WASHINGTON - The Federal Trade Commission has committed to carefully consider information on potentially deceptive third-party hotel booking websites to determine whether enforcement or other actions is appropriate, following a recent inquiry by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.
"I share the Federal Trade Commission's desire to protect consumer confidence and ensure a robust online marketplace for travel services. Consumers should have a variety of options when planning their trips, but third-party services should be upfront about who they are and what they are selling. Given the FTC's history of consumer protection in similar situations within the online ticket reseller industry, I encourage the FTC to ensure that consumers are not being deceived or misled with respect to booking hotel rooms with certain third-party websites," Grassley said.
Consumers who have been harmed should contact the FTC as the agency looks into this matter. The FTC's response to Grassley's inquiry is available here.
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