Work is pretty boring for me. No one comes in the office in the morning, so I'm left to busy myself as best I can, but even then, with nothing to do, you can only do so much. So, when I received a phone call, promising me a FREE CRUISE VACATION to the Bahamas for two after answering a simple survey, I thought, "why the hell not?" I answered the asinine questions of the cheesy automated captain, and was told that I would be contacted in 24-72 hours. (this was probably a week or so ago, around April 8th).
Well, what I should've done FROM THE BEGINNING was slam the phone down and continue enlightening myself on world events on Yahoo! News, but because I did not, I am kicking myself over and over 'til this day.
Well, whatever, it's not like I didn't have anything to LOSE (my thought process after taking the survey), since answering the phone only took up like 1/2568th of my time, so it wasn't a great loss to me. Until I received a call on Monday, April 14th from a customer sales representative.
Even though I graduated from UCLA in three years and am working at a Spectroscopy brain and heart imaging center (for now), and am planning to apply for law school next fall... I feel like all those accomplishments are undone by falling for an OBVIOUS scam like this. I am not a third grader, nor am I entirely gullible, but for some reason, I fell for it.
I think what hooked me was the fact that I love Disneyland, and the person on the phone offered for a TWO DAY LUXURIOUS CRUISE to the Bahamas (which I have never gone to), a THREE DAY, TWO NIGHT STAY in Ft. Lauderdale Fl, and a THREE DAY, TWO NIGHT STAY In ORLANDOOO (this was the hook, line, and sinker for me)!!! The home of Disney World and my childish heart. How could I resist? All this for $498??? No way. For TWO people? NO WAY. It includes a seven day rental vehicle with UNLIMITED MILEAGE and includes ALL MEALS at my RESORT-STYLE hotels. Wow, fabulous. I think I just hit on something too good to be true.
The sales people were pushy, but not overly so that I didn't feel threatened. However, they were glib enough to get my credit card number over the phone (kicking myself as I write this) They told me it was not a scam, that I should go to their website, imperialmajesty.com to see for myself that it was legit. The site was beautiful, showing off attractive couples smiling and having a good time, and showcasing the luxury cruise liner that would take me sailing into the turquoise oceans of the Bahamas, the golden sands of its beaches, and the crisp, sultry air of the exotic. My heart was palpitating. This was too good to be true.
Indeed, it was. My customer service rep, Eric, told me that I would be recorded with a third party company to ensure what was promised to me will be verified and pot-hole free. However, when the (obviously) scripted third party mentioned another charge of $118 to be placed on my credit card for port fees, I grew suspicious and immediately clamored for a refund. The sales rep soothed my fears, and used his sly and manipulative ways to finally say (against my better judgement) YESSS to the above said agreement.
Once I got off the phone, I immediately felt buyers' remorse. Hey, this is NOT AT ALL like when I bought my cruise tickets with my boyfriend to Mexico... My heart was all aflutter at the thought of sipping margaritas on a sunny hot beach with my honey. But no, I felt all wrong, entirely wrong about this purchase. I immediately called my beau, and he said "it was too good to be true."... Be careful.
Well, he made sure the Imperial Majesty Cruise Lines were legit. They are: "Imperial Majesty Line is a budget cruise line that started out in 1999 by leasing SS Ocean Breeze from Premier Cruise Line and operating two-day cruises out of Port Everglades to Nassau, Bahamas. Imperial Majesty later purchased the ship and gave it a multi-million dollar refurbishment. The ship was kept in good condition throughout Imperial Majesty's ownership.in due to high costs, Imperial Majesty sold the Oceanbreeze for scrap and replaced it with the vintage ship, MS Regal Empress after its previous owner folded. The Regal Empress is currently one of the oldest passenger liners still operating in regular revenue service in America. The Regal Empress currently operates two-day cruises out of Port Everglades to Nassau, Bahamas." (from wikipedia.org)
Uh, when I read that from Wikipedia, I thought to myself... BUDGET Cruise lines? I was told that the Regal Empress would be a LUXURY cruise liner... Not the OLDEST with its sister ship being sold as SCRAP. Holyshit. I kicked myself again. What am I to do? I panicked even more when I saw the consumer reports and usacomplaints. Coms consumers and victims posted about the cruise lines at RPR. I wanted to die. I thought for sure, my money would be gone.
Just 30 minutes after making the purchase, I called the customer service line, was placed on hold, then spoke to a sales rep who told me I needed to talk to a "specialist." The specialist put me on hold... And I was dropped. Frustrated and scared, I called the regional manager of RPR in FLorida, Antonio Tirone at 1800869-2387. I asked for a refund, he tried to tell me to wait for the package in the mail before I returned it... Since the return policy is stated in the booklet. I refused, I told him I did not want to wait. Finally, after me pushing, him pulling... He resigned and said, no problem, I'll get a full refund. This eased my nerves a bit, until I realized it was all very suspicious... What was my confirmation # for my refund?"The same as your reservation number for the vacation package. The refund will show up in 9 business days on your credit card."
He never asked me for my reservation number, nor confirmed my credit card number, or ANYTHING. I was totally suspicious, called a customer representative again, and was told that my reservation was NOT cancelled, and for me to call back in 72 hours, because the computer was still "pending" on the charges.
I refused. I called back the very next day, very early in the morning (around 8:30AM PST) and finally got a customer rep on the phone, who again put me on hold for a "specialist." I confronted the specialist about the horrid reports I found about RPR and ICL and their scams, and she defended them wholeheartedly, and told me that it is "difficult to satisfy all customers." I didn't want to play any games with her, so I told her outright, to give me a refund, and I won't ask for any more trouble. She asked for my Res #, confirmed my credit card #, and then gave me a cancellation #.
I read another person's complaint who wrote that there is a 3 day grace period where customers can obtain FULL REFUNDS. I am very upset by this, because all the customer service reps told me to call back in 72 hours (3 days) to get a refund!!! By that point, it would've been too late!!! I am just so angered by the deviousness of Imperial Majesty Cruise Lines... And my perception of Ramada as an accomplice to this scam will forever be tainted. How dirty can some people be to prey upon the goodwill trust of others???
I am within the three day period for a cancellation, and to be safe, I faxed a notification of the cancellation to the company to leave a paper trail. I also spoke to my credit card company, who told me that I can dispute the charge if RPR decides to charge me anyways for the vacation package. My heart is not a little at ease, but for now, my eye will always be on that pending charge of $498 on my credit card.
Sigh, I am so extremely tired after relating back my experiences of dealing with this deceitful company in this post. I never thought booking a vacation would be so extremely stressful!!! Now I feel like I really do need a vacation, but maybe instead of going somewhere exotic, I will just stay at home and just relax. Hey, it's stress-free and costs me nothing!!!
Good luck to all,
M
Mindee
San Marino, California
U.S.A.
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