Has anyone used Business Class Guru?

There are usually a few posts about this company on Trip Advisor:

Read post #10
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12290-k10788336-Business_Class_Guru-Bargain_Travel.html

General discussion on the Air Travel forum:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k11761106-Has_anyone_booked_with_BusinessClassGuru-Air_Travel.html

I am a fan of TripAdvisor. I was trying to find out if anyone who posts to this forum has actually used businessclassguru to book flights to Europe.

Pam - I copied "Review #10" and emailed it to my contact person at businessclassguru for a response. I notice that the negative reviewer did not say they dealt with the same company.

If they are booking the business class seats with miles they obtained from someone else, there is a good chance your tickets will be cancelled by the airline, maybe right at the airport. This is what happened to the person on TripAdvisor in post #10. Although he did not affirmatively state he booked with business class guru, he was posting on a thread discussing that same company.

I would be curious to see how your contact person responds to your message. Try asking straight up if they are selling mileage tickets.

Their website looks very sketchy to me. Why say they are located "near the San Francisco airport". So? Does that make them more legitimate? I have seen an address in Burlingame associated with other fraudster mileage brokers, although I don't know if it is the same one.

Hah! Oh, this is absolutely, 100% a scam. No question, period, end of story.

This is simply a scammer (they would prefer that you use the term "broker") dealing in frequent flyer miles. They bought the miles or points from someone, and they're looking to sell them to you (at a high markup, of course). You're simply buying them in the form of a ticket - a ticket that was fraudulently obtained, in clear violation of that airline's FF program.

Buying and selling of frequent flyer miles takes place all the time. That is totally, absolutely, 100% a violation of every airline's program, and every airline takes it very seriously. If they catch you doing this - and they often do - they will unceremoniously invalidate your ticket, deny you boarding, and basically tell you to #@*! off and go away (if they catch the person who sold the miles, they may put them on a lifetime no-fly list, effectively banning them from that airline - but that's not your problem, your problem will be getting to where you thought you were going).

If the airline catches you (and they often do), you have no recourse at all. You're denied boarding at the gate, they may make a big stink about it at the gate or they might not, but your ticket - which they regard as fraudulently obtained (and rightly so) - has zero value, you are literally left holding the bag, and you are not getting on that flight, in business class or sitting next to the loo in the last row of coach.

Scam scam scam. Don't do it.

Don't believe me? Why don't you call the airline and ask them?

I googled their address and the same one ( 851 Burlway Road, #502) is also used by a company called Wholesale Flights. You can read complaints to the Better Business Bureau on Wholesale Flights here:

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/burlingame/profile/travel-agency/wholesale-flights-inc-1116-296278/complaints#61748439

I could not find a BBB profile for businesclassguru.com

However, I did find websites which listed the Wholesale Flights phone number (877-233-3727) as businessclassguru's number.

https://www.trustlink.org/Reviews_m/wwwbusinessclassgurucom-207106156

Take David's advice and avoid them.

The glowing reviews on this site look fake to me.

Take David's advice and do not fall for the scam.

Here is the response I received from Business Class Guru. I did check out the link to the Points Guy's column - it did pass his/its smell test. I'm not 100% sold and would still much rather redeem my miles. But the almost punitive surcharges and flight connections do make one consider alternatives.

HI Liz

Excellent Question ! Many of our “competitors” use this practice and some even do so with stolen miles and hacked accounts ☹

We do NOT do this, we are a regulated and license travel agency in the state of California. We have been in business for over 10 years – companies that take shortcuts or are unethical – karma eventually catches up – seen sooo many come and go – or maybe it is a case of the same people simply changing the company name.

Anyways to reinforce – these are revenue tickets and award frequent flyer miles. If you have any more questions let me know !

Willis

PS here are some references that mention Wholesale Flights

Wholesale Flights in USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2015/12/10/how-to-find-travel-deals/77035034/

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/11/premium-discount-air-travel-scam/

HAH! What did you expect them to say? "Yeah, we're slimeball crooks, only another slimeball or a fool would do business with us!"

Why don't you call up an airline - any airline - and ask them? They will tell you the truth...that this so-called "licensed and regulated business" is trafficking in fraudulent tickets.
How do you think this outfit's business works? Where do you think they're getting the tickets they sell you? You think they "fell off a truck"?

These creeps are scummy bottom-feeders. Is that who you want to do business with?

FACT: Everything this "business" does is a blatant violation of every airlines frequent flyer program and/or other agreements.
FACT: By patronizing them, YOU accept all the risk, and if/when you get caught, you have zero recourse, because (see above).

Seriously - why don't you call an airline and ask them if tickets obtained from these scammers are valid? Don't want to know what they'll say?

Good luck.

Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but I was hoping to hear from someone who had actually used them to book flights.

I did call American Airlines, and was told that they don't offer any opinions on third party flight sellers - forget the exact term they used.

Hopefully, somebody who has used Business Class Guru will chime in at some point.

But one person's experience in a case like this wouldn't really mean much, would it? It might just mean that he or she got lucky.

Acraven - the same thing could be said for just about anything. Like many posters on this forum, I was hoping to hear from someone who had personal experience with the business I was asking about. Doesn't look like that's going to happen.

I am surprised by the rancorous comments this post has generated. Maybe some people interpreted my post to mean that I was considering using my account miles to book flights through a third party. Now that would be foolhardy.

It is true that award seats on British Airways are not free; we end up paying something like $1000 each to fly roundtrip in Business Class. It is not called a fuel surcharge any more (they got sued for that). Now it is a “carrier imposed fee” or something like that. They impose it because “they can.”

We always (well, with one exception*) fly BA to Europe in business class. We don’t love the extra fee, but we are happy to get a full-service business class flight with lounge access, true flat bed seats, boarding and arrival perks, etc., for less than the cost of Economy. And no risk of losing our investment.

You will likely pay more for the business class seats from businessclassguru than you would using your American Airlines miles on British Airways, with the surcharge. And you will worry every day about the risk you are taking, wondering whether you might be denied boarding at the airport. How can you possibly be “better off” booking with them—-you pay more money and face all the stress.

If you do go ahead with them, please let us know how it goes.

The last three trips I flew with BA but avoided business class, unless I'm lucky enough, totally at random, to be upgraded at check-in.

When booking on-line with BA using the carrier's website, I choose Basic Economy, or whatever they call it, ie the rock bottom option, and I don't reserve my seat either. That's done at check-in. At that time I ask for an isle seat towards or in the rear, lucked out these last three times with them going over and twice returning

I have not used this service.

Have you checked on the FlyerTalk forums? These people are all about airlines. Chances are good that somebody there would know something about this program if it's legit.

Based on their written response I would not use them. Any company that inserts an emoji or uses terms like "karma eventuality catches up" in their business correspondence strikes me as unprofessional.

I won't use them for this trip. But it's intriguing to me that The Points Guy didn't dismiss them. I have always put a lot of trust in what I read on that website.

British Air points are a pain to use for flights, but we have been very successful using them for hotels. When you are on the Redeem Page, click on the Hotel link. We have found hotels in a wide variety of locations both in the USA and in Europe, and have never had a problem with these reservations.
Safe travels.

I have always put a lot of trust in what I read on that website.

Ha - I had to chuckle at that. He's a complete charlatan. All of these bloggers (including that one) make their living by convincing gullible people to use their credit card referral links to sign up for cards (hint: if you want a credit card, a better offer is almost always available elsewhere, but then he doesn't earn his referral fees - so he'll never tell you that; look on Flyertalk for the better offers that are open to anyone). These clowns have a direct, inherent, clear conflict of interest - being honest takes money out of their pocket. IMHO they can not be trusted.

Good luck!

I find it hard to put trust in a company that says it has an 'A+' rating with BBB, and then after trying several variations of the company name gets the response from BBB "no results found"

Urge great caution--- if you do use them, please give us a report.

I feel like one of those people who asks a question about Eurail Passes!

Went ahead and redeemed my miles for RT flights to and from Paris.