Complaint Review: All Seasons Travel

Wednesday Sept 29th, 2010

I received a call from someone called Ashley Ford ( Employee ID:0797) representing All Seasons Travel Company in Florida, Ph: 0018 13386 1099, called to advise me Id won a Holiday... she gave me a Customer Service Phone number and the times her office would be open in Eastern Standard time -15 hours.The number called from showed up as unknown on my mobile

 Ashley advised me i'd won a Holiday which her male accomplice referred to as a Package Deal with three options either to Disneyworld/Universal Studios for up to 4 people, or a Fort Lauderdale with Car Hire deal, or a Cruise in the Bahamas stopping over at Nasau. I asked where she'd got my contact details from and she said i'd entered an online competition some 8 weeks prior.

I was given the speil on the deal,  and advised that the trip was paid for but any incidentals, from port or departure taxes, passport and visa fees, and tipping and room service fees, would not be covered and would be my responsibility, I felt pressured but placated by their mention of the need to pay these incidental costs and their readiness to supply me with reference numbers. Those factors made me feel reassured that this wasnt a scam. But it Was!

They quoted my credit card number and name and address to me and asked me to confirm my identity by supplying back to them my home phone number, address, and credit card number, and middle initial, and security number on the reverse which mastercard would need to verify that i was the holder of the card, this would be necessary to secure a code to use for the booking which I could then make within 18 months or extend another 12 months if I had to delay the departure date.

While we were waiting for mastercard verification, iasked if they were charging anything to my card and they said yes mam we are just confirming with mastercard a reservation fee of $998.00 per person for this Package.

 I argued that i hadnt been advised that they were charging anything and that I had not given permission for this so please cancel the confirmation as if I had won a prize I shouldnt have to pay to book in for it. I demanded they stop confirmation as the account would not have that much money in it anyway and I asked for the alleged Email and Mailout Package proving Id won this holiday to be sent to my home address and promptly got online and checked my mastercard balance and activity.

Nothing  has been taken from it but I have chosen to Suspend my Card for now with a view to having the account closed. I will be reporting this to Police and have written to several Forums about this scam, and make a mental note to myself here to NEVER GIVE OUT DETAILS on the net in the mail or on the phone. No matter what!