I thought Ramada was a well-known national company, and so I believed their scam.
I received a note in the mail regarding a grand opening special for Ramada Plaza Resorts in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. I was told that if I booked we would be staying at a new resort, with suite rooms including kitchens, etc. This was supposedly being offered to introduce people to their brand new resorts in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando which were just built and opening last spring. I was told that all I needed to do was pay $698 and that the only balance due would be for my second child on the cruise portion of the trip. (my daughter (17) and son (15) also went.) I was the only adult.
I was also told that this would be done a few months before the trip.
In April I called to make definate reservation dates for the trip and to get the airline tickets. At that time, I paid the balance due, and suddenly there were a lot more charges. My $698 vacation had aquired $199 in "port fees" for my daughter and I and an extra $398 for my son.in addition, I was told that if I paid an additional $600 I would be upgraded to a balcony suite on the cruise and have it upgraded to a five day cruise instead of the orignal three day cruise. I decided to go ahead and do this. At this time I was even given my Cruise Cabin number of U114 - which is a blancony suite on the Carnival line.
When I received my bill, it had been charged the $198, and the $398, and also $928 for the upgrades. Ramada would not answer to this other than to say it was to pay for the car, cabin, resort upgrades.
When we arrived in Orlando, we found we owed an additional $200 to the car agency. Then, when we went to the "Welcome Center" to pick up our cruise vouchers, we found we were not booked into a brand new Ramada Resort suite, but instead a small, sleezy, dirty room at a place called the Amerihost.in addition, I found I had to pay a "hotel surcharge" of $12 for this questionable room.
My thought was that, "Here I am 3,000 miles away from home, we will try to make the best of it rather than get the kids upset and ruin our vacation. There will be plenty of time to straighten things out after the cruise."
The next day, we arrived at the port in order to go on our wonderful cruise. We found that our cabin U-114 we were told they had booked was not a reality, but that instead we were in R87. The Riveria deck is the lowest and smallest deck on the ship.instead of our balcony suite, were in a room the size of a bathroom.in addition the third bed was a crib sized mattress on the floor. Ramada charged me an additional $998 $398 for a crib sized mattress on the floor for my teenage son?!?!?
When we spoke to the Carnival Purser, they indeed checked to make certain that there was no mistake. When they asked which travel company we booked through, and they heard it was Ramada, they said this happens consistently with them and they cause many, many difficulties for their cruiseline due to their questionable practices.
I would have thought that maybe it was an accident, but as it so happens, one of the other guests at our table had the same thing happen. They paid for a suite upgrade, were even told the cabin number, and ended up in a lower class cabin. At least they didn't have the lowest deck on the ship and a crib sized mattress on the floor to sleep in.
Both I and the cruiseline contacted Ramada. They've yet to return any of my tries at contacting them.
When we returned from the cruise, I asked to be placed in another location for the hotel. I was given a room at La Quinta. This room was cleaner, and our only complaint there was the roaches. Oh yes, I had to pay surcharges there also, but at least it was only about $8.00 a night which was just the hotel tax.
When we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, I thought I could at least speak with somebody regarding my concerns.
They would not let me speak to anybody. They said there was nobody to speak to, and even if there was they will not let you speak to anybody WHILE you are on vacation.?!?!? Here we were finally at the location of the problem, and there is no supervisor?
Of course, once again we were in substandard accomodations, a far cry from the grand opening of a fabulous resort with suite rooms we were promised. The elevator was out of compliance, and the shower in the bathroom had large 3" holes in the wall... Just to name a few of the problems. They also didn't have towels available so we had to drip dry. (drip dry in Florida humidity?) Of course, we also had to pay more surcharges.
They are a fraud. This company should be stopped. They have taken my money, misrepresented their services, and are doing a grossly fraudulent business. I do not know how these folks sleep at night. They have taken me for over $3,500. Please let me know what ideas you have for getting at least some of this money recuperated, and even more importantly, help stop others from also getting ripped off!
0 comments