Complaint Review: Desert Sky Travel

We recieved a letter inviting my wife and I to a 90 minute presentation vacation travel seminar and recieve 2 airline tickets and 3 nights hotel, all free for just attending and listening. We went just to get the free promotion but the vacation travel offers was to good to be true, but we got sucked in anyway. On April 27, 2013 we went to the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort, Phoenix, Arizona

They started out @ $8995 but offered a $2000 discount for the first 2 couples to sign up. Then they offered a $1000 discount for my wife being a RN, then another $1000 for military, total cost is now $4995. WOW all of these great vacation travel savings 5 star resort for 2 star prices, for a lifetime membership that can be used by our family. And the membership can be handed down to our family after we pass. A anual fee of only $229 to keep the membership going for life.

They would not allow anyone use our phones to search the company, we had to turn off our phones. After we agreed to sign up, and gave our credit card for the $4995 fee we was handed our new $4995 note book with calculator, COOL.

We found the only web address and phone number provided was the company "Member Choice" that did the quotes and booking, NO Address. Desert Sky Travel uses a company called "Universal Concepts Inc." for the billing, NO E-mail address, NO web address, NO address, NO phone number. For "Desert Sky Travel" NO phone number, NO web or E-mail address. The address thats on the members right to cancel contract is supposed to be for Desert Sky Travel.

As soon as we got home we started searching the internet for Desert Sky Travel, Member Choice, Universal Concepts Inc. I spent hours Saturday, Sunday, and off and on for about 1 month. NONE of these 3 companies exist in the internet world, no matter how you search.  

The first thing Monday morning (Member Choice closed @ 2:00 PM Saturday and closed Sunday) 4/29/2013 I called the only phone number was available which was Member Choice and asked for the phone number for Desert Sky Travel. I called that phone number, of course all I got was the answering machine and I left a message that I had a few more questions on the vacation package that we just bought. They never returned my calls, I called 10 times the week of 4/29/13 thru 5/3/2013 and left messages. I actually wanted to confirm the address to cancel before I sent the note book back because it appeared this company was a ripoff.  Of course I was now past the 3 days right to cancel and my credit card company assured me not to worry about that.

My credit card company started the dispute on 5/4/2013 and did a temporary credit, on 7/5/2013 they considered the case closed and made it a perminate credit. Then on 7/11/2013 my CC company decided they was siding on the companies side because I sign a contract and it was way beyond the 3 days. What happened to the don't worry about it ???

I tried calling Desert Sky Travel on 7/13/2013 I was shocked they actually answered the phone. I explained my problem and the receptionist told me to go ahead and ship back the note book to the address I have and they would consider maybe a parshall refund. I immediately mailed it back certified/priority, it turns out that Desert Sky Travel no longer occupies the building with no forwarding address per USPS when they attempted deliverey. So it was sent back to me. I called the Desert Sky Travel again once again 7/17/2013 they answered the phone and claimed they was at the same address the package was sent to, but stated I will NOT get any refund anyway.

The company Desert Sky Travel uses Universal Concepts Inc. for the billing charges. I found out 7/18/2013 that another company "My Vacation Connection" also uses Universal Concepts Inc., both uses the same merchant number with my CC company. My Vacation Connection has over 18 fraud complaints and a F rating with the BBB with 22 complaints.   

My credit card company has re-opened my case with new found information, I don't know what the final result will be but I also filed a complaint with my County Attorney.

Please STAY AWAY FROM THESS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE vaction travel companies save your money and preserve your pride. 

I will never use the free airline and hotel offer, that ended up NOT being free.