Vacation Promotions International Still Working the Bahamas Cruise Scam Lake Forest / Berkeley Square, Mayfair California / London
I am amazed this company is still operating, and working the same scam that they used on my family and me way back in 2000.
Was a complete internet newbie and totally unaware that predators stalked the web looking for a victim. This was an transcom Auction for a cruise for 4 people. The seller was Dieter Fischer, allegedly living in Kaiserslautern at the time. I transfered 2'040.- Swiss Francs to an account on the Canary Islands on March 3. 2000, where his travel agency was supposedly located.
A few weeks later I received some glossy brochures and was asked to wire a 70 Franc registration fee. I was never able to reach Mr. Fischer or Vacation Promotions again (Mandy Hashemi, Manager)
The worst thing about all this is, that though the names and addresses are different, I'm pretty sure that, after 9 years, the same people are still up to their nasty dirty business
I wish someone could make them pay for their sick scams.
Arcu
Schnenberg
Switzerland
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Avoid VP
Other,Consumer
#4Consumer Comment
Tue, April 14, 2015
I'm writing here to warn people against believing the Owner's rebuttal above me, like I did. Our experience with Vaction Promotions Internation was awful and it's my opinion that it is indeed a complete scam. We sent the initial payment and were expecting to pay for nothing other than flights like how it had been explained to us. However the total price for four people turned out being almost five and a half thousnd british pounds; this included a number of taxes such as: "port taxes, airline taxes, local taxes, government taxes, vehicle taxes, seasonal and fuel surcharges." And this five and a thousand pound payment would still not pay for meals on the cruise. Therefore if you think you have struck a good deal with VP, you are probably wrong since there are many cheaper options where you actually know straight off what you are paying for.
These people will sound convcing; right until you realise you are being scammed and ask for your money back and they respond by threatening to sue you if you peprform any malice behaviour.
I will never understand how people can live with themselves making a living by taking the pensions of people who worked hard all their lives and are vulernable to tricks. I wish some justice would be done but I'll settle for warning people by telling about my own experience with this company.
Millie
Weymouth,Vacation Promotions International
#4Consumer Comment
Wed, April 24, 2013
I registered with your company in February for cruises. You have received the payment for registration but as yet you have sent no details of dates or times of the cruises. It seems a long time. You say you have an office in London. Why is it not listed anywhere. You have no phone number or email address. Why do you not wish people to contact you. All very mysterious. Please forward your London address please. Millie Frost.
VPI CALIFORNIA
San Juan Capistrano,California,
United States of America
Inaccurate and False Report
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Mon, May 10, 2010
First of all we are not the same company as Vacation Promotions of Florida or Arizona that has numerous complaints on this board. We are Vacation Promotions INTERNATIONAL or VPI based in California with an office in London, U.K. We have never had any offices in the Canary Islands or any part of Spain for that matter as reported here. We have been in business since 1992 and we have never been a part of any kind of scam, sick or otherwise, as this individual claims.
In 2000 some individual called Dieter Fischer of Austria or Germany stole some of our brochures and lured some unsuspecting German customers to his website offering them our cruise holidays at 80% off the price. Only when we received a call from Scotland Yard and the FBI did we know what was going on. We have never had any dealings with Dieter Fischer at any time and Scotland Yard was quite satisfied with their findings that VPI had nothing to do with this scam. I believe Fischer was caught at some point but he had already spent the money he scammed.
VPI, is in fact the victim of this scam and now we are being victimized by this individual. My question to him and others who were scammed is: Why did you send over $2000 by wire transfer (not even a credit card!) to an individual in the Canary Islands? The brochure had our company names and addresses located in California and the U.K. Yet the payment was sent to Fischer, an individual not our company VPI and to an island off the coast of Spain! And you are actually blaming us, VPI for being scammed? If anyone is to be blamed it is you, Mr. Arcu of Schonenberg, Switzerland. Why would you believe that you could get an 11 night cruise holiday with air from Switzerland to Florida for $500 per person in July/Aug x 4 = $2000 roughly 2040 Swiss Francs. The airline tickets alone cost more than that even back in 2000! Should you not have contacted us in the US or in UK before parting with your money by wire transfer to some person on some island? And here you are 10 yrs later still blaming us for not using your common sense and being blindsided by claims of a holiday at a ridiculously low price! You claim that you have never been able to reach us? We have been here for 20 yrs at the same address! Either re open the case with Scotland Yard/FBI and contact us or stop spreading these malicious lies about VPI!