- Report: #235129
Complaint Review: Grand Crowne Travel Network - Springfield Missouri
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Author Confirmed
Why?
Grand Crowne Travel Network
1555 South Glenstone Avenue Springfield, 65804 Missouri, U.S.A.
Phone:
417-889-1230
Web:
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Grand Crowne Travel Network ripoff May not be a fraud according to a legal definition but definitely deal in some seriously shady business practices Springfield Missouri
I had my first and last booking encounter with Grand Crowne almost immediately after signing up with the travel club. My friend convinced me to sign on the dotted line after a long discussion amongst ourselves. I reluctantly filled out the paperwork and Grand Crowne made about a $2400 sale, which I have since paid off.
I soon attemted to book a trip with hotel and extras to Crested Butte, CO (Great skiing there by the way and not as touristy as alot of other ski resort towns) through one of the network's "expert travel representatives". You would think after paying such an unGodly sum of money that the services would be impecable, but that was simply not the case. I soon discovered that the %40 to %50 savings that were promised to us during the lengthly unrecorded one on one portion of the sales pitch were just numbers that the company and its sales staff uses to make a sale. I called the hotel directly after getting a quote through Grand Crowne for a room, lift tickets, and ski equipment rentals, and got the EXACT quote on the room price that Grand Crowne was trying to sell me AND the hotel BEAT GC's lift ticket and equipment rental price! When presented with the information, the Grand Crowne rep stated something to the effect of "we only sell UP TO %40 to %50 discounted travel package rates". Then they wanted me to provide them with proof in writing that the hotel beat the equipment and lift ticket prices. Yah! I'm going to spend $2400 on a travel club membership and have to go through this nonsense whenever I book a trip. That whole guaranteed lowest price at the time of booking thing only means that they will match prices, and in this case was a savings of ZERO %... Needless to say I booked through the hotel myself. They should have paid me for doing the reseach that they should have done themselves.
The "scam" goes like this.. You sit in a room with a bunch of other unsuspecting lambs to the slaughter and you all hear the same lenglthly product sales pitch that is "recorded for accuracy purposes"... Then you brach off from the flock and go one on one with a sales representative who answers any questions or concerns that you may have. This is the part that is NOT recorded. How convenient. All of a sudden you are given all the magical sales answers like "we promise this" and "guarantee that" (including %40 to %50 off travel packages), and it is all done with little or no recourse because they have it "documented" in a recording that they have told you something one time in an hour long presentation. My guess is that there is some type of legal recourse to misrepresenting your product or in this case flat out lying. They also misrepresented the number of benefits to being a member of their club would allow you as a member. They stated that there are just an unimaginable number of rooms, lights, travel packages, car rentals, etc.. that go unsold and that are held for GC Travel Network at %40 to %50 off just for being a travel club due to contractual agreements of some kind. Though this may be true top a certain extent, it is certainly not the extent that they promise their members during the sales pitch.
I am sure that Grand Crowne will probably boast in a reubuttal about it's 80,000 plus membership and how it is growing (let's do a customer satisfaction survey.. I never got one of those in the mail or via e-mail!). They may rebutt by saying that they don't have any records that we ever used or attempted to use their services or internet site(we didn't use their internet site because we just wanted discouted travel and if we wanted internet travel or savings on other things we would just use one of the hundreds of travel web sites or use a travel rewards credit card at no charge to us). They will even say that we were rude on the phone(which we were but only after seeing the proof that we had been ripped off for $2400 and recieving no satisfaction from their customer service manager) I would however like to apologize for the foul language utilized by my friend on the phone.. I don't condone that type of communication and she should have never said some of the things that she did. That makes her no better than the crooked salespersons that sold us this bogus membership.
Upon our discovery of the bogus and broken promises of the travel club, we requested a refund of our money, which of course they rejected. They instead send a wonderfully written letter, probably generated by a lawyer or paralegal, stating that they find no reason to refund any amount of money back to us because they have provided us with the services that were "promised" to us. We then requested to terminate our membership. They responded by sending us a contract cancellation form. We signed and had it notorized, then sent it on its merry little way. Over a year later (which brings us to present) I get a past due bill from GC stating that I have $433.00 in past due membership fees and late fees. I called them and spoke with a nice sounding young woman on the phone about the issue. She said she'd call me back after she looked into our file. She did return my call some hours later and stated that they have no record of the cancellation request at all, but would send out another cancellation form. I don't know why they never "recieved" the first one nor do I really care. I just want to forget about this nightmareish experience and be done with it. The only thing that I do know for certain is that I won't be paying for any "membership fees" or "late fees" for a membership that should have been cancelled over a year ago upon our request and that was NEVER used because of GC's broken promises and guarantees. I think you've swindled enough money out of this hardworking City Govn't Employee. I am very curious and anxious to see if this issue is handled appropriately by the company
To all that have been taken by the misleading promises of GC... I am sorry. Guess it's an expensive lesson learned. The old saying "if it seems to good to be true then it probably is" stands true in this case. If there were a lemon law for travel clubs, then this one would definitely qualify. I am very disappointed and feel a bit violated to say the least.
Brad
Frisco, Texas
U.S.A.
I soon attemted to book a trip with hotel and extras to Crested Butte, CO (Great skiing there by the way and not as touristy as alot of other ski resort towns) through one of the network's "expert travel representatives". You would think after paying such an unGodly sum of money that the services would be impecable, but that was simply not the case. I soon discovered that the %40 to %50 savings that were promised to us during the lengthly unrecorded one on one portion of the sales pitch were just numbers that the company and its sales staff uses to make a sale. I called the hotel directly after getting a quote through Grand Crowne for a room, lift tickets, and ski equipment rentals, and got the EXACT quote on the room price that Grand Crowne was trying to sell me AND the hotel BEAT GC's lift ticket and equipment rental price! When presented with the information, the Grand Crowne rep stated something to the effect of "we only sell UP TO %40 to %50 discounted travel package rates". Then they wanted me to provide them with proof in writing that the hotel beat the equipment and lift ticket prices. Yah! I'm going to spend $2400 on a travel club membership and have to go through this nonsense whenever I book a trip. That whole guaranteed lowest price at the time of booking thing only means that they will match prices, and in this case was a savings of ZERO %... Needless to say I booked through the hotel myself. They should have paid me for doing the reseach that they should have done themselves.
The "scam" goes like this.. You sit in a room with a bunch of other unsuspecting lambs to the slaughter and you all hear the same lenglthly product sales pitch that is "recorded for accuracy purposes"... Then you brach off from the flock and go one on one with a sales representative who answers any questions or concerns that you may have. This is the part that is NOT recorded. How convenient. All of a sudden you are given all the magical sales answers like "we promise this" and "guarantee that" (including %40 to %50 off travel packages), and it is all done with little or no recourse because they have it "documented" in a recording that they have told you something one time in an hour long presentation. My guess is that there is some type of legal recourse to misrepresenting your product or in this case flat out lying. They also misrepresented the number of benefits to being a member of their club would allow you as a member. They stated that there are just an unimaginable number of rooms, lights, travel packages, car rentals, etc.. that go unsold and that are held for GC Travel Network at %40 to %50 off just for being a travel club due to contractual agreements of some kind. Though this may be true top a certain extent, it is certainly not the extent that they promise their members during the sales pitch.
I am sure that Grand Crowne will probably boast in a reubuttal about it's 80,000 plus membership and how it is growing (let's do a customer satisfaction survey.. I never got one of those in the mail or via e-mail!). They may rebutt by saying that they don't have any records that we ever used or attempted to use their services or internet site(we didn't use their internet site because we just wanted discouted travel and if we wanted internet travel or savings on other things we would just use one of the hundreds of travel web sites or use a travel rewards credit card at no charge to us). They will even say that we were rude on the phone(which we were but only after seeing the proof that we had been ripped off for $2400 and recieving no satisfaction from their customer service manager) I would however like to apologize for the foul language utilized by my friend on the phone.. I don't condone that type of communication and she should have never said some of the things that she did. That makes her no better than the crooked salespersons that sold us this bogus membership.
Upon our discovery of the bogus and broken promises of the travel club, we requested a refund of our money, which of course they rejected. They instead send a wonderfully written letter, probably generated by a lawyer or paralegal, stating that they find no reason to refund any amount of money back to us because they have provided us with the services that were "promised" to us. We then requested to terminate our membership. They responded by sending us a contract cancellation form. We signed and had it notorized, then sent it on its merry little way. Over a year later (which brings us to present) I get a past due bill from GC stating that I have $433.00 in past due membership fees and late fees. I called them and spoke with a nice sounding young woman on the phone about the issue. She said she'd call me back after she looked into our file. She did return my call some hours later and stated that they have no record of the cancellation request at all, but would send out another cancellation form. I don't know why they never "recieved" the first one nor do I really care. I just want to forget about this nightmareish experience and be done with it. The only thing that I do know for certain is that I won't be paying for any "membership fees" or "late fees" for a membership that should have been cancelled over a year ago upon our request and that was NEVER used because of GC's broken promises and guarantees. I think you've swindled enough money out of this hardworking City Govn't Employee. I am very curious and anxious to see if this issue is handled appropriately by the company
To all that have been taken by the misleading promises of GC... I am sorry. Guess it's an expensive lesson learned. The old saying "if it seems to good to be true then it probably is" stands true in this case. If there were a lemon law for travel clubs, then this one would definitely qualify. I am very disappointed and feel a bit violated to say the least.
Brad
Frisco, Texas
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Arthur
Pine Bush,New York,
U.S.A.
Continue to file complaints-Strength in numbers
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, February 25, 2007
Reading the many rip-off reports against Grand Crowne showed me that all complaints were the same as mine. It is interesting that people paid anywhere from $2500 to $9000 to buy a membership. I never received a reply from Grand Crowne until I filed a complaint with the BBB of Springfield, Mo. The reply contained as many lies as their presentation. I have filed complaints with the BBB, the Attorney General of Mo., AARP, Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, and filed a report for a class action suit. I continue to write to agencies in Branson telling them how much we loved their city but will not return as long as Grand Crowne is in operation. The contract we signed gave us three days to cancel. However, as in many other cases, I could not get into the site as it rejected my login and by the time I received assistance to sign on it was too late to cancel. I ask you help in filing as many complaints as you can with every agency. If we do nothing more than help others not to be taken in by Grand Crowne all efforts will be worthwhile. It is time for Grand Crowne to stop fleecing America. Don't give up.
Brad
Frisco,Texas,
U.S.A.
BBB Online-- I'm still baffled and confused
#3Author of original report
Fri, February 23, 2007
Filed a complaint with the BBB Online and recieved a response from Grand Fraud. Good Ole Sherry sent yet another well written letter probably formatted by a lawyer or paralegal along with the copy of the original contract that we signed and initialed. You all know the one that I am talking about, but she swears that there is no record of anyone ever sending out a relinquishment form in the past. I guess we must have dreamed the whole ordeal. Anyway. Her form letter responding to the BBB complaint kindly stated how sorry that she is that I was displeased with the services provided by Grand Crowne and that she doesn't take my complaint lightly. However; she sees no reason to refund any monies or the like nor does she find cause to cancel my contract at this time because she feels that Grand Crowne has kept up with their contractual obligations. Does any of this ring a bell with any of you reading this? Sounds kind of like a broken record huh? I'm kind of confused because I just sent in a contract relinquishment form via certified mail that was signed and notarized. When I recieved the relinquishment form it was accompanied by a cover letter signed by none other than Sherry herself stating that as soon as the signed and notarized form is recieved, that the contracted would be processed for cancellation. Got the recipient voucher in the mail on 02-21-07. This indicates that Grand Crowne recieved the signed and notarized form correct? Well that means that the contract, according to Sherry, is now being processed for cancellation. I thought that Sherry sent me a letter stating that she finds no cause to cancel my contract. Then why is it that I have sent in a signed and notarized contract relinquishment form? Is it me that is confused or Grand Crowne? Either way... I've done my part and I've done it in accordance with their guidelines. If they want to report me to collections for past due fees and membership dues that they feel I owe then go right ahead. Don't really care anymore because they already got their $2400 for their bogus worthless membership. It's just one mark on an otherwise flawless credit score.
Brad
Frisco,Texas,
U.S.A.
Recieved Cancellation form
#4Author of original report
Mon, February 12, 2007
I recieved the second contract relinquishment form from Sherry at Grand Crowne Travel Network 2 days ago. The cancellation form was another legally binding agreement that obligates me to pay all membership dues, late and administrative fees (totalling $433.00) upon signing it and having it notorized. I called Katy today, a friendly service rep at Grand Crowne, and she informed me that her director stated that they are waiving all of the membership dues and late and admin fees because it was their mistake that the first cancellation request was not processed. I then requested that they send another amended cancellation form because I didn't feel comfortable signing the current form as written because I felt that it obligated me to make payments that I didn't owe. She again politely ensured me that it does not obligate me to make payment and that she is documenting everything that is being told to me by her and her director and reassued me that all dues and fees would be waived and that they would not seek any action to make collection on those or any other dues and fees in the future. I am amending the contract myself and making additional notes to the contract regarding the membership dues and fees that Katy and I discussed today prior to having it notorized. I was informed by Katy that by signing this contract I obsolve my right to utilize and collect on the services promised to me by Grand Crowne and it also obsolves my obligations to Grand Crowne for all of the current and any future dues and fees that may arise. Although we feel that Grand Crowne owes us the cost of the membership due to the misrepresentation of their services by their sales staff, we are signing the contract and washing our hands of Grand Crowne Travel Network. For value based shopping to meet your travel needs I would not reccommend Grand Crowne to anyone. I do however suggest to Grand Crowne that they CLOSELY SUPERVISE their sales staff regarding their sales practices. One undisclosed day in the future an investigative reporter or two may be sitting in on several of these sales seminars to determine just how fine of a criminal line these sales people are walking. Thanks for your help Katy.
Brad
Frisco,Texas,
U.S.A.
and furthermore!!
#5Author of original report
Thu, February 08, 2007
If by chance you do plan to go to one of Grand Crowne's "sales seminars", don't fall for their line of garbage about selling you other people's memberships. In retrospect I laughed about it, but at the same time get red in the face out of anger. During our one on one unrecorded sales pitch, our salesman got stuck because we outright refused to pay $8000.00 for a membership. The bald guy that performed the formal "recorded cover your a*s" presentaion came over to our table upon the salesman's request. The bald guy then tells us, in a whispering tone of course, about a poor little widow who lost her husband in a combat operation and needed to get rid of their membership so he could sell us her membership at the price of her remaining balance. That's great! Let's profit off of the notion of United States Soldiers that died protecting the liberties and freedoms of these crooked salepersons! They should be incarcerated for their criminal misrepresentation of the services allegedley provided by this company. You people are a disgrace to this country!
