- Report: #254335
Complaint Review: United Vacation Network - Largo Florida
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Author Confirmed
Why?
United Vacation Network
3690 E Bay Dr Ste G Largo, 33771 Florida, U.S.A.
Phone:
727-531-1400
Web:
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United Vacation Network Offerings of a free cruise are bogus! They use false advertising, deceptive sales practices, misleading advertising, and you name it. Ripoff Largo Florida
This company will bring you in with the promise of a free vacation. You talk to one company to make your appointment, another does the presentation, a third takes your gift claim voucher and sends you a gift offer from a fourth company who "is not affiliated in any way" with that company that promised you anything free.
What United Vacation Network tries to do is sell you an $7,500. "travel club" deal. When you don't want it, you get a letter to send in for your cruise. Then you receive a "passport to travel" from another company (in our case, Spirit incentives sent us something from Prestige Travel Systems), but you have to pay $50. to join the PTS travel club, plus $4.95 to get your cruise voucher, plus $249. per person to take the cruise offered from very limited ports and on even more limited sailing dates. Ends up more than if you bought a cruise outright from the cruise line.
Among the companies participating on this scam are Suncoast Travel Network/Facilitators, Prestige Travel Systems out of Tampa, FL, Spirit Incentives, and Blowfish Media (supposedly out of Los Angeles, CA, but this last one could not be corroborated as even being a real company -- the rest are).
Ultimately, you will waste the four hours in travel and presentation time (depending on where you live) and $12. in gas for nothing.
Wish I had seen the request for witnesses on another ROR report before this, and wish the trial date had not already passed.
Hey, Florida legislators, former State Attorney-turned Governor Crist, et al, how about protecting the people of your State from these predators!
K
Clearwater, Florida
U.S.A.
What United Vacation Network tries to do is sell you an $7,500. "travel club" deal. When you don't want it, you get a letter to send in for your cruise. Then you receive a "passport to travel" from another company (in our case, Spirit incentives sent us something from Prestige Travel Systems), but you have to pay $50. to join the PTS travel club, plus $4.95 to get your cruise voucher, plus $249. per person to take the cruise offered from very limited ports and on even more limited sailing dates. Ends up more than if you bought a cruise outright from the cruise line.
Among the companies participating on this scam are Suncoast Travel Network/Facilitators, Prestige Travel Systems out of Tampa, FL, Spirit Incentives, and Blowfish Media (supposedly out of Los Angeles, CA, but this last one could not be corroborated as even being a real company -- the rest are).
Ultimately, you will waste the four hours in travel and presentation time (depending on where you live) and $12. in gas for nothing.
Wish I had seen the request for witnesses on another ROR report before this, and wish the trial date had not already passed.
Hey, Florida legislators, former State Attorney-turned Governor Crist, et al, how about protecting the people of your State from these predators!
K
Clearwater, Florida
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
K
Clearwater,Florida,
U.S.A.
Integrity
#2Author of original report
Mon, June 25, 2007
UVN's attempts to distance itself from it's offering displays the lack of integrity this company has. UVN KNOWS the offering sent to consumers, has had multiple complaints (I was witness to one while attending the presentation -- a man demanded his free cruise certificate then and there, but was told, "Sir, of course we can not keep the certificates here, we would be robbed every day if we kept that much valuable inventory here...") regarding the incentives, but continues to use the same company that sends these out?? In addition, as stated originally, the gift letter does state the consumer pays the port charges, taxes and fees for the cruise (although the postcard says complimentary), but Royal Caribbean has confirmed that the total for these amounts comes to $104., not the $274. that you are told to pay if you want to take your cruise. The UVN salesman who gave the presentation also said we would have to pay the port charges, and government taxes and fees, but said nothing about any other expenses or costs. Again, UVN knows this is occuring, continues to use the companies contacting and providing these "other services" (marketing, gift fulfillment, etc.) and hides behind the claims that they have "nothing to do" with what somebody else sends out or promises. If UVN truly wished to be an upstanding company, they would ensure that the incentive the consumer was lured in with would be accurately stated, and/or they would uphold what the consumer can prove he was promised (without hiding behind excuses or other companies). Not doing so constitutes a lack of integrity, and no matter how hard you rebut the truth, it can not change the facts.
Christy
Largo,Florida,
U.S.A.
Member Services
#3UPDATE Employee
Mon, June 25, 2007
United Vacation Network does not invite individuals to attend a presentation; they are contacted by appointment setting agencies who set appointments for various companies nation wide. The appointments setting companies offer incentives for attending the presentations; consumers are not promised any form of a complimentary incentive from United Vacation Network. We inform individuals of travel savings they can receive by becoming members of our company at the presentations. All consumers are provided a gift acknowledgement form that clearly states any and all promises and incentives for attending the presentation are not offered, serviced, or fulfilled by United Vacation Network and are accompanied by taxes, port charges, and service fees which all consumers sign and agree to. Any and all complaints pertaining to a complimentary incentive voucher need to be directed to the company offering the vouchers.
