaffaires.com did not respond to requests for solicitations.
A question of good practices
Some recommendations can still be made for consumers. Before purchasing airline tickets online, it is important to check that the site has a trade register number, general transport conditions, a registration number (mandatory for a travel agency), or financial guarantees.
In the event of a suspicious site or a problem with a company, consumers can find out about their rights from the fraud prevention service and report a problem.
