I received the $1600 voucher like the one at the beginning of the thread as well and called to see what it was all about. I was told that this "Spectacular Florida/Bahamas Cruise" vacation package was valued at over $3200.00 and all I had to do was attend a time-share presentation at the beginning of my vacation. I was told that this vacation package would cost my $698.00 per person for 2 people. The names Ramada Carnival and Universal Orlando" lead me to believe this was a quality vacation. I purchased this vacation package 8/21/06 and was told I had 3 years to use it.
Over the weekend, my husband and I decided to look at the websites for the hotels we would be staying at and the cruise we would be taking. This is when I discovered the consumer complaints as well as the actual prices for this vacation package.
This vacation is definately not valued at over $3200.00 and is not even worth the $1396.00 it would cost for 2 people (not including taxes, airfare to get to Florida, and incidentals.)
Here is what I come up with the vacation being worth:
The Bahamas Cruise on the Imperial Majesty Ship is $129 per person. You can verify this at: http://www.imperialmajesty.com/layout_ship.html
Ramada Plaza Resort Ft. Lauderdale is an average of $53.00 per night which can be booked at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34227-d141952-Reviews-Fort_Lauderdale_Ramada_Plaza_Hotel_Resort-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html
Ramada Plaze Resort Orland is an average of $63.00 per night which can be booked at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34515-d87760-Reviews-Ramada_Plaza_Orlando_Resort_East_Universal_Studios-Orlando_Florida.html
Car rental on alamo.com is $103.00 for a compact car
2 adult tickets to Universal Studios Orlando $130.00 ($65.00 per adult)
Grand total of $829.00
So why would I pay $1396.00, $567.00 more than if I booked these accommodations, cruise and activities myself? Plus I would not need to waste 2 hours of my time attending a time-share presentation with no intention of purchasing the time-share through Ramada since I already recently purchased one through Sunterra. That is $567.00 that I could use for the airfare to get to Florida or for activities I want to do on my vacation. I called the customer service number in the materials and stated these facts. I was told hotel and cruise prices flucuate and that they do not give refunds.
Thanks to the advice of others on this website, I have started a dispute process with my credit card company. Also I filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Division of Consumer Services. You can file your complaint online at: http://app1.800helpfla.com/
There were some other websites and phone numbers I made note of while reading through other posts here. First thing in the morning I will be following up with those as well. Hopefully I too will be able to get my $698.00 deposit back as well.
The true scam here is that they tell you the value of this trip is worth way more than actually so and that is my problem and why I would like my refund. Not that I simply changed my mind. But if you advertise you are offering something at a discounted rate, then it should be at a discounted rate. I should not be able to book the entire trip for a significant amount less than had I gone on the trip through Ramada Plaza Resorts.
I post again with any other info that can help others to get a refund as well. Hopefully I am on the path to getting my refund!
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