posted by admin on Jul 30
Has any one been on a Carribean Cruise Line promotional cruise, starting in Ft. Lauderdale? They want an answer right now. How is the hotel in FL? Food? Etc? Any feedback would be appreciated!
http://www.caribbeancl.com/
________CHECK OUT OUT SUMMER PROMOTION__________
2DAY 2NIGHT CRUISE TO NASSAU BAHAMAS
3DAY 2NIGHT IN FORT LAUDERDALE FLORIDA RESORT
3DAY AND 2 NIGHT IN ORLANDO FLORIDA RESORT
**RENTAL CAR FOR ENTIRE WEEK WITH UNLIMETED MILEGE**
**ALL MEALS PROVIDED ON CRUISE AND RESORTS**
**100% TRANSFERAABLE**
**HAVE 18 MONTHS TO TAKE VACATION**
YOU CAN GET TODAY FOR TWO TRAVELERS… (NOT JUST ONE)
FOR ONLY 8.00 TOTAL!!
Originally posted 2009-06-08 12:31:49.
June 8th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
This is not necessarily a scam but it is a dubious offer. This is one of the pseudonyms that Imperial Majesty Cruises / Ramada Plaza Hotels solicits under. There are numerous sites that outline the problems with their "offers".
If you search ripoff report under "imperial majesty cruise", you get almost 200 hits. Read a few of the reviews to find out what you are in for if you decide to go.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:03 am
Can any one help? I have paid £300 to ‘Caribeancl.com’ they said they would send me all the details through and this was 2 months ago! I can’t seem to get in contact with them. Has anyone got any contact details you can give me please? would really appreciate it am begining to think I’ve been ripped off!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Lisa,
We just signed up for this cruise/vacation package yesterday. Here are the customer service numbers I was given when I was on the phone with them:
1-800-221-8200
You will want to have your personal reference number (reservation number) ready to give to them. Their state licens number is ST-37425
Good luck….I hope you can get ahold of them and get some answers. I’m hoping its not a scam, or bad investment for both of us.
Also, if there is anyone out there who has been on this vacation/mini cruise with them, please leave feedback. We would love to hear about your experience. Also, please let us know how “high pressure” the sales pitch is for the timeshare. Thanks!
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
This for Lisa RE: Caribbean cruise lines.
Call this number(800-221-8200) and ask for Kineal and she can help you with registering on line instead of waiting for snail mail to get you your papers. you can do it all on line.
CCL has a B+ rating with the BBB and I have checked them out and all seems to be good and every time I call they answer and I give them my reservation number and it all works out fine.
September 9th, 2009 at 10:56 am
I just paid $198.00 for this. I hope its not a scam
September 16th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
i just signed up for it. i’ll be back to make a post on this when i find out how it turns out. im very skeptical and after talking to them yesterday and deciding against it, the director called back and was able to answer all of my questions, and gave me a deal i couldnt resist. so i guess we’ll see what happens…..
November 4th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
So i checked the mail last Monday and i found a letter stating that i had won a cruise for three friends and myself. I’m already thinking that this has to be a scam . . . . it looks legit but then again all scams do. I would really like to go on this cruise it sounds absolutley amazing… and relaxing. But i dont want to have my banking account emptied and no cruise all because of a scam. If anyone has gone on a cruise with caribbeancl.com please leave comments.
thank you.
November 20th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Hi,
This afternoon, I got the phone again and the lady said today is the last day for the promotion activity. She needed me to pay as soon as possible. She said I was drawn because I answered the phone ( I almost forgot when…). The total for 2 travels is $298. Is this really true? By the way, she said I can keep the contract for 18 months. I’m worried this is a scam, but the lady spoke the way honestly. Before the time, there were two men talking to me by phone about
this, and today the lady called me the third time and asked to pay and keep the chance. I don’t know what I have to do. $298 is really cheap for the cruise travel? Who can help me out?
November 26th, 2009 at 12:43 am
It’s not so much a ‘scam’ as an extremely aggressive timeshare pitch. You need to check all the fine-print: there are some (hefty) port taxes to be paid.
My girlfriend went with her friend and actually had quite a good time until they got back to Fort Lauderdale. At that point they were told that they could not stay at the hotel unless they collected some kind of voucher; this was conditional on a 4-hour pitch where the salespeople became progressively pushier/ ruder/ more aggressive/ extremely abusive to her.
Just check around the internet, there are plenty of posts where people have been taken in by this company, which whilst trading legally (probably) is unethical at the very least. Note that you’ll have to filter out all the clearly bogus comments being posted by Carribean Cruise Line employees who are clearly being paid to flood the internet with artificial-sounding posts that “CCL is NOT a scam”… what a joke, who goes onto the internet to say something is not a trick??
January 4th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
I actually thought it was a scam at first… But we had a great time … Upgraded to the outside state room … And did the extra day for the weekend … Paid less than other cruises I quoted and spend the extra money having fun! I recomend it!
January 4th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I bought the trip on dec 31st and went online and found out what a bad company I was dealing with. I then tried to cancel the trip and get a refund and they refused saying they already paid their contractors whatever that means I didn’t realize the did business over the weekend and on holidays. This was the next business day after my purchase January 4th. They force you into a bad deal. Stay away. Horrible company. I’m know out of hundreds of dollars.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:12 am
I got my money back! My experience, tips and advice
Hi,
I went through a lot of grief with this company, and I want everyone who is fighting for a refund know that THERE IS HOPE! I got a full refund, it officially showed up on my credit card today.
Florida law says they must refund you, no questions asked, withing 30 days of purchase. I did all this within that 30-day window. I’ve read about many people who have gotten refunds after that, even after going on the miserable vacation, so it is still possible, but I’m sure it’s more difficult. My advice is, don’t put it off. Better yet, STAY AWAY from Caribbean Cruise Lines (or whatever name they’re going by at the time. They change names a lot. The main name is Ramada Plaza Resorts)
.
MY ADVICE
If you feel helpless and think you can’t get a refund, please read this. Here is the thing, folks. These people are trained to prevent cancellations. After everything I went through with them, I clearly saw a pattern. When you are referred to a “specialist”, that is just a person who is TRAINED to convince you to not cancel. This is the process I noticed:
1. They “remind” you of the amaaaaazing vacation package you have purchased before you ever say anything. They congratulate you on it, then ask why you are calling and how they can help you (the “specialist” knows damn straight why you are calling. You were transferred to them because you are cancelling)
2. They try to reason with you. They act shocked that you want to cancel. Then they ask you for reasons. They try to make you feel like cancelling such a fabulous trip is ridiculous.
DO NOT REASON WITH THEM. I learned this by the third time I called. Don’t feed the fire. Everything they ask you, just say, “I just decided it was not for me, and I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE”
3. If you’re still not budging, they will tell you something about a noncancellation policy, or they will say that the cancellation period for your state has passed. Too bad, no refund for you. DON’T FALL FOR IT!
4. If you still are persistent, they will just give you any and every reason why a refund is not possible.
STAND FIRM. It’s very possible. EVERYTHING the specialist says is to try to discourage you and make you feel like you don’t know what you’re talking about, and a refund is not possible.
I was discouraged and gave up the first few times I called them because I wasn’t informed. I figured a refund just isn’t possible. They want you to believe that. The final time I called, I figured out there was a pattern to all of it. I saw that they put you through this wringer to make you feel that way.
Here is how I suggest you talk to them:
Specialist: “Wow! You have such a great vacation. Congratulations! It’s so amazing it includes _______, __________ and ________! Now, how may I help you?”
Customer: “I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE.”
Specialist: “Cancel?! Why would you want to do that?”
Customer: “I just decided it was not for me, and I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE”
Specialist: “But there has to be a reason! People don’t just call and say they want to cancel a vacation!”
Customer: “No, it’s really just not for me. I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE”
Specialist: “So, a relaxing vacation to the Bahamas is not for you? Relaxation and fun is not for you?”
CUstomer: “Correct. I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE”
Specialist: “But it sounds like there is something you’re not telling me! Why would anyone just suddenly decide it’s not for them?”
Customer: “It’s just not. I want to CANCEL MY PACKAGE.”
You get the idea. They push you to the limit. Don’t reason with them. Be firm. Be persistent. Be polite. You will get your money back.
.
MY EXPERIENCE:
(For the record, I am a journalist and I consider myself to be a very level-headed, cautious person. After buying this, I sat back in awe of how fast I was pushed into this without doing much research. I’m wiser for it, but I will never again judge anyone who buys into these types of scams.)
I registered for the “free” cruise and purchased an extended-stay package after being promised a ‘ ‘Spectacular Extended Stay’ ‘ vacation.
The names “Ramada” and “Carmen Electra” falsely led me to believe this was a quality vacation. I later learned my accommodations include two sub-standard hotels and my “award-winning” cruise ship is an old ferry boat.
The Internet is full of dissatisfied customers, governmental warnings and litigation.
Upon booking, one of the many people I talked to said refunds were indeed possible. That was part of the reason why I agreed to buy it. I figured I had nothing to lose. After buying I got on the internet and it took me a whole 3 seconds to see what a scam the whole thing was.
I contacted the company just hours after purchasing to cancel my trip and request a refund. The person I spoke with, “Robert,” said he can’t cancel my trip because the company has a non-cancellation policy and said no one would’ve told me otherwise (pretty much called me a liar). I was never made aware of such a policy. If it exists, it violates Florida’s Sellers of Travel Act, which says it’s illegal for any seller of travel to “fail or refuse to honor a purchaser’s vacation certificate request to cancel if such request is made within 30 DAYS from the date of purchase or receipt of the vacation certificate, whichever occurs later.”
I called the company again the next day and spoke with “Frank”. I again asked to cancel. He said his company had a non-cancellation policy. When I cited Florida law, he said it doesn’t apply because his company only has to follow whatever refund law my state (Ohio) has.
I was feeling a little discouraged at that point. I contacted several lawyers, who all said the company is in Florida and is BOUND BY FLORIDA LAW. PERIOD.
Last week, I decided to give them one last chance to give me a refund before I disputed the charge with my credit card company and filed complaints with the BBB, Floirda Attorney General, etc.
I spoke with “Angela”, a “specialist” from customer service. She repeatedly asked why I want to cancel.
She told me about a 3-day policy in Ohio for refunds, saying I passed the period. I was not eligible for a refund anymore. I said I called THE VERY DAY I bought the package as well as the next day and was told cancelling was not possible. I was not told about the 3 day rule.
She said that’s because thats because I called the wrong number. I was only supposed to call one specific “customer service” number. Since I called a different number, it doesn’t matter what was said. I was SOL.
I was pleasant and polite at first, but as time went on we began arguing. Her patience was tried I guess when I repeatedly told her her company MUST abide by state law and give me a refund. She kept saying no, that’s not the case. Finally she copped a defensive attitude and said “I know the law, ma’am. I don’t need you to cite the law to me, ma’am. We are a large corporation, I know the law. DO NOT RECITE THE LAW TO ME, MA’AM.”
With that, she said, “In fact, I am transferring you to a supervisor.”
I felt completely helpless at that point, because it all seemed to be going in circles.
After a long hold, I was transferred to a supervisor. She didn’t say hi or anything, she seemed to be reading off a script. She asked me to verify my name and address, told me I would get a full refund of $698 within 7-10 business days and gave me a cancellation number.
I thought it was way too easy. I was still skeptical. But I waited. Well, it has been exactly 7 days, and I have received a FULL REFUND.
So, please don’t give up and let them make you feel like an idiot.
Sorry this is so long. But I know this type of info on the Internet helped me when I needed it, and I hope this helps at least one person! I’m going to repost this on more forums to help as many people as possible. GOOD LUCK!
February 5th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Juist to let you know it is a scam. don’t go for it because they will take every cent from your card
March 1st, 2010 at 5:29 pm
I was offered this cruise too and only made a down payment of $174. I told them I would make payments because I needed time to do my research. Well, I did my research and found HORRIBLE comments about them, I immediately closed my bank account and opened a new one. I am not even going to bother getting a refund because there is NO WAY I am giving them my new account number. Thank God I found posts like this one before I paid the full amount!
March 4th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@ Abelle,
Thank you so much for your post. I was just speaking with a representative from this company and she stated to me that all I had to pay was the $59 per person in port taxes for the two person cruise I had been selected for.
I had taken a survey about something (I can’t remember) two weeks prior and this company has called me numerous times to have me ‘register’ for the vacation package. I figured any company that goes to such lengths to contact the ‘winner’ of a cruise is getting something out of the deal.
Luckily I told the rep that I was at work and didn’t have my credit card available to me. She stated I could call her back but that will not be happening. If she calls me I will make sure to employ the tactics you spoke about.
Thank you and everyone else for taking the time to post comments, it really is valuable to those of us about to be in the same situation.
Much Appreciation,
March 11th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
You people are crazy. It’s not a scam. You ARE getting a free cruise, but in order to get that, you must purchase a vacation package in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale (3/3 each) for $798. On top of that, you get bonus vacations to Las Vegas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and the cruise is indeed free. It’s up to 4 people as well. Where can you possibly find a vacation for 4 to all those places for anywhere under $3000? Let’s not forget they also give you a rental car with unlimited mileage and can get you discounts on airfare as well. You can also take the trips anytime within EIGHTEEN MONTHS of when you buy. So come on, people. Lighten up, not everything is a “scam.”
March 16th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Thanks Abelle for your comments. It really helped. I called to cancel and they were very aggressive. When I said I wasn’t interested, he told me to “stop beating around the bush” and numerous times he questioned my decisions. I would think that a company that is paying for people to take a cruise wouldn’t mind if people did not want to because it would save them money. But the guy I spoke to was very rude and said he wouldn’t refuse to give me my money back but he spent 45 minutes basically calling me stupid for trying to “pass up a good deal.” I’m not sure if it is a scam, but something is definitely not right
March 16th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I went through the same nightmare! I recently got married and signed up for a few free honeymoons. I received the offer for this trip and I thought that I had won one of the honeymoons. I consider myself to be a very educated woman, I am a college gradute and I checked this out and thought that it was legitimate. After hearing about the upgrade, I was eager to extend this trip so that me and my husband could have a good honeymoon. After the lady told me I needed immediate payment I was a llittle skeptical. I told her I would have to discuss it over with my husband first. She told me should would wait. I explained to her that he wasn’t here and I would have to call him and that I would call back later. She said “I’d be more than happy to wait while you called him.” I thought this was odd, but I put her on hold and called him. He didn’t want me to do it until we checked it out a little better. I explained to him what a good deal it was and how much money it would save us. He finally said ok, if I was sure it wasn’t a scam.
I clicked back over and spoke with the sales represenative. I told her I wanted to look over it and think about it. She perisisted, so I asked her to send me an email that I could look over and their website. Immediately I saw all of these great pictues, saw the ad by Carmen Electra and was convied that it was real. I should have known that what seems too good to be true, is. I went ahead and paid the $925.
The rest of the day, I thought about the trip and it made me more and more nervous. I was mad at myself for being so easily persuaded. I dediced to go online and do a little more research. That’s when I read all of the horror stories. I immediately called the customer service line and it was a busy signal. I tried the rest of the day, with no avail.
I called again the next day, this time I didn get through. Apparently, they only leave the phone on the hook part of the time. I waited for 45 min before I got to speak with someone, and when they answered and I told them I wanted to cancel, they tried to tell me I couldn’t and hung up on me. I wasn’t about to give up that easy, so I called the promotional number, same story. I tried this three more times, all resulting in a hang up. The next time I called and asked to speak with a supervisor, they tranverred me to a maintenence number than was an answering machine. I called again, asked for a superivsor and after another twenty min
March 16th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Continued:
I spoke with a supervisor who told me that that I was calling the wrong number, that they only dealt with sales. I told them I wanted to be transferred to the supervisor of customer service. They told me that I had to call the 1-800 number. I told them what had happened and they finally transferred to be to a Customer Service Specialist.
This represenative wasn’t as nice as the other people I had spoke with. She told me that there was no-refund policy and that I was out of luck. I told her that the sales rep. I spoke with told me I had 30 days to cancel if I changed my mind. She told me that I was lying and that they NEVER give refunds. I had done my own research online and saw where this wasn’t, in fact the case. I told her that the tape was recorded, so listen to it and you will see they didn’t say it was non-refundable.
After that, she transferred me to another Supervisor who gave me the same story. I told her that she obviously didn’t review the tape and regardless of what was said, even though it wasn’t under the Folorida seller’s of Travel Act, I had 30 days to get a refund. She told me there was no such act and I was didn’t know what I was talking about. She told me she would review the tape and call me back within 24hrs. I made her give me her direct number and she said she would call me the next day.
GUESS WHAT?! She didn’t call, suprise, suprise. I called the number she gave me, with the extension, of course it didn’t work. I called the 1-800 number again asked for her by name, they said she was out for the day. I demanded to speak with another Customer Specialist Supervisor, this time by peristance pervailed, at least I hope. This lady game me the same story. I once again quoted her the Florida Seller’s of Travel Act. She told me it was void because I lived in another state. I told her that the act clearly states that it doesn’t matter where the purchaser lives, if the transaction took place over the phone if the seller was in Florida. She told me I was wrong. I told her I would be filing a law suit on my behalf and that I would be getting together as many unhappy customers as possible together ans would also be filing a class action lawsuit, would reprort them to the BBB and the Florida Seller of Travel Statute. This worked. She told me that wasn’t nececcary because they were going to make a one time exception and refund all of my money. She gave me a cancellation number and told me within 7 days I would be refunded. Hopefully this is the case.
My advice: Follow the steps listed on here.
Be polite, firm, and persistant.
You will get hung up on.
Write down the names and the time you talked to each person.
Don’t take no for an answer!
Keep calling. Keep telling them you’re just not interested and that you changed your mind.
Don’t be rude or talk over them because they will just hang up on you.
call 1 800 221` 8200
Tell them you want to talk to a Customer Service Supervisor. They will try to tell you there isn’t one. Be adament, you’ll get to talk to one.
By law they HAVE to refund your money. Look up the Florida Seller’s of Travel Act . The deatiled version is http://www.800helpfla.com/pdfs/StatuteTravel.pdf
NEVER believe something that seems too good to be true. I know I’ll never make that mistake again. I’m just praying that I do get my refund.
April 11th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
I just gave them $224 to get info in the mail about this cruise and dvd should I stop my credit card or am I ok?
May 11th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Man.. first time actually I fall for such deal. They got my information from the Vancouver auto trade I attended weeks ago.
They offer me the same kind of stuff like everyone started with 59 bucks for one person and 118 for 2 pp crusie line. Eventually i brought into the idea of extending my trip at FL and outside cabin for 514
I thought that is a good deal. and I did heard about these deals are possible from a friend who went there before.
I mean this might not be a scam and I did let them sell me into this very well. I am sales my self and from sales prospective they did sold their product very well. Well train on how to sell it and redirect your call to let you speak with a supervisor. When you speak with a supervisor they offer you a better deal. Then they have a different department to take care your transaction. Everything are so professionally done and I even thank them for it. They also sent me an email with the package I brought.
When they give me the web site to log in with my confirmation code. It didnt work and i thought it might take couple hours to actually log on. I waited for couple hours still dont work and I called the number 1-800-221-8200 waited long time.
So i decided to google this phone number. Right the way the word “scam” tag on with this number. Even though it might not be a scam but with so many people spent their time to write about it is worth a second consideration. I am not willing to take any risk on a vacation that makes you worry from the start.
At the same day i call my master card and canceled the card. Cut the crap going back talking with them and they will not get a dime from me. I mean after all this is why I pay annual fee for my master card to take care shit like this.
I hope we all learn our lesson, yes it might be true, but a vacation suppose to be put your mind at ease not in spot where you felt insecure.