We purchased the Vacation package for $698, the package include 3 days at Ft Lauderdale, 2 days cruise to Bahama and 2 days at Orlando Florida plus some bonus get away vocations, and a "free" compact car for the week. At the time of the purchase, I was told package was $698 per couple, all inclusive. When I received the travel materials from Ramada, it showed that I needed to pay another $698 for the 2nd person. Having already spent the $698 for, we went ahead and put the other $698 on our Credit Card. We are now up to $100.00 a day per person for this "vacation". More than several excellent Cruise lines would charge per day (including meals). We recieved a beautiful presentation package including a video with wonderful pictures of the lovely resort we would be staying at and pictures of the beach and ocean. We were told and the material did say we would have to attend a 1 1/2 hour presentation. (Didn't say for what, be we assumed it would be a Time Share)
Since the Hurricane had hit Ft. Laurderdale 2 weeks before the time we were to leave, we called Ramada Plaza Resorts twice to be sure everything was still up and running and in good shape. We were told that everything was fine. (1 week before we left and 3 days before we left)
At the Airport on Sunday, we went to Almo to pick up the Car. They charged us $129.00 for Gas, Insurance etc. $43.00 was for the full tank of gas.
We arrive at the Welcome Center to find that the Motel we are to stay at is NOT on the Beach but 30 miles away in an industrial part of town. It is not a resort but a Ramada Plaza Hotel with a pool. We find out we are to pay a $19.00 a day tax on the room and discovered that in FT. Laurderdale the Motel tax is 12%, and online this Motel is available for $56.00 a night. We are also told that the "all includsive" only meant the cruise.
The rooms were "shabby" and outdated, dirty (hadn't been vacumed), lights and air conditioning didn't work properly and the maintaniece man they sent said he didn't know how to fix it. They had no where to even upgrade us to and they wouldn't give us any money back so we could find other accomadations.
The next morning we have to drive 30 miles to attended the presentation so we can get the vouchers for the rest of our stay and our cruise. The presentation lasted 5 hours. It was Berkeley Group Developer's at Vacation Villiage. We did not buy.
On the 3rd day we went to get on the Cruise Ship. It was a fun "little" cruise, food was good and service excellant. A Vintage Ship which was OK except for the State Rooms which were very bad. Poor pumbing (toilet stopped up) and shabby. Here we paid $12.00 a day Tax.
Back for another nights stay at the Ramada. The next day we head for Orlando. Hotel is a bit better with room at Ameria Host Hotel. Hotel is still very outdated and shabby and nothing like the pictures or the video. It could NOT be called a Resort by anyone but these people. NOW - Had to attend another presentation to get the tickets for Universal or Epcot Center that wer promised at this location. Even the Vacation Village people couldn't understand this one (or so they said). We paid a $12.00 a day room tax here and the rooms were advertised in the travel guides for Orlando for $54.00. Before driving back to Ft. Laurderdale, we filled up the car which was $23.00 not $43.00 as Almo had charged us.
We went to take the car back on Sunday and they also charged us a $50.00 extension fee and a $39.00 a day rental because they said we picked the car up before noon and took it back afterward but this had not been mentioned when we picked it up and told them when we would return it. They said that the Resorts had the fixed time they would pay for.
There was no other way to get back from Orlando to Ft. Laurderdale for our flight.
We have gone to several "Time Share" resort's for anywhere from 3 days to 10 days and had absolutley wonderful accomadations and were very happy with the way we were treated.
This one was horriable.
After spending $1,400 for the vacation the added expense was another $117.00 for Hotel tax (should have been included in the vacation package) $170.00 for our "free car".
I will be writing the Attorney General, Better Business Bureau and my local newspaper to complain. I only hope that this will prevent someone for falling for this scam and misrepresented vacation. We are almost afriad to take the 2 "getaways" we have coming because of the very bad accomadations that this one gave us. This is Fraud and Misrepresentation. DO NOT FALL for their tele-marketing program.
Jayne
Battle Ground, Washington
U.S.A.
0 comments