As summer vacations heat up, almost 350 dissatisfied customers nationwide filed complaints against travel clubs that promise discounted trips and bargain hotel rates. Florida state regulators and South Florida’s Better Business Bureau are warning consumers to be careful when purchasing memberships in travel clubs. They are advising travel bargain shoppers to check the organization’s reports and state consumer records before purchasing.

Michael Galvin, vice president of communications for the bureau serving Southeast Florida and the Caribbean, stated that with the economy’s situation, everyone is more interested in discounted trips and hotels. “It’s easy for operators to prey on them if they are uninformed,” he added.

Florida’s consumer services division also found that complaints against travel clubs almost tripled in 2007 over the previous year, going from 106 to 298 filings.

Suncoast Travel, a club based in the Clearwater area, and four affiliates are now being investigated by Florida Attorney General’s office for possible unfair and deceptive trade practices involving its marketing and advertising.

Travel clubs are similar to time share arrangements, consumers pay a one-time enrollment fee, which varies according to the number of travel weeks they want. In exchange, the club promises to book members in hotels within its network or arrange travel packages at deeply discounted prices. There are also annual charges and usually travel clubs require a contact, so customers find it hard to cancel the deal if they aren’t satisfied.