So it was a typical Sunday morning; my husband was still asleep, and I was awake early in the morning browsing through my work browsers. All of a sudden, I thought of setting up a vacation for my mom's birthday in August. We have never been to Boracay, but there are a lot of promotions circulating online, and a buy 1, take 1 Boracay deal at Hennan, including airfare for Php 15,999, caught my attention.
I decided to chat with the page and inquired about the cost for 4 adults and 2 kids, that alone costs PHP 40,330. I was asked to send a 50% down payment, and I tried to negotiate if I could do a 25% down payment that day and the other 25% after 7 days. According to the agent that I was chatting with, the remaining 50% will be paid upon arrival in Boracay on our travel date.
I mentioned this really good deal to my husband. He liked it, I mean, why not? It sounds like a steal for 4 adults and 2 kids all in promo at Cebpac+Hennan with activities and a breakfast and lunch buffet. The installment terms looked really good and were very attractive. My husband even wanted to add my parents-in-law; I reached out to the agency again and asked for two additional heads. The total package now costs PHP 55,996.
We have an ongoing renovation at home, and the payables are piling up, I am short, and my Excel tracker tells me I can't do the Boracay family trip, I already convinced myself that I should just do this next time.
Dinner time. For some reason, I just logged i to my banking app and sent money to the bank account number the agency had provided. PHP 10,000 was sent, and boom! I heard a whisper telling me to check the travel agency. My hunch was right, they are a scam. I never received a receipt, an itinerary, no hotel bookings etc.
UpLife Travel and Tours is now unresponsive. There's no way for me to get my money back, and I have to deal with the financial consequences this has caused.
It's just sad that my hard earned money that I want my parents and kids to enjoy was just taken by heartless, ruthless people who are not playing life fair.
Here's a tip for those who often go out and travel. Book your flights directly on the airline website, and book your hotels directly as well. Scammers are everywhere there's no way to protect ourselves but to be vigilant
Best,
(your unstoppable dreamer)
May 15, 2023
Philippines
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