Know Your Travel Booking Site

When a relative shared a notification about questionable charges after making hotel reservations on Expedia.com recently, my family initiated an investigation with the site, the hotel with which this relative booked a room, and his bank and credit card company.

When I spoke to an Expedia representative to identify the source of the questionable charges and other documents I was told to contact “Ledxyl/Leoxyl Travel Technologists.” The Expedia representative claimed that this entity has “Expedia software” and my relative’s payment information. He was defensive when I tried to confirm that Expedia uses contractors/subcontractors to book hotel and travel accommodations.

This was the second encounter with Expedia that raised concerns about the site using third-party organizations to make hotel and airline travel arrangements.

A person who claimed he was with a travel agency yelled at me after my husband and I called Expedia about an airline flight change notification attributed to American Airlines. We later called American Airlines and spoke with an employee who verified and clarified the information.

Bottomline: We will never use Expedia again. Customer service representatives are defensive and refuse to be transparent about the company's use of third-parties that might make customers vulnerable to fraud and identify theft.

While we review information, we are looking into activating fraud alerts and credit monitoring with Experian. We are also checking bank and other statements for fraudulent fees. 

For tips on how you and/or your loved ones can avoid scams, visit Seniorliving.org.