An Ontario family saved $24,000 after buying airline tickets

Last summer, the Oakville family planned their dream trip to Dubai and India, but their vacation was quickly derailed when they were stranded overseas.

“It's been a really fun weekend for us,” Baldeep Mann told CTV News Toronto. “I'm still upset because the guy we bought the ticket from is still not responding.”

When buying airline tickets for the trip, Mann said she knew someone who said her son could act as a “ticket broker.”

“Well, if he can get us a good deal, I'll take it from him,” I said. We checked the prices and found that we could save quite a bit of money,” Mann said.

He bought four tickets – one for himself, his wife and two sons – for $9,240. The tickets were supposed to arrive in India from Toronto to Dubai in July last year, and the return tickets were supposed to be picked up in August after the end of their three-week vacation.

But when it was time to fly home, the ticket agent lost contact with them.

“He won't answer his phone, he won't answer texts, (and) he won't answer e-mail. So my son said we have to buy our own tickets to go home, right there, the day before,” Mann said. .

Last summer, the Oakville family planned their dream trip to Dubai and India, but their vacation was quickly derailed when they were stranded overseas.

Paying for last-minute tickets set Mann back $14,650 for the return trip to Toronto, plus multiple layovers on the return flight, making it a 30-hour travel day for the family instead of the 13 hours they had originally planned.

Although Mann tried to save money on flights, she said the whole ordeal cost her $23,890.

The Tourism Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) said consumers should be wary of dealing with bogus travel agents who claim they can get you a deal on airfare.

“It's a complicated world. Unfortunately, there are people out there who try to trick people and put straws in people's eyes,” said TICO President and CEO Richard Smart.

TICO is the province's tourism regulator, which oversees travel agencies, travel groups and websites. Booking a trip with a TICO-registered company can get you compensation if there's a problem.

“By working with a TICO-registered travel agency, they are protecting the rights of their customers,” Smart said.

Mann says he defrauded the ticket broker he used, as well as a large group flying to a destination wedding.

“They ordered 100 tickets from the Greater Toronto Area to Vancouver for a wedding they were going to, but they didn't get their tickets either,” Mann said.

TICO said it has charged the men with illegally acting as unregistered travel agents. Last month, the compensation fund awarded $51,879 to 12 travelers with vacation problems.