Our experience with Imperial Majesty/Ramada was almost identical to that of Rachel, who reported them in http://usacomplaints.com/reports/ripoff83499.htm
... Except we were lucky that we saw through it in time.
This is probably not a scam (in the sense that you get nothing in return for your money). However it is a DEEPLY DISTURBING way of doing business, and people who fall into the trap could lose a great deal of money for something they don't want. According to Ronald (Ontario) who added his experience to the end of Rachel's report, he took the offer, but found that it is "not a good vacation", and he is still trying to get his money back.
Here's how Imperial Majesty play their scheme.
(1) They phone you at home to "survey" if you intend to spend money on a vacation in the next year or two, how much would you spend, when would you go, etc. This is their way of "filtering" through the market for potential customers (victims!).
(2) One or 2 nights later, they phone you again. You are fed a big spiel about being specially selected after the survey, what a great deal you are going to get on a holiday in Orlando, the big names over there who they are teamed up with like Universal/Disney/Alamo, that you will get 2 places plus 2 more free, car rental included, you can go anytime within 18 months, etc. You are given lots of reference numbers, names of insurers, etc. To make it all sound kosher. They take your names for the tickets, and your address to send the "package" to. So it all sounds good so far, enough to keep you listening a bit longer. These are smooth, professional operators.
(3) Then you are told it will actually cost US $898 for the package! And that flights are not included! Nor meals! And so on. As these costs are finally divulged, you begin to wonder what's so special about it, after all. But the honeyed words continue. They repeat the good-sounding stuff if they think they're "losing" you. Hey, they're printing out your tickets right now! And there's a bonus holiday in the Meditteranean included! (but no details at all are given about that).
(4) Crunch time! They want your credit card number RIGHT NOW, to pay the $898 "registration" fee. We asked: could they not just send us out the information package, and only then if we decide we want to go ahead, we pay the fee? No, they replied: pay the money first, then you'll get the information package! You're told a lot of mumbo-jumbo about being passed on to a "Verification officer" who will "lock in" your credit card number (what the hell does that mean?). And for your "security", the package will include a recording of the whole phone call.
NO WAY, we said, we're not giving you our credit card number before we get something on paper! They appeared to back off at this point, saying they'll check it with the "Verification officer", and call us back.
They NEVER CALLED US BACK, because we'd called their bluff.
This is simply a scheme to make people "buy a pig in a poke". BEFORE you have any clear idea of what you are getting (no brochures, no testimonies/reviews), nor any time to consider the matter, you are being asked to pay IN FULL and UP FRONT. Nomatter what they say, take our advice and do as we did: DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION!!!
By the way, their rebuttal to Rachel's report (see above) was also in error: I just checked, and the "correct" site address www.ImperialMajestyVaction.com does not exist either!
Ray
Galway
Ireland
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