As the old saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” But there's a lot more to this phrase than you might think. I want you to think about that for a second. How many times in your life have you looked at an opportunity and thought “Wow, this can’t be real!” Now consider why you’re looking at that opportunity. Is it because you think the grass is greener on the other side? Is it because you have never had that kind of opportunity?
Whatever the case may be, always remember that not everything is as it seems. We should look at our principles to determine the best opportunities for us to pursue.
As a legal excursions business that has operated in Tenerife for years we come across people all too often that were offered a better price by someone in the street and unfortunately people's greed quite often gets the better of them and they take that cash deal they were offered on a street corner somewhere.
Why Buying Tickets On The Street Is Illegal
We work with quite a few excursions businesses on the island and we also stand on the street outside a shop with offers that are comparable to others. However, the difference is “outside a shop”. Many street sellers are just that, street sellers. They may be on foot, on a scooter or even a bicycle, they're still street sellers and if they exchange cash on the street in return for a ticket they are actually breaking the law.
This all stems back to the World Cup in 1982 when hawkers selling illegal tickets were made illegal. From that date it became illegal to sell a ticket on the street to any event and that now includes excursions of-course.
Buying Legally
To be sure you are buying legally there are only 2 avenues really:
You can buy from a shop on the street and if you have a problem you know exactly where to go.
Another option is to buy online, after-all we're all used to getting better deals online and when you pay by card the purchase is insured against fraud so it's even better than paying cash in a shop.
Also, online stores usually have better prices as they don't have the overheads associated with running a physical business.
So, next time you are thinking of buying an excursion, don't just buy from the first person that approaches you on the street, look around and save yourself some money.