I received a call with an automated phone political survey, and was told that I'd have the opportunity to get a free Bahamas cruise afterwards. Out of curiosity, I participated in the survey, about the economy, what issues are important, who I would vote for, etc. Immediately afterwards, I was transferred to some very hard sell salespeople. They told me that the cruise was free, but I'd have to pay $59 per person in "port taxes". Stupidly, I agreed to this—even though they wouldn't let me think about it, call back, or discuss it with anyone else. What's worse is that they then convinced me that I'd feel frustrated if I got to the Bahamas and could only spend 8 hours there. So they offered me a total vacation package including 2 nights in Ft. Lauderdale or Orlando, and 3 days, 2 nights at a spectacular ocean front luxury resort. They offered to upgrade my cabin from an interior one, to one with an ocean view. The more I said no, the more they lowered the price and threw in more deals such as two additional hotel stays in Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. So, $578.00 sounded like quite a good deal for a cruise for 2 people plus all those hotel nights, right? I did examine the "certified letter of guarantee" email they sent me and check their website before agreeing to the charges. On the surface, it looked legit... They finally wore me down and talked me into it, and recorded the call.
Afterwards, I felt really weird about the whole experience. I don't usually do things like this. I checked on line and found all these scam reports—that the ship is really just a refurbished ferry— that you have to sit through endless time share sales pitches, that there are all kinds of hidden charges. I feel totally stupid and now I don't know what to do. I called my bank and blocked the credit card, but the charge had already gone through. Tomorrow I will do my best to call the cruise company and cancel, and then go to the bank in person, and try to get the charges removed.
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