I was born Jan 13 1959 at 9:52 P.M. On Sept. 17 2007 I was made aware of the fact that I happened to be the sucker born that minute after making the mistake of giving out a credit card number for what seemed to be a good deal.
It's been 9 months with no customer service other than lip service and very lippy and rude service (if you want to call that service?).
I received my travel package from Vacation Promotions almost three weeks later and after inspecting it decided that I had changed my mind. I had made other vacation arrangements in the interim. So I phoned them and asked about returning the package. I was told that I had 30 days in which time they needed to receive the package so I didn't waste any time in sending it back. I no longer have the tracking number the post office supplied me with -I felt that it had been confirmed as received and I no longer needed it.
Months went by and I kept checking my credit card statement to find a refund but none appeared. So on December 28 I phoned and spoke to a lady named Christal Jones (sp?) and she assured me that the package had been received in a timely fashion and that I would get a refund. Apparently the refund department had not received the notification that I was due one. I also called my credit card company on that day to complain but they wanted me to fill out forms etc. And I thought - well the company promised me to get a refund - I'll just wait.
Big mistake!!! I've been stalled by Vacation Promotions passed the timeframe that allows my credit card company to intervene on my behalf.
In early February I called yet again. I spoke to another very friendly person whose name I did not keep track of. I got another reassurance that I was due a refund and would get one. I'm so gullible.
Another phone call on May 9 turned out to be the one that upset them the most. My first call was transfered to a man named Mark Williams. Gee where did I see that name before? I think it was in another scam report of this very same company. Anyway (Mark Williams - if he actually exists) assured me that he would forward the information to the accounting department. When I asked him if he had a phone number for the accounting department he informed me that it was a little "white bag" named "accounting" that someone collected. I'm not sure that I thanked him for being so frank.
So I called back and the receptionist answered. I asked her for the "accounting department", the phone rang and it was " customer service again". I hung up.
I'm stubborn so I called back. She reprimanded me asking me if I did not think her transfer was directed in the right place and then informed me that since I had called "multiple times" she would no longer transfer my calls. I don't know her name but if I ever decide to run a scam service I would like to hire her.
Unfortunately fate delivered me the oddasity to be the "sucker born that minute on Jan 13 1959 at 9:52 pm and then steered me in the direction of a profession that deals very much with customer satisfaction.
I'm a restaurant manager and it's my biggest hope that one day when I arrive at work I see either a reservation made under the name of Christal Jones or Mark Williams.
My name is Earl (just like the TV show!) and this experience cost me over $600.00 but like the fool in the show I believe in Karma. What goes around comes around. I may not get my refund but someone out there with teeth bigger than my puppy ones will put them in their place.
I've almost a notion to ask them to resend the package so that I can attend and expose them.
Anyone else game? It would be the vacation that I would never forget!!!
Thanks for reading this far - it wasn't a short message! But it was an honest one!!!
Earl
New Westminster, British Columbia
Canada
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