The long weekend he spent at the Lady Luck Hotel and Casino was a distant memory to David Burford, who checked into the Las Vegas resort with his family back in 2004. But not to a Boca Raton, Fla., company called First Class Travel Wise, which contacted him out of the blue recently and ordered him to pay an extra $433 for his vacation.
Talk about late billing.
How could a company that Burford had never heard of make that kind of demand? A representative explained that Burford hadn’t fulfilled the terms of a travel package he had allegedly purchased four years ago, at about the same time he booked the Lady Luck room.
When Burford balked, he was connected to someone who identified himself as Christopher Greene, who claimed that Burford had stayed at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas and had taken a property tour, which obligated him to book future travel through First Class Travel Wise. Greene is listed on First Class Travel Wise’s Web site as its president.
Burford had never stayed at the Imperial Palace.
I informed Greene that I thought his call was part of some fraud attempt at getting me to pay him $433 for a bogus deal. He then related that he could email or fax to me the contract that I had entered into. I asked him to mail it to me, but he declined. He then related that he would contact a collections agency regarding the $433 that I supposedly owed.
Burford checked his records and found that he had paid for show tickets at the Imperial Palace. He also investigated his hotel booking, which was made through a company called Leisure Time Las Vegas. He remembers that the booking enrolled him in “some travel program that I did not want to join,” so he canceled it.
However, efforts to reach the Imperial Palace and Leisure Time Las Vegas were unsuccessful. Leisure Time’s phones have been disconnected, and the Imperial Palace is undergoing a renovation, according to Burford.
I contacted First Class Travel Wise on Burford’s behalf. It hasn’t responded.
Burford is not leaving anything to chance. He has filed complaints with state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the Southeast Florida Better Business Bureau. The BBB has given First Class Travel Wise a grade of “F” for not responding to customer complaints.
The company’s efforts to collect money from other travelers is also detailed in 800Notes, which catalogs calls from “unknown” companies.
Burford, for his part, is standing his ground.
It was shocking for me to receive the above phone call from Greene claiming I had to pay for something that occurred over four years ago. I totally dispute their claim that I lodged at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas and took some tour of another facility, which obligated me to a travel package.
Greene appears to be equally insistent. Last Thursday, he called Burford because of his Better Business Bureau grievance. Then he allegedly made yet another ultimatum.
Greene stated that he not only operated First Class Travel Wise, but also owned a collections agency.
Greene said, “You’re still denying staying at the Imperial Palace and taking the Time Share Tour.” Greene stated that he was going to forward this matter to an attorney.
Without seeing the actual contract, it is difficult to determine whether First Class Travel Wise’s claims are legitimate. But you don’t have to be an ombudsman to conclude that the company’s methods — and timing — raise some serious questions.
Maybe those are best answered by a judge.
Update (12/11): I received a blog comment that purports to be from First Class Travel Wise. I can’t vouch for its authenticity (neither the IP address nor the given email address can be connected to the company). In it, someone claiming to represent the company insists First Class Travel Wise is pursuing valid claims against Burford, and that the comments here amount to an anonymous smear campaign against it.
THERE ARE “NO” COMPLAINTS ABOUT US “NOT” FULFILLING THE HOTELS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO. NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT US “NOT” REFUNDING ANY TIMESHARE TOUR PAYOUTS THAT ARE DUE TO ANY CUSTOMER/TOURER. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE HAVE MADE IT A CORPORATE POLICY TO WORK OUT A REFUND (AT LEAST WITHIN THE INITIAL RESOLUTION PROCESS) WITH ANY ONE WHO HAS A PACKAGE THROUGH US.
ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS, A COUPLE OR FEW (OUT OF TENS OF THOUSANDS), ARE DOING AND SAYING WHATEVER THEY CAN “HIDE” AND GET AWAY WITH. WHY WOULD THEY NOT TAKE US ON IF THEY HAVE SUCH CASES? WHY NOT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES? AND WITH THIS, PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF THEIR TERMS & CONDITIONS, AND “SUBSTANTIATE THEIR CLAIMS”!!! THEY, LIKE THE UNWARRANTED “DAVID BUFFORD” CASE, SPEAK IN THE THIRD PERSON AND/OR ARE UNWILLING TO ADMIT TO YOU WHO THEY REALLY ARE. AND WHAT “THEY REALLY HAVE” TO SUBSTANTIATE THEIR CLAIMS.
REALIZING PEOPLE WANT TO GET OUT OF PAYING SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS, FOR THEIR “FAILURE TO TOUR” BREECH OF THE TERMS & CONDITIONS IN EVERY CASE– ESPECIALLY DURING THESE TIMES, AND ESPECIALLY FOR TOURING SOME TIMESHARE PROPERTY—EVEN SUCH MODERATE SIZE CORPORATIONS, AS WE ARE, HAVE DONE WELL TO WORK OUT A REFUND OPTION (IN OUR INITIAL RESOLUTION PROCESS), WHICH WE ARE “NOT” OBLIGATED TO DO. (ACCORDING TO THE TERMS & CONDITIONS OF “NONE” OF OUR PACKAGES)
*THE REASON THAT WE ARE STILL IN BUSINESS IS THAT ALL OF OUR PROMOTIONS “ARE” REGISTERED, LICENSED, BONDED. AND, FURTHERMORE, WE FULFILL OUR PACKAGES! NO COMPLAINTS OR ISSUES WITH ANY REAL, LEGAL ISSUES! IF YOU HAVE A BALANCE AND/OR COLLECTION SITUATION WITH OUR COMPANY—AND ARE IN DENIAL, ARE UNWILLING TO RESOLVE, OR ARE TRYING TO DEFRAUD OUR COMPANY– THAT IS JUST A BIT OF A DIFFERENT STORY!
Having read all of the new comments associated with this post, my conclusion stands. I think the validity of these claims need to be considered by a judge.
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{ 114 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. Good for Burford for fighting back.
And a look at DOCTOR (?!) Greene’s website gets you no closer to anything resembling clarity regarding this issue, and also it is just plain hilariously bad (considering he proudly proclaims he write it himself, unedited).
I would say the appropriate response in this matter would be to tell them to “pound sand”.
Of course the claims are not legit. No legit business waits 4 years to collect on a debt. I would recommend that Buford check the Statute of limitations for a written contract in his state. Most likely it has already expired making their claim unenforceable.
@WishingEveryoneWasLikePalmairEuropean
The mere fact that airlines are subject to various government taxes hardly means that presenting he base price qualifies as bait and switch. That was the main point. Also, at some point the states will probably get Congress to mandate that internet vendors have to collect sales taxes. At that point, consumers will have to deal with different taxes rates depending on the origin of the item.
Where I think the airlines and travel industry fall short is through the use of fake unavoidable fees. Fuel charges, resort fees,e tc. have no legitimate rationate for existing. They should be incorporated into the rate as the are inconsistent with the customers’ reasonable expectations.
By comparison, I’m one of the few that prefer avoidable fees to be unbundled. For example, AA charges for checked bags. The alternative would be to increase everyone ticket. Well, I don’t have to check bags and even if I did, I have platinum status so I avoid the fees. If they were incorporated into the base fare, then I could not avoid them.
Just My $0.02
search consumerist.com for your rights re: collections companies. You have rights. If I recall correctly, they have to prove that they own htis debt, then there may be a statute of limitations, and finally there may be civil and/or criminal penalties that you can pursue.
I imagine Greene does not want to send anything through the mail because that would qualify him for charges of mail fraud.
I am currently fighting with this same company, and I have recently contacted a lawyer and I am seriously debating pushing forward with a lawsuit.
How has things been going since this last post?
Good call Carrie. You’ve probably nailed it. Mail fraud! I’m gonna remember that next time I get a call from someone demanding money I don’t owe.
And that’s correct, the company has to prove he owes the money. So far, this Greene fellow has been unwilling to do so. That means he doesn’t owe the money. The law is on Burford’s side.
Statute of limitations is 6 years on written contracts in Nevada. FYI.
That;s ok, my mother has been dead since 2003 and the bill collectors are still trying to collect bills from 1998, My uncle passed in 1995 and I still get the occasional collection agent thinking that threats are gonna work! It’s all a scam to get you to admit the money is owed – then they have debt. Throw out all such offers.
The ‘proof’ that you will get from the collection company is some third party’s ’signed statement’ that you owe the money. About as valid as the original claim.
The only way to deal with these folks is to say:
“Excuse me one moment – I need to record this call.” Go get a recorder.
Then state:
“I am recording this telephone call, please make a note of it. I deny and dispute that I owe you any money. I will not pay you any amounts claimed. Any reporting done to a credit reporting agency must contain the statement that I deny the amount claimed is due and owing. Please restate your claim for my recorder.”
You WILL hear a click. And never hear from them again. Scammers never want their voices on tape -it looks really bad at their trials for fraud and theft when jurors hear their voices saying things that they have just testified they never said.
I also just got off the phone with a collections person named Timothy Matthews claiming that I had the option of taking a “refund offer”. This entails paying $433 on a credit card today, and then scheduling 2 more time share stays AND tours and receiving a $200 credit for each tour. If I could go to Las Vegas or Anaheim, CA, I could get the full $400 (minus $33, apparently) for just one stay (a premium tour, I suppose).
I was also offered to receive a faxed copy of my agreement; I was actually emailed a copy of an email from the “Welcome Center” that showed I paid $107.41 and the Terms and Conditions would be sent as an attachment.
The email appears to be a forwarded copy of an email from 10/14/2004. Is it possible to fake this? I’d think so. It’s just text that looks like a forwarded email. It also contained my confirmation #.
@ David White: The Statute of Frauds is a centuries old legal doctrine which requires that the party to be charged, i.e, you, must have signed a document in order to be held liable on a contract. Does this email have your signature? Did it come from you, or them? If there is no signature and nothing where you say ‘I agree’ then you simply tell them you never agreed to anything.
if they claim you owe them money, then they need to prove that you agreed to pay them. If they intend to offer up business records to prove agreement to pay, without a signature, then they have a pretty steep burden.
I would tell them you owe them nothing and instruct them never to contact you again concerning this matter. If they believe that you owe them money, you welcome them to sue you. I would also inform them that any credit reporting done must be truthful and contain the statement that the debtor contends that he owes nothing and never had an agreement to pay this creditor.
Make this statement in writing.
I am not, for the other lawyers here, saying that if you do not sign something that a contract is unenforceable, but in this context, think about the evidentiary burden for a company not even in existence at the time of contracting to prove that a prior entity had an oral or implied in fact agreement and then prove it using business records and procedures not even their own.
I too have had a problem with First Class (ASS) Travel Wise. My phone call came Nov. 24,2008. Same line was given to me and the threats of collection. I to have contacted the BBB in FL, Attn. General, and my Credit Card company to cancell the card they had the number of missing a diget or two. I don’t know how we can stop this from happening to more people. I would like to know if anyone has went to court? I do love the idea of recording them.
My parents (in their 80’s) just got off the phone (late at night in California) with these scam artists and scared them into giving him their credit card number for the “reimburseable” $433. I told them to get right back on the phone with their credit card company and cancel the charge and that credit card. In 2003 they had stayed at Lady Luck in Las Vegas with relatives visiting from Norway. My parents were told at that time that they could not take the timeshare tour as they were too old and did not make enough money. This Travel Wise (guy) shmo told them they now owed the money because they never fulfilled their agreement to take the tour. They were told if they pay the $433 and take the “no age limit” anaheim tour they will get reimbursed $400. Yeah right. He too would not give them paperwork. I think we should send all these comments to Mr. Greene or whatever this guys real name is and let him know that he can get to know everyone personally at the class action hearing against him.
Glad to know that others also have similar experience with this company. I received a call late this afternoon (Dec. 3) from two individuals who claimed to represent First Class Travel Wise. They talked to me in turn and demanded that I pay by credit card immediately for the $433 time share trip to fulfill a time share tour commitment which I allegedly made when my family stayed in a Las Vegas hotel back in April 2004. I could hardly remember the stay and had no idea about the time share tour commitment. I don’t mind taking a $433 time share tour if I indeed made such a commitment before. With suspicion I requested that a record of my consent to be sent to me by e-mail or fax and did receive an e-mail offer of the $433 tour deal with an attached Word file showing some terms and conditions. Since the Word document bears no evidence of my consent, I requested another record which does so. They got rude at that point and threatened to send my case to collection agency for court actions right away. The “manager” seemed offended by my insistence for the record and suggestion of a decision on the time share tour payment the next day. The phone conversation ended after several repeated threats from the “manager”. I will call my state consumer protection agency tomorrow to straighten out this issue.
I have the same story. The call came in yesterday and Timothy Mathews was again involved. What was very difficult to deal with was the threat of going to collecitons if the call ended wtihout resolution. I was also sent the email that showed the email with confirmation number and payment info. They had my credit card number and wanted the additional $433 with the same promise of if I did take the tour, I would have $400 reimbursed.
Can someone who has made the calls to several of the indicated agencies, publish the phone numbers so we can all call the same agency.
Holy crap! I just got off the phone with this Timothy Mathews guy also! Asking for exactly $433 also. What is the deal with this? This fortunately is the first site that pops up when you do a search for ‘First Class Travewise scam.’ I told him that I would rather pay a collections company than hand over my credit card information over the phone to some completely shady company. Hee hee, I even told him that I wasn’t going to pay for his damn meth habit!
There is so much that is so odd with this scam. First of all, there was the fact that he said that their company has some computer program that sends my balance immediately to collection after he hangs up. The other odd thing is that he was completely content to stay on the line with me while I read this blog and all of the posts, which took a couple of minutes. Usually these guys end the call as soon as you call their bluff, so I don’t know why he was so willing to stay on the line with me.
Has anyone received anything from collections yet? What should we do if this is really legit?
I have the same story. The call came tonight Dec 4, @ 9pm Timothy Matthews was involved. Same story, same threat. I was also sent the email that showed the email with confirmation number for staying at Imperial Palace Las Vegas 4 years ago. One thing I have notice we we’re disconnected twice, but they call back everytime. I told him that I would review everthing he sent me and I will get back, but he will not give his phone number Well! I told him to go ahead and do whatever you need to do my lawyer needs to review this documents. I was done yelling.
On December 4th, I also received numerous threatening calls from a man calling himself Thomas Caine. He told me I stayed at the Imperial Palace in October 2003. I assured him I did not stay at the Imperial Palace in 2003. Then he was demanding I pay him $433.00 or he would turn me over to a collection agency. I asked him several times what was he talking about, and he just kept threatening to turn me over to a collection agency. I finally told him to stop calling my house, and he continued to call my house several times last night and harass me. I called their office today to try and speak with their legal department about this matter , and again they started yelling at me. I informed this individual that I plan on reporting them to the Attorney General’s office in Florida, and he became irate. I terminated the call and now he has my office number and called me three times yelling at my switchboard operator. There physical address is 8227 W. Atlantic Blvd., Coral Springs, FL 33071. Business # 877-948-8900.
AMAZING! On Dec. 2 (2008), I got a call from Tim Matthews telling me I owed $433.88 for a presentation I’d supposedly missed five years ago. Yep, Las Vegas was the spot! Matthews is quite a loud mouth, ranting about turning people over to collectors, etc. I didn’t realize so many others received these same holiday phone greetings. Maybe we all should get together and celebrate with an intervention in Pompano Beach.
I was called December 5, a Friday evening, at 8:00 and told I had failed to comply with the “timeshare tour” that I had agreed to in December 2003 when I booked a hotel lodging in Las Vegas.
Fortunately, I save everything (I’m a Financial Advisor) and just pulled all my documentation from my 2003 tax records. The company I dealt with was called Leisuretimeworldwide and I have every email they sent to me regarding my booking through them. I would never have booked a room knowing I had to do a “timeshare tour”. That’s completely nuts. So here it is Saturday Morning December 6 and I’m going to call First Class Travel….Timothy Matthews is the guy who called me….he’s hearing from me today.
I have the original email I received from Leisure Time. One paragraph states: “This Agreement and its performance shall be governed by the laws of the state of Nevada, USA. You consent and submit to the exclusive jurisdiction fo the state and federal courts located therein regarding all questions and controversies arising out of your use of this site and the Agreement. To the extent allowed by applicable law, any claim or cause of action arising from or relating to your access or use of this site must be brought within two (2) years from the date on which such claim or action arose or accrued. This order acknowledgement is not a contract and does not constitute an acceptance of your order. Leisure Time will determine wheteher or not to fill the order, and may reuse your order for any reason.” I have the rest of the three page document if anyone wants a copy. I also copied the Leisure Time website advertising for these cheap rooms….it mentions nothing about a time share tour.
I had the same call from this Company (first classtravel wise) Dec 5, 2008 at 4:33pm claiming I owed them $433 for tours I had not taken from a Las Vegas Visit in March 2004. I was in Total disbelief as This was the first I had heard of this requirement (never disclosed to me before); plus this call came out of the blue from taking this trip over 56 Months ago. There has been no Paperwork (bills) or anything from this company. I never signed a contract or anything… and Requested they prove it by sending a document which they didnt have. They faxed me a copy of a “their Generic terms & Conditions” (with no implication or space for signatures from me) that I had never seen before. This guy turned me over to a Sr Collections Agent, Nicole Dietz who used Intense pressure to get me to pay $433 with a credit card or She was turning me over to a Collections Agency for Costs + interest & Attorney fees. This is the Biggest scam I have ever been approached by & I’m in agreement with other posters of Contacting the State & Feds on this high Pressure tactics Co & we mount a suit against them for the threats to our Health & damage to our Personal reputation. This Pressure tactic must be Working with lots of people that are Scared from their Threats & Pressure..
All, like everyone, I had to face those harassing call and the whole week after the call, I was feeling terrible. Like the one posted requested, could folks publish steps that they took to address this issue.
My first step: I googled and this blog is at the top. So, now I know I am not alone.
Now I am wondering who I should contact to report this. Appreciate any help.
We received a similar call on Dec. 8. I was transferred to a man who identified himself as Sean Cole, company counsel in the legal department. He also threatened legal action and threatened to sue me for fraud when I disputed his claims. He claimed that the call was being recorded.
I started noticing discrepancies in his claims, and when I asked him to clarify several points he hung up and called back from a different number. He would not acknowledge whether the new call was being recorded. I believe he switched lines to avoid being recorded.
He refused to provide a physical address for the company as required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). I suspect that the phone numbers he provided are not legitimate.
When I pressed him to clarify discrepancies in his claims, he finally admitted that he is not legal counsel and the number for the legal department he had given me was for a receivables department instead. He had claimed that the government had copies of evidence showing that I owe this debt, but later admitted that this is not the case.
Finally, he hung up on me when I insisted that he provide legitimate contact information (such as address) so that I can pursue my legal options as provided by the FTC.
I believe that this since he violated FTC laws by threatening legal action and deliberately misrepresenting his title and contact info, his only purpose was to attempt to intimidate or trick me into making a payment. I believe that if his claims were legitimate, he would have been completely truthful about his title and would be willing to provide such basic information as an address.
We have since filed a complaint with the FTC and the local Better Business Bureau.
I wholeheartedly agree with the advice from a previous poster. It’s vital that you understand your rights and that you demand that anyone who calls you from First Class complies with Federal law.
The FTC’s website provides great guidance on what legitimate collections calls must do– and what they cannot do.
Dec 9, 2008 @ 7:20pm; Identical scam to the initial post.
Mr Cox called from “First Class Travel Wise” using 1-516-772-0675
Number and summary also posted to http://800notes.com/
Oh my gosh. I was intimidated into giving out my credit card information and being charged 433.88! This Shawn Cole guy was supposed to send me an e-mail with my alleged agreement and never did. I don’t remember agreeing to view any timeshare but do remember leisure time and staying at the Imperial palace. Can anyone forward me any e-mail they recieved from leisure time regarding their booking? Thanks. Also what can I do at this time?
Same thing just happened to me tonight December 9th. A Thomas Caine claiming he’s from a company called First class Travel threatened to report me to collections if I did not pay him $433 for travel at the Luxor in Las Vegas in 2004. He said because I did not complete a tour at the luxor I owed the money. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about and that he had the wrong person. He then again threatened me and said “So what your saying is you want me to report this to collections”? This really pissed me off as if any legitimate business was trying to collect money from someone who thinks they may have been a victim of fraud would not make such threats and ignore my plea. Then after asking several questions the phone hung up and I was unable to call back the number which is 518-772-0675. Another person called back who was Timmothy Matthews. When I told them I was going to sue them if they reported me to collections and demanded more information from them I was hung up on again and never called back. This obviously is a complete scam. Any suggestions as to how to take care of this so I don’t receive further threats or they don’t try to destroy my credit?
Dwane,
It’s a complete and total scam to get you to admit you owe them money so they can either turn you into collections or take you to court if you don’t pay over the phone. If they don’t have your signature on such an agreement realistically they can’t do anything. I made reports the the FTC and the BBB and will be going to the police. To increase the chances of these people getting caught please fill out a claim online with the Federal Trade Commision. It’s a really easy and quick form. Make sure you dispute the charge on your card right away. Don’t let them get away with fraud… Good luck to you!
I got the same call tonight, and they sent me the email for verification. Funny thing was, they even spelled my name wrong! Yea…..scam…..
Wow, I just read the other blogs and I got a call also from Tim Matthews last evening. I stayed in Las Vegas at the Tuscany Suites and paid $180.12 for the room. The travel was booked under a company called Leisure Time, which is no longer in business. I refused to pay his $433.82, but agreed that I would go on a tour in Anaheim CA. I told him to email me the original contract I signed up for. What I received was some generic document talking about a cruise to the Bahamas, stating at the very end $400.00 woud be due if the tour was not completed. I also asked for a signed agreement and they stated that I had already agreed when I made my booking on the internet. This is a scam in my opinion.
I got the same call from Timothy Matthews about owing $433 for a trip to Las Vegas because I failed to take a second tour in a 2 year period. Go to http://www.800helpfla.com to file a complaint with the division of consumer services.
Thank you……. I thought I was either being scammed
or was going to have my credit destroyed by
educated idiots. I went to Las Vegas in
2003, 2004?? I was told I could agree to
take another trip to Vegas or Los Angelas and
all would be forgiven, but they’re gonna get
their money from me or the travel agency I
originally contracted with. I admit, I got hot
under the collar, told the jerk on the phone I
needed a copy of my contract to take to my
lawyer, since the trip was over 3 years ago,
my copy is long since gone. The 90 days
I asked for is almost up and I haven’t received
the copy of my contract yet. They were to
send it to my PO Box in Napa, CA since I’m
not about to give them my home address
or any personal info that’s current.
I’m going to the site suggested in you blog.
http://www.800helpfla.com and filing a complaint.
God Bless This Sight and may Justice Be
Quick.
I have changed my home phone number due to the continued calls from this company. I have reported them to the BBB, Att. General, Florida Consumers Dept., and contacted lawyer.
they have now started sending threatening letters that I am keeping for court. I sent them a certified letter that was notrized asking them to prove this debt or leave me alone. They respond with a threatening letter, saying that would see me in court if I did not pay them by a certain date.
This company needs to be stopped!
These guys are a scam. Please, Please, Please call the BBB and call your local Sheriffs department and make a complaint with the Florida Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
These guys recently spoke with the BBB and agreed to try to resolve their differences with customers and the BBB actually changed their rating from an F to a C-,C+ and D depending on which title of ETC/First Class Cruise Vacations, Inc. or First Class Travel Wise that you enter into the BBB…. so please make your complaints so BBB is aware that Christopher Greene and his associates are still making the same threats. I personally have made many calls and will continue to make many calls next week to stop this somewhat successful scam…. Greene says he is licensed but I personally have found some information to discount that statement. These guys are using many names and many numbers, jot them down and look them up on the internet, keep track and make a complaint on every state the telephone number comes from and also make a complaint in your own home state where you received the call.
As vigorously as these scammers are pursuing their victims, I am pursuing them, at this point they will HAVE to take me to court to stop me and I promise you they WILL lose.
What I believe has happened is the data base of addresses and names were stolen from Las Vegas and C Greene is working that list very hard……
I personally will give you more information on this site and all other sites I know about as I can release the information…..
I am also a victim of this scam! The same thing happened to me on 12/18/08. Sean Cole, Director of Accounts, threatened to send me to collections if I did not settle my supposed debt of $433.88 right then. He would not let me call him back. He even had the audacity to accuse me of fraud! He said I could get a refund of $433 if I went on another timeshare tour. And he did send me an email confirmation but without my signature or any proof that I actually agreed to any terms of theirs!! He claimed that b/c I used a confirmation # to validate my reservation, I obligated myself to this timeshare tour. This was all based on a 2 night stay at The Plaza hotel in downtown Las Vegas in Oct 2004.
What a crock!! I have reported this to my credit card company and will also report it on ftc.gov.
I think I need to have the idiot of the year award for finally giving in to the pressure and giving these jerks my credit card number. I did call my credit card company and requested a new card and number. My money was already gone into a pay pal account. What can I do now? I am going to take two tours in Park City 18 months apart and see if I do get $200 each time. I am going to sign nothing that is for sure.
They are still at it, just received the phone call from a Michael Thompson for a stay at the Sahara on Nov. 9-10/2003. When requesting proof, switched me over someone else that tried to send me an e-mail with the terms spelled out. Line was “either pay the $433.83 [refund offered if attending another presentation] or be sent to collections…we are in a computer and given only those two options!”….fortunately my DSL went down and I was not able to get any mail, told them to do whatever and hung up.
Obviously the list of people involved keeps growing; these people are not giving up. Think of all the folks without access to Internet, those careful with their credit rating that would rather pay than threaten their credit…..this is a GREAT BUSINESS for these people and they are not going to give it up that easily. Think about it….their purpose is not only to get your money, but to get you to attend those timeshare presentations and get paid for that!!!!….they are making good money.
Anyway, please, those folks that are getting somewhere with this, post here, let us know what to do.
Timothy Matthews is a busy man. He is the one who contacted me. Then he put Stephen Cox on the phone. They spent what seemed like an hour with me. That was strange. I didn’t pick up on the clues.
Education is expensive, no matter how it is obtained.
Please, if you want to stop these guys, you must file on-line or off-line with the Better Business Bureau (http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=9002124 or http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=92012243) and then with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (http://app1.800helpfla.com/cswebcomplaints/FileComplaint.aspx license number ST36484). I have been investigating these companies and have acquired a lot of information on them. They seem to know how the BBB works and appear to constantly work on getting their rating above F. I have watched their rating change as many as 5 times in one day. Adding your complaint to the BBB may help slow them down. They may insist on handling it outside of BBB, but I would keep it inside of the BBB so they can see what these companies are doing.
The second thing these companies seem to be doing, is pursuing new groups of innocent victims. I have had all of the contacts from these companies listed here contact me demanding payment. They have already accused me of acting fraudulently and told me that I would be turned into collections back in November. I think they know they can get into trouble by submitting these things to collections, because they still haven’t submitted my so called account to anyone.
I think it is so sad that so many people are paying off these companies and hope others will help fight back and aid the authorities in shutting them down. If you need any help contact me at flintwindsor@gmail.com.
Lawsuit and BBB my butt; they’re crooks. I cribbed the below statute from a Cornell Univ. website; sounds like it fits. Also, the FBI website (fbi.gov) says they’re very interested in such things:
US Code Title 18.1343. Fraud by wire, radio, or television
Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.
Hooray, It’s working, the BBB is finally wise to these guys and posted the following today! on their BBB site, I guess Chris Greene and his buddies are going to have to threaten to sue the BBB now, they have threatened everybody else.
First Class Travel Wise
8227 W. Atlantic Blvd.
Pompano Beach , FL 33071
Phone: (972) 220-8594
http://www.firstclasstravelwise.com
Contact: Brian Schaeffer – Manager
Business Start Date: N/A
Company ID: 92012243
Complaint Experience
The Bureau has been contacted by consumers who allege this company is contacting them requesting payment of $400.00 for failure to fulfill a travel agreement several years earlier. Consumers allege they do not owe this balance as they never agreed to or signed any contract regarding these terms. The company responds to complaints with an explanation of the terms of their agreement but has failed to produce any signed contracts. The company states by using the travel offer, they are agreeing to these terms.
Company
D Rating Our opinion of what this rating means:
We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it.
First Class Cruise Vacations, Inc.
21950 Soundview Terrace, #101
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Phone: (561) 395-7249
Fax: (954) 530-6248
Contact: Christopher Greene – President
Business Start Date: 2/1/2003
Company ID: 9002124
Our file contains a pattern of complaints from consumers who allege this company is contacting them requesting payment of $433.38 for failure to fulfill a travel agreement made several years earlier. Consumers allege they do not owe this balance as they never agreed to or signed any contract regarding these terms. The company responds to complaints with an explanation of the terms of their agreement but has failed to produce any signed contracts. The company states by using the travel offer, they are agreeing to these terms.
D Rating Our opinion of what this rating means:
We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it.
I just got a similar phone call from a Steve Cox tonight. He claimed that as part of the trip to Las Vegas Frontier Hotel in 2004 I had 48 months to complete a visit with a time share and since his records show that was not done, we now owe 400+ – but he will give us a refund of all but about $36 if we agree to resolve it tonight. He asked me to prove I had taken the tour because that is what the judge would require. He then proceeded with threats about law suits, reporting to all three collection agencies etc. Said he was recording my phone call – did not ask persmission – just informed me that my tone would not sound good to a judge. He did forward by e-mail a dummied copy of an e-mail with the wrong $ amounts for the trip and it didn’t even state the dates of the reservation. There was an attachment that purports to be from First Class Cruise Vacations Inc. 8227 W. Atlantic Blvd Coral Springs, FL 33071 that states Terms and Conditions of Your Package With Us. This is the first that I heard of this company so I did not agree to pay it. I will be forwarding a complaint to the Attorney General of Nevada, Missouri and Florida. This is definitely a scam and unfortunately some people get scared and pay or they wouldn’t continue to try these tactics.
When you post please add the phone number(s) that contacted you because these guys keep changing the numbers and names they use. Also on the caller id they will call from different states. If they change their phone numbers it makes it harder to track them.
If you look on their sites, they claim to be accredited to certain companies which is also a falicy. Some companies are taking action against them for this.
BUT still too many people are falling for this scam and it is very profitable for them to continue the scam.
I received a telephone call from 877-948-8900.
I received a phone call tonight from the same guys saying that I owed them $433 and change for a trip back in 2003 to Las Vegas. After yelling and arguing with them for about an hour they scammed me into paying the money. I did not want to ruin my credit. I should have read this site before I payed them the money. I will try and see if I can get a refund from my credit card company. The scammers said they were recording the conversation so when you dispute it to your credit card company they have a recording of you saying you agree to the charges.
I feel really stupid they got me again….About 3 months ago this same company called me about an Alaskan cruise that was only $833 and I did not have to attend a timeshare. Well when I received my paperwork there was nothing stating that I do not have to attend a timeshare. I think I will call and pretend I am a happy customer to see if they can give me something in writing stating that I do not have to attend a time share or they will extort another $400+ out of me. Also there was a $99 booking fee and another $499 fee per person for “port charges, service fees and taxes”. Well so far they scammed me for 833+433+99 or $1365!!!! I will try and get the 433 refunded by my C.C. company and take it in the shorts for the other $900+. I am going to fill out some paperwork with the BBB and anyone else I can find. I wish they called me for the cruise tomorrow and I could have saved $900. I am not even going to book it with them and get some other fee and another $500 fee in 5 years. I hope these guys spend the next 20 years in prision with Buba for extorting all the fine people on this site.
Here are all the phone numbers they used when they called me(3 times)
224-795-7063, 954-603-7953, 518-772-0675
Has anyone gone on the timeshare and actually got back their $433? I did not see anyone say that. I would assume If someone did go they would say by going you are now responsible for another $350 or something. This sounds like a case of extorsion. “you pay us $433 or we will report you to collections and ruin you credit”
Has anyone ever had this turn up on their credit?
I also did not see anything about going to a timeshare for my 2003 Vegas trip. If i did I would not have gone. I guess the next time anyone tries to sell me something, I am hanging up…….This whole situation sucks…
I will keep reading and post anything that happens to me.
You have been scammed BAD…….NO you will not get your money or trips or anything from these scammers, it is nice people like you for the reason these people are continuing to scam…….make a report to the following and to the BBB and call your credit card company and dispute ALL charges even though it has been awhile, maybe they will protect you, tell them you been scammed. These two complaints can be made on line.(http://app1.800helpfla.com/cswebcomplaints/FileComplaint.aspx license number ST36484).
Update:
I just got the phone with my credit card company(Chase) and they are refunding me my money. I am now going to see if I can call my other credit card about getting the $833 back. It was back in July of 08 so I will see what happens.
I also filed a complaint at the BBB and the FTC. I was so mad after getting harrased that I was up to 2:30 a.m. to see if there was any other agency that can shut these guys down.
I would urge anyone that payed these jerks money to try and get a refund from your credit card company.
Dan, you made my day! I am so very HAPPY for you……. I think you have a chance of getting your other money back also, I SURE HOPE SO! CONGRATULATIONS
I wish everyone could and WOULD file a complaint with every agency they know of and would go after these fellows, because C Greene and his croannies are very corrupt people.