ASTAR TRAVEL PH CAll at 7AM 7th AUG2008to say i had won a free trip, i was asked for my visa card after much discussion i told them to give the trip to someone else, they then hung up on me as i would not give my visa number FLORIDA
a phone call lasting 15min,almost bullying the customer service guy did all the selling of the trip, how lucky we were, then passed me to his supervisor(probably the same person) who then gave us the option of a cruise for 4 pople, the he was going to pass me to his security person to take visa details. I said I had no intention of giving the details over the internet, I want something in writing, he wanted to be put throught to my husband. I said just give the holiday to someone else, next thing the phone went dead, it has taught me a lesson not to enter a competition on the internet. A younger person would easily be taken in
thanks Marie
Marie
CHRISTCHURCH
New Zealand
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Bobo
-,Australia,
Australia
we will press it
#4Consumer Comment
Mon, September 01, 2008
Thanks for letting us know about ASTAR.
We will gather and make a press of it and email to all government departments in Florida.
ASTAR will then go bankrupt and no one will shed a tear of it.
John
Tampa,Florida,
U.S.A.
CALL YOUR BANK , DISPUTE THE CHARGE!
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, August 30, 2008
Yes, ASTAR is a total RIPOFF. They play on peoples emotions, and with calls to Europe, they use the language barrier to their advantage. This trip is no bargain at all. Your accommodations are only for 2 people! Sure, you can take 4 people, but you will need to try to squeeze them all into only one room! Most people decline the cruise option; after all, paying the departure fees and port taxes IS paying for the entire cruise, which, by the way, is for ONLY TWO PEOPLE! Hey but just for you, they will add an extra 3 days and 2 nights in Las Vegas! You just need to spend another boat-load of money to get yourself there. Are you getting the idea yet? Your 'small promotional fee' is going to turn into thousands of dollars for plane tickets, room taxes, port fees, and on and on. Most people never use these trips. It winds up being 100% pure profit for companies like ASTAR Travel.
If you have been robbed by ASTAR you need to investigate and find out what your rights are. Realize ONE MAIN THING here. Companies like ASTAR are breaking the laws of the USA, and the State of Florida! They do not want you making alot of noise and drawing a bunch of attention to them. So, remember one thing here; 'The squeaky wheel gets the grease!' So make some noise. Email ASTAR and let them know that you are not going away until you get your money back. Send correspondence to officials in the State of Florida, and Government officials of The City of Tampa, Florida.
According to the laws in Florida governing sellers of travel, you are supposed to be sent a WRITTEN COPY OF THE RECORDING AUTHORIZING THE CHARGE TO YOUR CREDIT CARD. Did any of you get this? Of course not! Why? Because ASTAR is breaking the law and they don't want you knowing your rights. YOU ALSO HAVE A RIGHT TO A FULL REFUND WITHIN 30 DAYS! YES, 30 days, but ASTAR will lie and tell you it is only 10 days.
VERY, VERY, IMPORTANT, READ THIS...
As soon as you realize you have been ripped off, CALL YOUR BANK!!! Did you get that last part? I said, CALL YOUR BANK! Yes, call your bank and DISPUTE THE CHARGE on your Visa or MasterCard. Tell the bank you were scammed. Tell them you did not receive a WRITTEN COPY OF THE RECORDING AUTHORIZING THE CHARGE TO YOUR CREDIT CARD. Any reputable Bank will have the authority to reverse the charge to your credit card, sometimes even several months after the charge.(This is known as a CHARGEBACK) I WILL SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST!!! Thieves like ASTAR TRAVEL can not stay in business without a Merchant Account. What is that you ask? A merchant account is what allows them to charge services to your credit card. Without a merchant account, ASTAR Travel is out of business. Every time a Bank reverses a charge to a credit card, IT COSTS ASTAR A FEE, and it issues a strike against their merchant account! Too many strikes, they lose their merchant account, and they are no longer authorized to take payments by Visa or MasterCard! Then they would be out of business.
How do I know these things? I WORKED AT ASTAR! I didn't know it was a scam when I started working for them, but I am not stupid. Last but not least, I would like to sincerely apologize to anyone out there that I may have hurt when I worked for ASTAR. I hope something I have said here might help some of you to get your money back. Remember, don't give up. You can get your money back, sometimes even several months later. Good luck!
Anonymous, Tampa, Florida
Bobo
-,Australia,
Australia
bad service
#4Consumer Comment
Mon, August 11, 2008
Agreed, they only offer 'bad services' if they did not get you on the hook!
They are so eagerly to reply my email and so on when I said I want to utilise the trips. They send me emails at least once a day but I didn't manage to check my mail while I was on holiday and accept an 'anoymous' call by them. I replied and said I want to cancel the trip and have my money back .. then they ignore and reply my mail a mth later.
and this is this company ' sales tactic' , so called 'customer services'
Check out their unmanner replies from this company here, you will know they actually is not doing business but just want to cheat your money.