Is Booksi a Scam?

If you’re thinking of using Booksi, you need to know: Is Booksi a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Booksi is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety with this platform. 

What Is Booksi?

Booksi is a travel website that provides discounted vacations. Or at least, it says it does. 

According to its website, Booksi uses advanced AI technology and significant buying power to negotiate the best prices, offering competitive rates through volume discounts.

Booksi is operated by Monster Reservations Group. 

Is Booksi a Scam?

Yes, Booksi appears to be a scam. 

The overall sentiment expressed online by users who have tried Booksi is predominantly negative. 

Users report:

• Discrepancies between what is advertised and what is actually provided, including unavailable dates or properties that don’t actually match descriptions.
• Unexpected charges beyond the initial advertised price, including resort fees, taxes, and other miscellaneous costs. 
• Requirement to attend lengthy timeshare presentations as a condition for booking discounted vacations. 
• Challenges when attempting to cancel bookings or obtain refunds, often encountering unresponsive customer service or delayed processes.

Booksi gets a 2.1 out of a 5.0-star review on Sitejabber, with most reviews saying the platform is a scam. 

It also gets a 1.3 out of 5.0-star rating on PissedConsumer. 

Monster Reservation Group, the company behind Booksi, also gets a lot of negative reviews on ComplaintsBoard, Reddit, Better Business Bureau, and Yelp.   

Security

In its privacy policy, Booksi says it uses “physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards” to protect your data. It does not go into detail as to what these safeguards are (which is not unusual). 

It also says that sensitive information is transmitted through SSL technology and encrypted in the payment gateway provider’s database. Sensitive information is not stored on Booksi’s servers after the transaction.

Privacy

From Booksi’s privacy policy, it seems like they only collect basic personal information needed to create an account, but it is quite difficult to read. 

The policy also says that Booksi does not sell, rent, or give away this information but does share “pertinent” information with third parties, affiliates, and subsidiaries where relevant. 

Monster Reservations Group is facing a proposed class action lawsuit for allegedly violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by making unsolicited telemarketing calls to consumers across the United States, including those listed on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. 

According to the lawsuit, Monster Reservations Group continued to contact individuals even after they requested to stop, often failing to disclose the company name and using third-party telemarketers to place the calls. 

So, Should You Use Booksi?

No, you should not use Booksi to book discounted vacations. The platform is widely regarded as a scam. 

How to Use Booksi Safely

Don’t use Booksi. Instead, look at alternative options for booking discounted vacations.