Call 4 Action: Complaints About Cruise Offer In Mail
POSTED: 4:55 pm EDT August 19,
2008
If you got an offer of a free cruise for two, a week in Florida and the Bahamas, and a voucher for more than $1,300 in the mail, would you be interested?Drew O'Data told Call 4 Action that he was on the brink of booking the trip from Imperial Majesty Cruise Line Vacations until he discovered that "free" sometimes has a price.People across the country are finding these small packets in the mail. They look like they came from a travel agent, with vouchers that look like tickets.
"I was very close," O'Data said. "I actually had some friends in mind that I thought would come with me, so, very tempting."He called, but he hesitated when the company told him he had to pay nearly $900 by credit card, plus his own airfare, and if he didn't book during that call, the offer would end.O'Data asked Call 4 Action to look into the Florida-based company, which, according to the Better Business Bureau, also operates under the name Ramada Plaza Resort.It has an "F" rating on the bureau's scale of "A" through "F," racking up 11 complaints in the last three years.Over the past five years, the Florida Department of Agriculture, which regulates travel companies, has received more than 4,100 complaints."That, in itself, should be a huge red flag to anybody who is interested in using this company and taking part in their promotion," said Warren King, of the Better Business Bureau.Some customers complained that the accommodations were not what they expected, and that they had to pay extra to travel on certain dates.As part of that trip, customers must also take a tour and a survey, which some have complained is really just a real estate sales pitch.Two years ago, after intervention from the Florida attorney general, the company agreed to explain some of its contract terms more clearly.A man identifying himself as a company lawyer told Call 4 Action that nearly all of the complaints have been resolved."While I do recognize you may see a lot of complaints, we're confident the company is complying with the law, and has a very happy customer base," the lawyer said.
Related Links:
Related Links:
- More County News
- Add Us To Your iGoogle Or My Yahoo Page
- Download Our Free Desktop Alert For Breaking News
Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.










