Complaint Review: Ramada Plaza Resorts - Ft. Lauderdale Florida

Hi Miranda, You CAN get a refund by using U.S. laws (even though you are in Canada). Because RPR misrepresented their vacation package and deceived you into thinking it was something that it wasn't, they BROKE both Florida and Federal consumer protection laws. RPR must follow Florida laws because it's licensed in Florida, and fortunately Florida has very strict consumer protection and travel seller laws. Also, you should know that RPR says their vacations are "guaranteed to satisfy you, or you get 100% money back" (this is what they tell you). What you need to do is first write a letter to VP of Ramada Plaza Resorts, Daniel Lambert, stating why you want a FULL refund and how you were deceived/misled (specifically state all of the Florida and Federal laws RPR broke AND how the trip was misrepresented). Remember to make formal complaints to every possible agency (you can do this online) and forward your letter to Danielle Lambert to all of those agencies. To make complaints, call both Florida's Department of Consumer Affairs and Florida's Attorney General's office (if you haven't done so already). Make a complaint either by phone or on their website. Both Fl's Department of Consumer Affairs and Fl's Attorney General's Office will let you know what documents (if any) they need from you. You first need to file a complaint before they ask for any documents. You should definitely know that Florida has a class action lawsuit against RPR and you should join (this lawsuit is happening as we speak). When you call Fl's Attorney General's office, ask about the lawsuit if they don't go ahead and mention it first (they mentioned it to me when I called). Check out the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) website as well because they have had class actions against RPR in the past and may have one now. This is who I sent complaints to (I'm even writing to Cendant's Board of Directors. Cendant is Ramada's parent company and I'm sure the board of directors would love to know that they have a franchise that may lower the stock price due to no confidence): 1) The Council of Better Business Bureaus 4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800 Arlington, VA 22203-1838 Phone: 1 (703) 276.0100 Fax: 1 (703) 525.8277 2) BBB Serving Southeast Florida and the Caribbean 2924 North Australian Ave. West Palm Beach, FL 33407 Phone: (561)842-1918 Fax: (561)845-7234 3) Federal Trade Commission Attention: CRC 600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W. Washington, DC 20580 4) Office of Attorney General Charlie Crist State of Florida The Capitol PL-01 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050 Phone: 850-414-3300 Fax: 850-410-1630 5) My state's attorney general 6) Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Consumer Services Rhodes Building 2005 Apalachee Parkway Tallahassee, FL 32399-6500 7) Cendant Corporation 9 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-413-1800 Fax: 212-413-1918 [email protected] 8) Ramada Franchise Systems Inc. 1 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 Phone: 973-428-9700 Fax: 973-496-7658 9) My bank (I filed a written dispute already) Daniel Lambert's contact info: Mr. Daniel Lambert Vice President Ramada Plaza Resorts 2419 E Commercial Blvd. #100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 Tel: (954) 630-9449 Fax: (954) 331-4180 Don't forget to write a complaint to the US Postal Service. Travel scams using the postal service is mail fraud. Here's the US Postal Inspection Site (you can file the complaint online, just like with the other agencies) --> http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/welcome.htm To learn about Florida's laws, go to Florida's Attorney General Office's website, Florida's Consumer Affairs Dept, and/or Google "consumer protection laws in Florida." Here's the website with Fl's 2005 statutes/laws: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=View%20Statutes&Submenu=1&Tab=statutes&CFID=1919775&CFTOKEN=60296517 The main title for Fl consumer protection statutes is "TITLE XXXIII REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS" Under that main title, look under "Chapter 559 REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, AND INVESTMENTS, GENERALLY" to find travel seller laws Travel Seller laws is titled "Part XI: SELLERS OF TRAVEL (ss. 559.926-559.939)" --> http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0559/part11.htm&StatuteYear=2005&Title=%2D%3E2005%2D%3EChapter%20559%2D%3EPart%20XI Also look at "Chapter 501 CONSUMER PROTECTION" to find consumer protection laws on Fl's statute website. To learn about FTC's consumer protection laws, go to www.FTC.gov Learn as many laws as you can. I know it seems like a hassle (well, it is), but it's TOTALLY worth it. GOOD LUCK!