You should understand that at first I didn’t get excited. I’ve had my fair share of “All Aboard” phone calls with the horn blowing in the background telling me I’d won a cruise! But the thing is, I’d actually filled out a ballot at the Fair to win my choice of either a Harley or $15,000 cash. At the time I wasn’t sure which I’d like more… but the thought of a hog in my driveway puts a little thrill up my spine!
Admittedly, I don’t remember the ballot saying anything about about a trip to Florida and the Bahamas and he teased me repeatedly about not being excited about the “second prize”.
I’d been lying on my couch all day, struck down again with Pneumonia, but after quite a bit of work he’d convinced me I’d won. Then after a coughing fit, I got excited!
A trip for four to Florida and the Bahamas! 11 days, 10 nights… to be used anytime in the next year and I’m thinking… it would be AWESOME to take the kids away for February break. What a surprise it would be for them! Maybe I could even give it to them for Christmas!
He told me to get a piece of paper and pen so he could run through the details. Three nights at the Ramada Plaza Resort in Disney with tickets for four to the parks. Two nights at the Ramada in Daytona, two nights at the one in Fort Lauderdale and the remainder at the Island Calm Resort in the Bahamas. He then gave me the phone number of the travel agency that will arrange all the details and told me the complete package would be in the mail in about 10 days… and he rattled off my address.
My head was spinning of rental cars, hotels and travelling alone with three kids. You might recall how the trip to PEI went… but still… how delighted they’d all be to go to Disney! I was hooked.
Then things went a little funny. He tells me that there’s a small cost. $149 for the first adult, $149 for the second… and the next two people are totally free… but they have to charge a fee to cover administration costs. He continued on for a few minutes about the trip and then mentioned that I’d said I had a Visa… and could I tell him the expiry date.
“Nope”, I said. “I didn’t say I had a Visa. In fact, I don’t have a credit card at all.”
Click.
And that was that.
I sat there for a moment thinking we’d been disconnected and he’d be phoning back… but then I did a search on the Internet and apparently there’s quite a scam going on with this Ramada Plaza deal and the Ramada they talk about is not the same Ramada we’re all acquainted with. There is indeed a trip… but when you get to the hotel you find the room has “accidentally” been booked for only one night, the rooms are awful, the rental car is beyond gross and you’re out thousands of dollars trying to keep your family happy in Florida on a trip you never would have booked. There are hundreds of stories of vacationers who’ve fallen for the scam!
So I’m sitting here feeling rather emotional and let down. Wanting to take the kids on a vacation and feeling totally scammed. It’s probably due to the fact that I can’t get a deep breath and feel like crap. Or that I’ve been staring at the TV all day watching families be reunited with loved ones after months apart. Or that some asshole has no conscience and makes his living phoning people convincing them they’d won a trip then scamming them out of money. Or that I filled out a ballot to win a Harley at the Fall Fair and trusted that it was legitimate. Or that I’ve even begun trusting people at all.
Maybe… maybe it’s just that I’m tired of someone telling you they’d give you the moon and stars then finding out they fed you a load of shit.
And I could have really used a vacation.
i just got that call and looked it up on the internet and found this, as soon as he asked for my expiration date i hung up
I got the same phone call. I knew it was a scam because I'd never entered to win a trip, and tried to string them along as long as I could thinking I could "trick" the free trip out of them. Yeah, they lost interest right away when I said I didn't have a credit card. (I lied.) 😉
omg! I was so excited for you! Was ready to send an email before even reading the rest to tell how awesome that your luck was turning around and more than that, laughing out loud as I sit in The Costa coffee about just how damn funny it would have been for you to win the Harley!! OMG could you imagine the look on HIS face! Damn. Now I'm let down.
Little One
your experience is exactly whats wrong with our over consumerist society. The almighty dollar is more important than human decency. Makes me sad.
i Don't know about you guys …. but i went on the same trip last year to FL from a ballot I filed out in a show… it was really good we had lots of fun (the 4 of us) .. they also upgraded us for a cruise to Bahamas it was really nice (it was the best part of our trip)…. at first when got the call i didn't believe it….. but when i went on the trip … me and my boyfriend really enjoyed our self there .. i was like one of you people thinking how can someone travel for 99.00 a person.. we also got 2 complementary dinner …. anyways I wish all you guys a good day and hope you guys could enjoy a great vacation like I did ..
Don't know about you guys …. but i went on the same trip last year to FL from a ballot I filed out in a show… it was really good we had lots of fun (the 4 of us) .. they also upgraded us for a cruise to Bahamas it was really nice (it was the best part of our trip)…. at first when got the call i didn't believe it….. but when i went on the trip … me and my boyfriend really enjoyed our self there .. i was like one of you people thinking how can someone travel for 99.00 a person.. we also got 2 complementary dinner …. anyways I wish all you guys a good day and hope you guys could enjoy a great vacation like I did ..
@Sara… sounds pretty interesting. But I gotta tell you… when the fellow hangs up on you when he asks for your credit card and you tell him you don't have one, when he insists you're the only "winner" though obviously others have recieved the phone call, when he pushes that it's a prize from the "Maritime Fall Fair" though they know nothing about it and when there's numerous reports online along with a lawsuit from "Ramada"… you gotta think there's a scam going on. Maybe a few folks get a half decent vacation out of it… but if that's the case… they're going about it all the wrong way. And telling someone they "won" a trip… a ballot picked from "thousands", then hanging up on you… is not exactly my idea of winning.
Hi Queen,
When i got the phone call they congratulate me on being one on the few to receive this offer from 1000 of people that entered….
i did ask if i have won the tip they told me NO.. you are receiving a discounted trip for 4 people … they asked me if i have a visa.. i did say NO then they asked me if my boyfriend has one I did not answer … i was on the phone with them for 30-45 min and they were so nice .. also at 1st was thinking that this was an scam.. but it WAS NOT .. here is the website of the company that i traveled with http://www.floridabahamascruisevacations.com/ if this is the company that contacted you then all i can tell is that you'll enjoy your vacation with them … at the end I ended up paying with my parents credit card … one of the best vacations I have been to 🙂
Hello, I recevied the exact same phone call and was unfortunate enought to fall for it. As soon as I hungup I started research and found out it was a scam. I called my credit company right away and it was already too late for them to block the payment(5 minute time span) They kept you on the phone long enough for the transaction to go through. I called back to see about a refund and 45-1hr of being bounced around by many different people I knew I was not going to get a refund. "But why wouldnt you want to go to the Bahamas" and when they transfered me to a "Specialist" and I asked for the refund they said "CONGRATULATIONS" .. Then I had enough.. I called my credit card company, I was advised to cancel my card and report fraud as this is happening alot. I am now waiting for my credit card company to file a report against the company.
They will give you the following sites:
http://caribbeancl.com/
http://www.bahamascelebration.com/
Please No One fall for this scam. Do not think you are the only one who "Won" this trip. I have also been in contact with the Maritime fall fair and here is the response;
Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention; we have received similar emails and inquiries to yours today and we are currently investigating the matter. I will get back to you when I know more.
This was a draw/promotion conducted by one of our exhibitors and, had we known there would be any issue with the manner in which this promotion was to be conducted, we would never have allowed them to be at our Fair. This promotion is in no way affiliated with the Maritime Fall Fair or Trade Centre Limited.
I truly appreciate your letting us know and we will be in touch.
Kind regards,
Fiona
its not a scam ..i did my home work..I like the cruise..And you have 30 days to cancel
http://www.caribbeancl.com/BahamasCelebration_Testimonals.htm
what is bad in that I did buy it very low price and my cousin did go last year and had a great trip
We attended the fall fair as well and filled otu the ballets for the harley. So obviously they got our info from those ballets. for all we know someone could of dumped our ballets in the garbage and they got our numbers that way. scam all the way I say.
and anyone posting how they got their trip, probably part of the scammers entourage posting comments so people think it is legit. whatever. Alot of people won this trip then, there was not one winner. I got a very similar call about a year ago for ramada, its an ongoing scam. never give your card number out to anyone!