In I responded to an email advertisement for a package tour to Las Vegas, with free hotel and rental car in exchange for a commitment to sit through an RCI timeshare presentation. The package included an additional 3-night, 4-day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. I took my family on the Las Vegas jaunt, sat through the RCI presentation and in fact purchased a time share.
Months later, I was contacted again by cell phone and asked if I intended to use the cruise portion of the package, which was apparently expiring. To keep it from doing so, I would need to pay an additional sum, which I did, thinking that one of my daughters would take the cruise. She was unable to, and I decided to let it drop.
In the ensuing years, I have had several phone calls asking if I would pay to keep it alive but I declined, saying that it was too unlikely that anyone would use it and that I had put in enough money as it was.
Then yesterday, I received a call from someone claiming to be Peter McAlister, representing Caribbean Cruise Lines, which had taken over from Imperial Majesty Vacations, making the same offer. But this time, when I refused, he told me that the company would then charge me the full cost of the original package and put it on my credit card, which they had on record. I told him that was tantamount to blackmail, that they had no legal right to do that, and that I would tell my credit card company to reject any attempt to charge my card for services that were never rendered. I also told him that he should mail me whatever contract he had that stipulated this penalty for not taking an additional cruise (or at least forking over more money to revive it as an option).
We shall see if anything arrives in the mail, but I would welcome advice or legal counsel on how to further protect myself beyond instructing the credit card company from turning down any charges.
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