11 -Received letter from Ramada (we assumed reputable company) promising hugely dicounted vacation in Orlando (3 day), 3 day, 2 night cruise to Nassau on Carnival or Imperial Cruise lines, plus 4 days 3 nights in Ft Lauderdale, plus an Alamo rental carif we took part in a marketing "SURVEY". Also promised additional accomodations in Mexico and Vegas if we acted in 48 hrs. DAN LAMBERT signed the letter. Naively, we agreed. Only catch was that we had to take vacation within 18 months AND it was fully transferrable to give as a gift. The trip was for 2 people. We agreed and brought our daughter along for another $198.00
We gave them $698.00 billed to our credit card up front with the balance of $498 due when we chose our vacation dates. At that time they tried to sell us upgrades on the hotel and ship, but we declined.
We received our itinerary requesting 3 possible travel dates, issued by them on 02-09 and faxed it back to them. We chose to go from 04-01-03 to 04-08-03
On March 23 a rep called us at home to confirm dates saying that we needed to re-ax traveler info & preferred dates for the three of us. I specifically told him that we wanted to arrive a day earlier 3-31-03 to accomodate our train schedule. He agreed, I filled out the new dates on the info section and faxed it. We changed our dates to arrive one day earlier. All plans were confirmed.
March 31 - arrived in Orlando, called Alamo - no car until 4-1-03. Plan was to take cab to rental center near the airport. Did'nt know at the time the rental center had closed and relocated at the airport. Found out the hard way when we went there. Also no hotel in Orlando till the next day. Now stranded at the train station. Had to rent a Hertz car and get a room for the night (On International DR at Disney) - extra cost $109.00.
April 1 - returned Hertz car. Stood on line at Alamo for 1 1/2 hrs. Additional rental car costs after upgrading from the smallest car I've ever seen to a gigantic compact car - $324.68 which included insurance, prepaid gas, taxes Florida charge Airfee Licfee and taxes. Glad rental car was included in original deal
Went to the Orlando Ramada 1000 off I-4. Only thing within 10 miles is the county jail about 1,000ft away. Got there at 2pm, couldn't check in till 3pm. Staff rude - had to visit welcome center first - noone there. At 3pm an Austrailian working thewelcome center shook my hand and explained the next step. I had to tour a time share vacation condo at Calypso Cay the following morning or pay an additional fee to stay. To ensure that I went, I had to leave a $20.00 diposit which would be refunded at the end of the tour. I was furious. What happened to the "Survey". The hotel was disappointing, ice machines didn't work, noone cleaned room etc.
I asked the clerk about the cost of a room if I walked in off the street - $59.00 - WE PAID over $100/ night. Went to timeshare spiel 3 hrs hardsell - Asked for info to take home to review. "We don't do that, buy now ($19,000) and you have a few days to back out of the deal. RIGHT! Got my $20.00 back
April 3 Up at 5:30am have to drive 200 miles to Ft Lauderdale. Got hit with extra service charges $12.00 / day plus tax - $26.76 when checking out. Now I'm angry and off we go
Stopin to our "Resort" in Ft Lauderdale "within walking distance to beaches" (4 miles) Hotel is in industrial depressed area. Go to welcome center. Tried to switch cruise date to give us a day's rest and for me to calm down. NO CAN DO " you have 2 hrs to get to the boat. Off we go. We arrice and guess what $12. Oo / day to park. We park and we go to board the ship. Carnival ship (full size) moored next to our ship - 1/3 the size., complete with a 10 ft yes 10ft swimming pool. Surprizingly, the cruise was decent and food good except that we paid $198.00/ person ahead of time plus $58.00 in extra charges when we returned. You can get the cruise from Imperial majesty for $179.00 pp (add in the newspaper)
We get off the boat 2 days later at 11am and guess what, can't check into the hotel until 3pm. So we go the the Welcome center and wait. Once again I'm livid. We finally see the rep and I'm so angry that they offer me a free upgrade on the beach. How nice. I then find out that I have to attend ANOTHER sales pitch at the Palm Beach resort on Singer Island. (70, yes 70 miles away) AND I have to leave a $100.00 deposit or the deals off and I have to pay the higher room rates ($150.00/night). This is extortion. I complained loudly and got upgraded to the Laquinta Hotel.
Now I don't know the area and the hostess draws me a poor map and off I go. Two hyrs later we can't find it. And I call the welcome center. No answer. Just to infuriate me further we pass 3 Ramada's on the beach as we're looking for our hotel. I finally see a cop and he says you not even close - he looks at our paperwork and says the place your going is on Singer Island -70miles away. Again I'm raging as I'm wasting my vacation driving aroung. So off we go - 70 miles later we arrive (this is the resort that I have to tour in the morning. I park the car and go to check in. Guess what, they have no rooms and I'm not on the list. So I go to the "Welcome" center and finally speak to Joanne Joanne doesn't much care what's happening to me but calls back the hotel in Ft Lauderdale and gets an exact address for my night's stay - BACK TO FT. L -70 miles and to make matters worse, I have to come back in the morning for the tour. Now I'm enraged and tell her I want the tour right now and that I want to sue. She sarcastically says " Can't help it if you can't find your hotel I SCREAM " I was an Eagle Scout, I can find an ant hill in the woods with a friggijn map. Bottom line, have to come back. So we get in the car again and drive right to our hotel now that I have directions.
We finally arrive after spending another full day of my vacation driving instead of sun bathing. I'm raging again. I walk to the front desk and pass an elderly coule and two women. They are having a discussion about this hotel. Ever curious, I ask if they are invovred with the RAMADA Scam. What a surprize, they are and we exchange war stories. The one elderly couple is from Fla and the other duo is from Colorado and they both were upset. Seems the Colo. Couple got ripped off for $50 by a pizza guy and an employee of the hotel, while the Fla couple were just plain ticked off. Got the same run around and were also victimized by this scam As we speak, I suggest we call the POLICE, who show up an hour later. Let's get a cop, file a complaint and this way Ramada or anyone else can't say that we IMAGINED this whole ordeal. Cops wouldn't do it. They said that the hotel trade in Florida as subject to problems and that you have to be very careful. They also told the Colo couple that unless they knew the serial # to the $50 bill in question that there was nothing that they could do. PS there was an extra charge when we checked out plus tax.
Any way, we exchange Email and agreed to team up to protest our terrible experiences. This is happening to other people, not just me. We also all got different quotes from the LaQuinta Resort as to the walk in rates.
I found this site as I was trying to find out who to complain to and better yet, who is in charge of this scam.
In closing, I want my money back, My once a year vacation was ruined and I can't recover that. But I want a refund in the following amount for hidden charges, unfulfilled promises, improper directions, extorsion ($ held in lieu of time share pitch) lack of service, extra fees and wasted gasoline:
$1126.00 - discount rates at hotels and cruise ship
$109.00 car and room from day one when our reservations were not amended
$32.70 - extra gas for our timeshare "Survey" and travel
Total - $1,317.70
Thomas
lakewood, New Jersey
U.S.A.
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