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  • Report:  #26316

Complaint Review: Ramada Plaza Resort

Ramada Plaza Resort ripoff fraudulent billing overcharging slow prossessing unethical Ft Lauderdale Florida

  • Reported By:
    Churchville NY
  • Submitted:
    Wed, August 07, 2002
  • Updated:
    Thu, August 08, 2002
  • Ramada Plaza Resort
    2419 E. Commercial Blvd
    Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
    U.S.A.
  • Phone:
    800-561-0999
  • Category:

I recently got a letter telling me that if I called a number I would get a discounted vacation, and as a sepecial promotion receive three additional vacations at no extra charge. I've been going to college for a year (without any breaks) and had a break comming up in August, so I called.

When I called the man I spoke to gave me his speach, told me that this was a now or never offer, and then told me the price. I hadn't been working, so I didn't have very much left on my credit card. I told him that I wasn't sure how much was left on my credit card, but I knew I didn't have $600 left on it.

He told me that it wouldn't be a problem, if I gave him my credit card number, he would check to see what I had left on the card and charge the balance. After he "checked", he informed me that I had a remaining balance of $174 and that he would charge$174 to my credit card and then break down the remaining $426 into installments. I agreed and was then transfered to the verification department.

After they connected me tp the verification department, the line suddenly got static and I could barely hear what the woman on the other line was saying. After asking her to repeat herself over and over, we finishewd our conversation.

About two days later, I thought about it and decided that I didn't have the money to take this vacation. I waited to get the information in the mail so that I could find out how I should go about canceling the vacation package.

When I received the package, looked through it and on the last page, on the back, in miniscule lettering it told me how I would have to cancel.

When I called the number and told the "customer care" operator that I wanted to cancel, he told me that since I was on a payment plan he wouldn't be able to credit my account or stop the payment plan. He then tried to sell me another vacation package!! After that I was mad, I read the back page to him verbatim: "You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction without any penalty or obligation at any time prior to midnight of the third bussiness day after recept of this notice. If you cancel, any payments made will be credited to your charge account within ten business days."

He swiftly took care of my request and told me my charge account would be credited within 7-10 bussiness days.

Two weeks later, I receive my credit card statement...They had run my credit card over by $90. And there was a charge on there, that I did not authorize, for an additional $21.

It has been three weeks and my account has not been credited yet. When I called today, the supervisor I spoke to told me that my paperwork had been lost, that he couldn't do anything for me, and that in order for this to be taken care of I would have to fax a letter to the complait department and they woulds then call me within 7 days.

I feel very helpless and pissed off right now, and I was wondering if anything ever came out of the class action suit against this company. I trusted that Ramada was a respectable corporation that would act in an ethical way, and I was deceived.

Christina
Churchville, New York

2 Updates & Rebuttals


Michele

Griswold,
Connecticut,

I got my money back ...

#3Consumer Suggestion

Thu, August 08, 2002

You can read my "hell" with this so-called company, Ramada Plaza Resorts (last updated 3/21/02)

Here is what I did:
I sent the lengthy ripoff report to my Attny General Richard Blumenthal (from Connecticut) and the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Consumer Services Mr Charles H Bronson and, of course, Ramada Plaza Resorts. I did get $1200 which is better than nothing!!! They refunded me the initial trip charges of $598 per person. I am thrilled and wanted to share the information with you all and hopefully you can have the same luck I did. Hey - I got this all done within a MONTH!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Charles H Bronson, Commissioner
Division of Consumer Services
407 S Calhoun St
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800
1-800-HELP-FLA
www.800helpusa.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ramada Plaza Resorts
2419 E Commecrcial Blvd
Fort Lauderdale FL 33308

telephone: 954-630-9449

Leslie Maynard - Compliance Department Manager

Gina Johns - Admin Asst to VP

Mr Lambert - VP Ramada Plaza Reorts
Mr Lambert's personal fax: 954-331-4180

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't give up! I returned from this hell trip (yes, I actually WENT) on February 16th and had a refund by March 11th!!

Good luck!


Jim

Seminole,
Florida,

The company on the phone is NOT Ramada Hotel chain

#3UPDATE EX-employee responds

Wed, August 07, 2002

I used to work for Ramada Plaza Resorts that you mention.

I thought it a bit sleazy and left their employ very quickly, after 2 weeks I realized I couldn't do that sort of thing to folks. That was over 2 years ago

The people you speak to on the phone do NOT work for Ramada Inn.

The vacation package is legitimate but the boat mentioned for the cruise is reportedly a bit of an old tub, I have never seen it myself.

You also have to attend a little Time Share speil at Lauderdale as part of this deal.

Altogether the vacation package itself would worth the money, but the overall package, some of the accomodations and the ship itself are not the best. My ex-in-laws made that trip earlier this year, I didn't know until after they did so, or I would have warned them, and they in turn confirmed what I had heard.

They had a good time, but said it would have been a lot better if the hotels had been up to the standards they were led to expect.

As for them checking yur balance, this is done by repeatedly running your card through until they find an amount that your card will accept and that is what they then charge you.

It is very high pressure and they gild the lily to get you to buy.

I never knew about the class action suit, and am sorry to hear they charged things they never mentioned on the phone. This makes me all the more glad I left the job as fast as I did!

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