Ramada Plaza Resorts ripoff?

Be aware too that Ramada is quite heavy in the Timeshare industry…so some of these offers from Ramada may be legit. I took one ($50 charge though) and ended up buying a nice timeshare in Orlando. My sister took one and spent a nice relaxing vacation at the beach…
So don’t be so quick to jump to scam…it might just be a legitimate offer.

wELL, I JUST PURCHASED THIS MYSELF IN OCTOBER, AND JUST CAME BACK FROM THIS VACATION. I MUST SAY… THAT WAS THE “BEST” 798.00 I HAVE SPEND FOR A TOTAL OF 9 DAYS IN FLORIDA, A RENTAL CAR, A CRUISE AND TWO BONUS VACATIONS! WHICH I SOLD ON EBAY FOR 300 A PIEVE WHICH PRACTICALLY PAID FOR MY VACATION! JUST LIKE SELLING USED CARS, NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE HAPPY, BUT I GIVE THEM A HUNDRED THUMBS UP! GREAT VACATION!

Ya I just called this number. Total BS when it got down to me having to give my card they wanted my name exactly on card experation date and number. When I said I didn’t have that much to clear the amount(close to 800) he said “o well thats ok lets get that card anyway. When I told him I didn’t have a card he got all angry saying that can’t be true look in your wallet. He kept asking me and presuring me into looking in my wallet and got all defensive when I kept saying no

One more small detail
When the man who called me told me he was going to put me on hold to get his manager he never officially put me on hold I could hear ever conversation. It sounded like a loud room with a tv on and the guy who was helping me laughing and saying ” oh i should beat you up for that, hand me a beer”
What legitamite company allows drinking on hours????

Well guys I got the same 1 like Ramada Plaza Resorts, Universal Orlando and imperial majesty cruise…I don’t know weather it is a scam or not… and they are giving me $1600 promotion voucher..and the same blah .some of guys have got… but wen i called the 1800 no of Ramada plaza resort the gave me a cust care no 1800 441 6858 and I spoke to a representative and confirmed the add with me and it was the same : 2419 E. commercial blvd., Ft. Lauderdale,Fl 33308.. and now when I see on google some people say that they had fun some said they had a bad time and some say that it is a scam… well guys i need your help on this…and the asked me to pay.. $798…and i get 8days and 7 nights… well waiting for the reply
thnks.. :)
Jasmine

you guys are morons, all OF YOU REGISTERED FOR THE CRUISE, and you rly think ramada is gonna lose their merchant privliges for a LOUSY 298 – 1600 dollars LMAO your all insane. btw the guy who started doing the “RAMADA RIP-OFF” scandal is now serving a a prison sentance lol, for a fake website making ramada out to be scam company, and obviously their not. btw im one of the people that calls you guys and i work for a promotion office with ramada and imperial majesty so pls take in consideration this ramadas most popular and famous package

i work there myself and im ashamed to say its very true

im 19

im in school

I need the cash

I ‘ve been working for about a 4 weeks (month)and I make 90 dollars sale and I work from 4pm – 11pm no weekends(couldnt be better)..I make atleast 1000 a week. No lie. (at least 2 sales a day get me this and i get bonuses for FULL CRUISE SALES)

Anywayz ITs all true the rip off and all..Stay away.

alyways ask for a mail in of the information or simply say “not interested” or “Don’t Call Again” and hang up. They WILL remove you from an automatic dialer system.

The system is cheap and petty and I myself plan on Leaving very soon. Well once I Destroy the offices Network and Dialer.

(yea im a hacker)

I been working on it since day 2

SO I am the Mole

PPl from the salesman to the verifier..they are all scripted and formed to further sink you in deeper into the SCAM..

Just know when u get a call from me…I make the call as short as possible unless one of you fools sink in and dont notice my signals to hang up.

FOSL

im with u

and if anyone figures me out..

i will testify for u in court..I swear to it..

Imperial majesty’s (Ramada’s preferred cruise line) travel vouchers and free cruise for two is a total scam. When I called the 1800 number, the representative never mentioned the free cruise for two. When he was finally done running his mouth and asked me for my credit card number to charge me $798 dollars for a long vacation, I mentioned to him that he never said anything about the free cruise for two (no purchase necessary and no strings attached). He then stated that the free cruise for two was part of the long vacation. My question then was how is it free (no strings attached) if you have to pay $798 dollars for the whole vacation? if there were no strings attached you would get the free cruise for two without having to buy anything extra. This way their whole purpose of sending me this offer would be fulfilled by letting me try the cruise for free, and then love it so much that the next time they would send me an offer, I would not doubt the offer is illegitimate. I would also not doubt the quality of their vacation packages. In all, they are not doing this because the offer is what it is, a scammmm.

I just called the Ramada Plaza Resort ppl, and i have booked my package. I was totally informed about everything before they asked me for a card number. I get 4 days and 3 night in fort Lauderdale then a cruise and then another 3 days at another hotel. I also receive 2 more vactions that i could even give away if i so choose. All our accomodations and food have been paid for. And we even receive 2 passes to the orlando florida resort. they took $449 off my card and then 6 more payments of $74 will come too.
Have I been scammed??? No 1 have really given the same information. No 1 else seems to have the same apckage as I was offered? Mine came by mail. No 1 called me. My travel voucher was for $1300, eveything was clearly explained to me the i do have to pay $99 for port charges and tax. the almost $900 they charge me is because i wanted ato upgrade my package to a better room and to have all my food paid for.
Help me with information please. did i just loose money or gain a great vacation deal???

Hi We just came back from our holiday from the Ramada resorts package. We too were a little worried after reading all the reports they can scare you. However, we had an AWESOME TIME and met great people and I will run down how things were done and the extras that you might get charged so that you are not scared off by a lot of these reports or at least know the truth. This is an account of our OWN holiday package experience. I am in no way connected to Ramada or a hotel or cruise or otherwise. I have heard that some packages may VARY so this may not apply exactly to everyone SO PLEASE, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY for differences with you info with what I have here etc, and your OWN package experience. This was one we got in the mail offering a lot of free stuff if we took timeshare tours (fine print and taxes surcharges (fine print) I am trying to give everyone an honest feel to the best of my ability as to what our package offered us and. Please remember to look at your paperwork and voucher booklet carefully. We followed instructions to a ‘T’ and also called them to confirm. Of course if you are smart you will see the asterix next to a lot of the advertising. Remember nothing is for free and don’t be a selective listener on the telephone, read the fine print about cancellation.. Also if you are doing this package reserve up to 2-3 hours for a time share presentation and if wanting extra free tickets to theme parks after the cruise be prepared to do another. They are not bad and you get fed!. You CAN have a GREAT time as we did, particularly if this your first cruise. If you have are wealthy and you have done major cruises before then expect what you get for the money you pay for the package. This is not a huge super luxury cruise line, (ie the pool is small) but as it was our first cruise and our income is about $40,000 it was certainly luxury to us

First we are a married couple. We bought the package through the mail for a $398 booking fee each. After a month or so we thought we’d like to book the holiday. You need to book about 60 days in advance. You will be charged a $98 port fee each. We bought our own airfare down as it was cheaper then driving. We arrived at the Orlando Airport and picked up our COMPACT rental car from budget, that the Ramada package gives you free for 7 days. You do get charged tax – it came to $33 for the whole 7 days. We did not buy extra insurance and refused extras such as upgrades from the insurance company. We put down our own insurance company. We opted to buy the fuel on the road and return the tank full by doing it ourselves as gas runs 3.86-4.09 in florida right now (there are PLENTY of gas stations, don’t let Car rental fool you into buying extras).

Next we drove to the hotel at fort lauderdale. (you can fly into ft lauderdale and pick up your car there but our flight was cheaper coming into orlando). We had an easy checkin at the hotel. The put a hold on your card for about $50. The hotel taxes came to $12 per night. If you see fees you did not use like the safe fee, we just asked for it to be removed. It was removed easily. The hotel, which was not on the beach as we didn’t upgrade, was nice and clean and had a good atmosphere. It had a heated outdoor pool, lovely staff, nice dining area, spa, free buffet if you bought this particular cruise etc package (make sure you pick up your free meal vouchers from the welcome center at the front of the hotel). The rooms were immaculate and they had a coffee maker, iron, TV. There are coin laundries in the building if you need them ($1.25), and a free computer in the foyer. Vouchers provide free breakfast buffet, lunch (up to $17 per couple), and dinner buffet for your stay which includes soda, tea and coffee as well. After each meal you will receive a tab ranging from around $3.25 – $4.75 per couple which includes your tax and tip. You do not leave a tip to the waitress/waiter. You can pay it up front or charge it to the room.
On the second day we were there we had to attend a timeshare tour. The slide presentation lasts about an hour and the talk with it a little longer. They give you free food and coffee tea, juice. The tour guide shows you the properties which are awesome. Then you sit down and they will go over prices. If you are not interested be firm and tell them that. The tour will last as long as your interest. We ended up buying a 4 week timeshare at a great deal as we had done some research, even though we went in thinking we’ll just listen and leave. We had no pressure we were just delighted with the idea, deal and the resorts. Its up to you remember, not one can hold your head over a bucket. However we were happy with the tour and result. They give you a certificate fter the tour and you go back to collect your cruise voucher. You don’t have to buy.
One the day of the cruise you go to port everglades which is about 20 minutes from the hotel, right near the airport. You park there for the duration of the cruise for $30 ($15 per day) we tried to do it cheaper by going to the park and ride at the airport getting a shuttle and catching a bus to the port (about 10 mins), but really all your end up saving is $8 – not worth it
The cruise was great. It is an older and smaller ship. It was romantic and imtimate, however, you can leave or mix with the people you want. We met up with lots of nice couples – we really had a great time. The ship houses about 900 I think. The cruise itself will cost you an additional $50 each which includes the taxes tips/gratuities and fuel fees. It is not expected that you tip on the ship at meals etc. ( i mean unless you really want to!!!) I believe alcohol and soda etc has a surcharge of %15 added, but tea, coffee, iced tea and water and some breakfast juices from the iced tea/ water machine are free and you can get them from the buffet area any time).We don’t drink, which kept cost down.
The food was great, especially at dining. You choose soup salad, appetizer, entree dessert from a very upmarket menu. The food at dining is free and there is no tipping due as it has already been included in the $20 on your boarding card. There is also buffet style if you choose. You can also choose to dine for breakfast instead of the buffet.
They are great on the ship there is a disco, a cabaret, bingo, a casino, a room for kids play, buffet at breakfast (if you prefer that instead of breakfast dining, also after lunch and at 12.30 am. There is karaoke and a piano room for quiet sing along. We met a lot of nice people. The base package rooms rooms are very basic, unless you want to upgrade. They were cosy and quiet, quite small comfortable with a small bathroom and shower. we stayed below deck and we liked it because it was quiet..
During the cruise. There are photo opportunties and you can buy them if you want. No one asks you to see them or buy them.
we left on the cruise at 5pm and landed in the Bahamas at 9 am. There are expeditions and tour options. I did snorkeling for $49 and the fish ate out of my hand. (buy fish food for a $1 to get the best opportunity to see fish). Then we decided to just browse on our own after than as we wanted to go to the straw market (barter hard, prices are not really that cheap). We wasted our time going to Paradise Island (Atlantis) by ourselves trying to get a close up of the resort pools etc as the Atlantis resort staff, don’t let you look over the resort just the shops and casino inside the atlantis building. It is more spectacular to catch the view of them from the ferry and spend quality time doing Bahaman things that you would do in the USA. Or, it would have been better to take the tour offered by the cruise and gone to breezes beach resort on the white sands and beautiful beach and used stuff like wind sailing and canoeing on the beach all inclusive. We still had great fun though. You need to be on board by 5pm. After cruising the night back we headed down to Orlando. That hotel is spectacular in Orlando right next to so many things to do. The indoor pool and spa was like a lagoon and it was a lot fancier you will get a $few dollars added as a resort fee and surcharge about $6.00 day. It had a great atmosphere and the same food setup. The check in was a little slow. We had an awesome stay. You can do another timeshare tour and get free tickets to a theme park.There was a free shuttle to some of the parks. Parking at some of the Theme parks will run you between $10-15.
We dropped the car back at the airport which is 10-15 minutes away. So all in all the holiday package cost us an extra $230 which included cruise fuel fees taxes, rental car fees taxes, meal taxes/gratuities). Thus for both of us it was $398+$398+$198(2xport fee)+$230 (cruise/hotel charges)= ~$1220 for two. If you are alone it would be about $398+$99+$130=~$630 Our own gas driving around was out our own pocket as it would be back home anyway, and the scuba diving, parking at port everglades and photos we bought were out our own pocket.
We had a great time, no complaints. Get a passport it’s a must for the Bahamas. A GREAT TIME FOR FIRST TIME CRUISERS, for people rich or poor who are not fussy, for people who are not used to living/cruising in luxury all the time (although I did speak to people who have been on other cruises and liked the atmosphere of this one better), or those who don’t mind doing surveys/tours for their extras.

If you guys would do a little better research than googling the name on the front of the certificate, you would see that on the back side of the second page of the voucher, their are ads for Vacation VIllage. Which is a time share community.

LOL.

The cruise IS a rip-off, but not for the reason you scared elderly believe that it is.
It says on the back “THIS IS AN OFFER TO SELL TRAVEL”
They are a profit making company. If they actually gave a free vacation to everybody and then nobody bought a timeshare when they get to Florida, they would not survive.

But to say it is a scam just because they asked you for $798 you guys are retards. Its not the Publisher’s Clearing House. LoL. It’s a business and they need to make profits.

If you were able to read the small print you would see that it also says that you can expect to be charged at least something for port fees and to help curb the rising prices of gas, blada blada blah…..

But everyone expects everything to be handed to them for nothing…

You all say that it is a rip-off, but your only basis is that they asked you for $798.00? Not a single person who as actually went on the cruise minded paying for a $798 vacation. Maybe you all should stop being such cheap asses…

I was recently suckered into one of these vacation deals, and while I’m not saying that I wasn’t incredibly naive by giving out my credit card info over the phone, this company does practice some questionable sales techniques. For instance, they got my contact information from a contest that I entered at a Ribfest (innocently enough), and when they called me, they said I had been “selected” to receive a fabulous and luxurious vacation package to Florida and the Bahamas (valued at $2500). Now, the package was nowhere near worth that (after I later did some research). Plus, there are many hidden fees that wouldn’t be aware of until you actually go on the vacation (just Google the people who have traveled with Imperial).

However, it’s natural when they quote you that value that your mind jumps to visions of grand cruise ships and the “white glove treatment” that Imperial promises. Needless to say, when I agreed to pay the heavily-discounted promotional fee of $299U.S./pp, I had no idea that this would be non-refundable and that the company had a “no vacation cancellation policy.”

If you do your research, and look up the “Sellers of Travel” section on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website (http://www.800helpfla.com/complnt.html), you’ll see that according to Florida Law (and I live in Canada by the way), a consumer is entitled to a full refund within 30 days of purchase. However, every time I called Imperial’s customer service, they refused to cancel the package, offering to extend the period that I could use the vacation, or a 100% money back guarantee (after you go through with the trip), or to upgrade your package. They told me that they could not refund the 149$U.S. security deposit that I supposedly agreed to. And that if I cancelled, I would lose all my money.

Know your rights. Contact your credit card company’s dispute department, and they’ll advise you on how to return Imperial’s package (through registered mail) and with an official letter of cancellation. Or better yet, complain to the Florida Better Business Bureau (Canadians can send a complaint through our local BBB), and complain to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

I did, and got my full refund within one week (August 22, 2008) of falling for this “luxury” vacation package. Now I just hope there aren’t any weird or unauthorized transactions on my credit card statement.

The irony is that Imperial Majesty keeps calling my house, and asking to speak to my parents. They seem to be aggressively targeting Canadians now, so warn your friends even if they are “smart.” I considered myself smart, and yet I fell for this. They are incredibly persuasive!

I believe these sites are good for sharing information. I read through these again and saw Brice’s comment. Maybe he works for them. LOL! I am certainly not a cheap ass and I can tell you that not all of the ads mention that it is an attempt to sell property. Mine was a postcard and mentioned nothing of the sort (I knew this was the pitch though…I own a few timeshares already and am not new to the game). My only issue so far is that they never told me my vacation package had an expiration and we received a phone call saying that it was going to expire unless we paid a certain amount to extend it otherwise we would lose what we have already paid because it was nonrefundable. I think as things come up and they try to improve their “advertising/small print” as they go. They do misrepresent themselves in their ads though. They do lie about hidden costs. Although I have not taken my vacation yet (as I mentioned in a previous post it will be in October), I have had to deal with reservations.

AUTHOR is an ASS! Completely rude and can not handle a female that is not submissive and actually has a brain and thinks for herself. He is so defensive when you bring something to his attention. Why? Because they are coached on what to say to customers based on our responses and when they come across a person that doesn’t fit their script, they don’t know what to do. He obviously can’t handle it. He started yelling at me on the phone and all I could do was laugh. My husband on the other hand didn’t find it so funny so he took the phone and put him in his place. Once he diffused the situation we later spoke with a “customer service specialist” by the name of James. James actually speaks like he has an education and was a pleasure to deal with. We were appropriately compensated for being mislead and for dealing with AUTHOR!! We also received several apologies for his unacceptable behavior. He also didn’t actually book the itinerary that we discussed. It all worked out in the end. James took care of us and we are waiting to receive our itinerary and take our trip. We have paid for several upgrades and only have $1600 out of pocket. We did opt to not take the Ft Lauderdale portion of the trip since we had to change our cruise location (beyond their control…the cruise line blacked out 6 Oct to Mexico, we are gonna go to the Bahamas now). That cruise leaves out of Orlando so we are doing our entire vacation there. Better for us. I’ll keep you posted.

Hi everyone
I work for ramada plaza resorts as a promotions director in the Ontario office! I would just like to say that NO THIS IS NOT A SCAM! It is a real vacation that u r selected to recieve if u qualify and participate in our travel survey! If u r not interested in the FAM trip which is a promotional trip then don’t do the freakin survey..thats all there is to it! It is 698$ US for an 9 day 8 night florida bahamas cruise vacation! Thats all ur accomidations cover…cruise covered as well as 2 bonus vacations (accomidations) and 3rd and 4th ticket for free and a 8 day rental car with unlimited milege! Where r u going to get all those nights accomidations for 4 ppl for only 698….guess what ur not!
We(atleast I don’t) pressure we r there to help with concerns with the trip and using a credit card over the phone…if u dont want to do it…no worries we jst pass the package to a family that does want it….none of us care cause we r paid hourly!
Everyone get off ur high horse and except it for what it for! If it was a scam do u think we would still be in business??
THINK ABOUT IT! Also plz remember that it is our job to tell u abot it and we r no less a human being then u are so alittle respect and politness is appreciated….THANX

No Catherine, that is not what my offer was. No survey, no 8 night/9 day vacation. Maybe yours is different. Yes tyou are human and deserve respect, but so does the customer. It seems that maybe the reservations/sales people are very defensive and it may be because of dealing with rude people from time to time, but you (maybe not you personally) have to be respectful and considerate too. You’ll sell more!

Anyways, my husband and I did take our trip. The cruise was the best part. The service on the cruise was amazing and we can’t wait to take another one. As far as the rest…it was okay. We did the required timeshare tour and they were not pushy at all (we got a good company, not all are so easy). We are already timeshare owners and own a better timeshare with more options so it wasn’t something that we wanted (the cruise was!).

We did learn that the reservations/sales department is a different company than the company running the welcome centers and they are a different company than the actual Ramada Plaza Resorts. The cruise line is it’s own company, the rental car company is separate and the timeshare companies are independent companies as well. So basically it is 5-6 companies that have all come together to put a vacation package together. That is probably why there is so much confusion. The companies seem to get upset with one antoher as well. It’s actually sort of comical to listen to them gripe about the other.

Our vacation was not bad at all, but the reservation department gave them all a bad name. And Author is still an ASS!!

So nope, it is not a scam, but there are a lot of variables that can make it more fun or a horrible time.

How much were drinks?
My husband and I will be going in June -with our 7 and 4 year old. What do we need to hit first?
As for a scam, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any weird stuff. I too have a couple of
timeshares and am aware of the tour blah blah. I accepted this trip because we have never been on a cruise (we usually do all inclusives).
I am concerned about drink prices. I’ve heard they’re pricey. And, I want my “little fish to have an AMAZING time.
I’d love any tips you all can give me.
Nancy

SCAM, SCAM, SCAM! Please the read the numerous consumeraffairs.com alerts regarding this “business”. This Ramada Plaza Resort [RPR] vacation scheme has been a huge headache for thousands of angry and disappointed consumers who were promised one thing and received another. In fact, RPR has had to settle multiple class action suits on behalf of these justifiably angry vacationers.

The RPR “agents” are incredibly pushy, arrogant, and become extremely hostile if you try and refuse an “upgrade” or attempt to get a refund. RPR frequently laments that they are non-refundable, which should jump out in red letters in this economy. Be sure to document everything, the date of any conversation and all important dialogue exchanges.

I am military and it took me working with Florida’s Better Business Bureau to get my money back. Months after I cancelled my $800 package (2/2009) and received a refund (6/2009), I had the opportunity to talk with yet another antagonistic agent (January 4, 2010). This man stated that I had only cancelled one package and had yet another that was “set to expire.” I had no idea what he was talking about. After 15 minutes of agonizingly high blood pressure, I told him that I would not be vacationing and they could have whatever money they think I paid them (again, he was calling on a bogus package). The agent became irate and said, “It’s people like you that change your credit card accounts to avoid creditors. Well, we have a policy to ensure that we get our money back by force through merchant accounts. We will find you and take the money from your accounts.” Oh, really? I told the rude agent that the conversation was over. I hung up on him and called 1-800-203-9783 [RPR hotline] to speak with a different agent. She confirmed that I had only one cancelled account and said that the other agent was “probably mistaken.”

BEWARE! If you want to be happy, plan the vacation yourself or get a bonafide agent. Stay away from RPR!

- Lydia H.