Ramada Plaza Resorts Reviews

I explained this situation to Ramada but they could care less. They refused to refund any of my money, in fact they wanted me to give them more money to lengthen the expiration date.

I have lost $698.00.

Our first vacation was Williamsburg, VA, and the so called Ramada Inn turned out to be a run down Comfort Inn. We had to give the a $100 deposit, to be returned at the end of the tour. They did give it back but it was a GIFT CREDIT CARD without the pin number.

I sent a certified letter demanding a refund and the letter was returned stamped: MOVED LEFT NO ADDRESS.

Thank goodness I checked on the internet, and thank goodness you all were right there with your postings of complaints. You saved me and multiple members of my family who I emailed.

Since then I've received 2 hang up calls a day from them.

From the time we arrived to pick up a car from Alama (wrong size) everything was less than 1 star. The Amerihost in Orlando was nothing like we were used to. We were talked into the food vouchers and the food was horrible.

The people at the counter were nice & helpful at the hotel, but the people for the Ramada Plaza Resorts were rude & not helpful. The Carnival cruise was good - they could not ruin that. The hotel in Ft. Lauderdale was better but was far from where we had to go to use those expensive food vouchers.

This trip was very expensive & we had to attend not 1 but 2 Time-share presentations. (Our second trip was with Take Me On Vacation. It was less than half the cost of the Ramada trip & was closer to 1st class treatment.)

When I was told how much the program cost, I told her I could not afford it. She immediately put on a supervisor that told me he would let me pay half today, and bill my credit card for $59 for 6 months. Every time I questioned any aspect of this deal, I was put on hold. They got my credit card number, got a verbal agreement from me and prepared to send a packet to my home.

When I got home, I realized what an idiot I was to get into this as I have never trusted these kinds of scammy offers. I called my credit card company and was told that the payment for $350 had already gone through. I called the customer service dept. at Ramada Plaza Resorts and explained I did not want this trip and was told that my account was not in their computer.

I am unable to stop this company from billing the credit card or recover funds already taken. I am going to have financial consequences with no service delivered or wanted, and they have my card # and SSN.

We get multiple calls per day, have reported them to the Fed Do Not Call List - but nothing happens. How do I get my phone back?

I asked if I could think about it and talk to my husband but he said no, the offer was only good for that day. That should have been my first clue.

When we called to make reservations, I was told there would be substantial extra costs for the 2 children. Basically we would have to pay double. I told them that is not what the sales representative promised me and asked for a refund or a partial refund. They were very rude and said there was nothing they could do.

The time for me to make reservations is starting to expire, so Ramada called and wanted the $700 balance. I told the caller what happened and he said it really was not his problem but they he could give me a $90 discount. It makes me sick that I basically gave them $700 and have no recourse.

Oh...I also tried getting my money back and they refused that too. There HAS to be a law against this. I paid for a trip that I didn't get to take and they could care less. Not ONE single bit of help or cooperation on their end. However after reading all of these complaints on the internet I might as well realize that my $300 is gone.

After thinking about it, I realized that I did not really want to do it, so I called back 2 days later to cancel. I was told that I could not cancel, but I could pay $300 and would not have to pay anymore until I booked the trip.

I received a call this past February, 2006, informing me that my trip was going to expire in September. I explained to the sales rep that I had an additional 18 months to use it, but he did not have it on record. I called them about a month later to try to cancel again and the woman I spoke with said that I should have read the information carefully when I got it, and called then instead of waiting 1 year.

It put our bank account in OD and Our bills did not get paid because of what they did without our permission.

I am active duty Military and got deployed during the time I was supposed to take the trip. I called them when I got back and they said they had no problems extending me. Then they called me and said I owed them more money and they wanted to charge me for the extention they gave me.

There was no reservation for the car promised . I received a 2 door convertable for 4 adults and luggage so had to upgrade-Alamo charged me $450. Hotel rooms promised in "luxury" Ramada were absolutely unliveable-rugs were even wet. No Universal Studio tickets as promised. 3-day/2-night luxury cruise to Bahamas turned out to be an embarrassing excuse for a cruise ship with throw up bags everywhere and a pool that was a 9x12 hole in the floor.

I spent an additional $900 for hotel accomodations. Two days of my vacation were completely wasted on the time share tour which they said would only take 2 hours total and the other day arguing at the welcome center about my hotel room.

I called and asked for a refund of the $700 paid and was told that everything was non-refundable.

I will not use or pay this company the other $700 they want. No sense sending good money after bad.

Our promised "beach-front" room view turned out to be a trailer park. The hotel was located in the highest crime area of Ft Lauderdale. It was dirty. I even took photos of the bathroom which displayed mold through-out the shower fixtures and floor tile. The vanity was painted plywood. Far from the "luxury" resort we were told it would be. When we checked in at the Welcome Center, that is the first time we were told we HAD to attend a "tour" aka "sales presentation" for a time share property before we could receive our pass for the cruise.

At the "tour" we were kept for 4 1/2 hrs. Feeling pressured, I purchased a time share, only to cancel it 2 days later. The Postal worker that helped me made a comment when she only saw the address "so you are cancelling too". She knew only by seeing the address!

Now to the cruise--the Regal Empress is so old and not updated as claimed to be. The cabins were in terrible shape. Bottom line, I feel like I have been scammed and feel very angry. Nothing that was "promised" took place. This whole scam should be shut down and quit taking people's money.

I think this is absolutely shameful, that a senior citizen can be ripped off so easily.

I continued to listen to "Valarie" as I read the consumer information. I started laughing, because every time I would get to a section where there was a complaint, “Valarie” was trying to sell it. I interrupted "Valarie" and told her about the article I was reading. She immediately became quiet and said, "It says nice things, right?" "Actually, quite the opposite", I said. She continued to try and sell me the Vacation Package. I was happy to say to her, "Thanks honey, but no thanks." To Consumer Affairs, I say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Thanks for the information provided by Consumer Affairs; the only damages I suffered were loss of airtime and time in general.

There was one saving grace. It was the timeshare pitch -- a 5-star resort with a great price. You know, I have done a lot of traveling all over the world and learned to use hotel rooms to shower, change clothes and sleep. It doesn't have to be expensive.

We purchased the time-share property and look forward to trading it with others to go to places to visit friends all over the world. I have yet to try the Williamsburg portion of the package but we are going to use it at Christmas. Again I need a place to park my car, shower, change and sleep. I am going there to enjoy the sights.

I'm sorry for the folks who have been disappointed but life isn't cheap and I find Americans want the world and don't want to pay for it.

Travel costs money. Get the best deal you can find and live with your choices.

On February 20, 2003 we phoned Ramada to get the details of our trip as no itinerary had been forwarded to us as promised. It was at this time we first learned of the sales presentation requirement; we immediately refused and spoke to various sales people and supervisors. Throughout the dispute all they tried to do was sell us more upgrades/extensions on the other so-called free trips. I can get a getaway for free anywhere if I am willing to sit through a sales presentation, I dont need to pay for the displeasure of doing so.

Furthermore, after performing my own research on travel pricing there is no discount on this vacation. I can book this trip cheaper than the price I have paid. We then called back on Feb 22, 2003 and cancelled the trip with much resistance from the Ramada sales staff/supervisors. It was at this time we demanded to hear the so-called tape of our conversation from Oct 19, 2000 where we were supposedly advised of the sales presentation requirement. To date this tape has not been produced.

After much back and forth it was at this time the Ramada staff agreed our trip was cancelled and our refund was forthcoming. We made 2 subsequent phone calls and on each occasion were told the trip was cancelled and our refund would be credited to our card any day. Finally after a month had passed on March 24, 2003 we called and demanded to know where the refund was. We were placed on hold 3 or 4 times for about 20 minutes, a technique they use frequently, until a supervisor finally came on and said your were getting a refund but it was denied.

At no point were we ever told this trip was nonrefundable, and in fact oral representations were made on at least 3 occasions that the refund was authorized. We relied upon the representations made by Ramada and booked another trip. We called back later that evening to try and resolve this issue by speaking Arthur and Warren. The supervisor refuses to get on the line and we hear him say in the background tell him to f*** off. This epitomizes the treatment weve received by the Ramada organization.

In summary we demand a full refund of the monies paid of $1,900 (1200+700 paid in 2000) due to the following misrepresentations made by the Ramada Plaza Resorts: 1. We were never advised of the sales presentation requirement and would never have booked a trip where we had to sit through one. 2. The trip is in no way highly discounted, a misrepresentation by Ramada organization. 3. We were never advised the trip was non refundable.

These supposed activities provided for children, for example at the first hotel in Ft. Lauderdale( which I was told was minutes from the beach, sixty minutes to be exact) was a pool. The room was a dumpy, filthy, stinky, and afraid of sleeping in the beds, for fear that the sheets may not have been changed; disgusting, mildew wallpaper in the bathroom, etc. etc. This was supposed to be a great March break vacation for my two-year-old children.

The luxury cruise as they advertise, even today with LasVegas show revue, etc. etc. was more like a tugboat. Its pathetic, when the MC of the supposed entertainment makes jokes about the size of the ship for about 20 minutes, prior to showtime. Oh yes, entertainment for the children, consisted of a colouring contest, and at least $40.00/perday for change for the free arcade.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, and within minutes Alamo Rental Cars were asking for an additional $239.00 for an upgrade. I previously paid for an upgrade, however, the car fit 4 persons but there was no room for any luggage whatsoever. Then parking for the car, while at the ship, yadda, yadda, yadda. I had rented a wheelchair in Canada, and brought it with me. When I arrived at the ship, I was told that it was not necessary. Yes, it was not necessary on the ship, but what about getting off the ship at port in Bahamas, with no taxis available, and me not able to walk anywhere. The buses were not available due to the lack of clearance. So my sons & I sat outside on a bench.

Secondly, I arrived at my first class hotel. This hotel was not a first class hotel! The agreement that I made with Ramada was to stay in a first class resort. Anyone with any sense would agree with me that this hotel was very far from being a first class. The elevators did not work well and the service was very slow, it took them 3 hours for us to get some towels. The water in the hotel was yellow and the whole building had a bad stench to it.

Thirdly, the Imperial Majesty cruise was a big disappointment. In their brochure they mention they have first class amenities. First of all, the full fitness center had 2 steppers, one treadmill, and a bike machine. Ive seen home fitness centers better than this one. The inviting heated pool on deck was about the size of a cabin, if you can fit 5 people in there I think you would be lucky. The video arcade was very disappointing there were a total of 7 video games.

As for enjoying a sumptuous breakfast and luscious dinners its highly unlikely that you would find anyone to agree with those statements. The breakfast was horrible, the eggs looked like oatmeal, the bread was hard, and the cereal was stale. Dinner was even more disappointing. On our second dinner we found hair in our food. The staff apologized and decided to bring out another plate, however by that time everyone at our table was disgusted and did not want to eat.

This is something that I will never quite forget and neither will my children. We drove from Orlando at noon and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 4:00PM. We were hoping that in the future, maybe someone from this company would compensate us in someway to make up for this tragic moment in our lives.

January 1, 2003

Dan Lambert
Ramada Plaza Resorts
2419 E Commercial Blvd. #100
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Tel: (954) 630-9449
Fax: (954) 567-9399

Re: Request for full refund following Ramadas fraudulently misleading description of vacation package #*******-025RP

Dear Mr. Lambert,
The purpose of this letter is to explain Ramada Plaza Resorts (RPR) fraudulent misrepresentation of the vacation package that I used from 12/19/02 to 12/26/02. I am requesting a full refund of the $1,700 I paid for the vacation package. RPRs dishonest and fraudulent description of the vacation package violates the Maryland Unfair Trade Practices Law as well as various laws as the states Consumer Protection Laws, as described by the states Attorney General.

Below I describe how RMR misled me by misrepresenting its offer. I have also enclosed documentation of multiple lawsuits against RPR for its fraudulent activities. These cases show that my terrible experience with RPR was not unique, but rather is quite common as the company routinely lies to customers and misleads them. RPR operates under several company names in order to mislead customers and protect itself from the consequences of its illegal behavior.

I am furious at the awful treatment I received from Ramada. I am requesting that Ramada fully refund my vacation package because of the companys fraudulent claims and misleading operation. These problems include Ramadas failure to provide the vacation for which I paid, Ramadas numerous misleading descriptions of aspects of the vacation, as well as Ramadas failures to correct its errors. I was extremely dissatisfied with my vacation and I look forward to Ramada making up for my awful experience.

I paid $1,700 (approximately $700 each for my wife and me, plus an addition $300 an hotel upgrade) for this vacation, but the vacation experience was nothing like the package that Ramada sold to me. Ramada misled me and attempted to get even more money from me by failing to abide by the terms of the vacation that it sold to me. During my vacation I complained several times to Ramada and explained each of the problems outlined below. I have already contacted my credit card company and informed it that I will be taking action against RPR because of its misleading business practices. If I do not receive a full refund, then I plan to contact the following authorities to inform them about RPRs illegal and misleading business practices:

• Charles Bronson, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• The Better Business Bureau
• The Florida Attorney General
• The Federal Trade Commission

Part I: This section describes the process by which RPR fraudulently offered me the vacation package by misleading me in order to make the package appear much more attractive than it was.

In March of 2001, I received a solicitation in the mail from RPR. The solicitation offered a vacation package, to which I responded by calling RPRs toll free number. A representative named Julia told me that the vacation package was a one time only offer that could not be purchased anytime after my phone conversation with her. After taking careful documentation after the phone conversation, I allowed the sum of $698.00 to purchase a secure deposit for a vacation in my name; I later paid another $698 for my wifes ticket, as well as $300 for a package upgrade.

However, I later learned that this description of the offer as an exclusive, one-time opportunity was fraudulent. Indeed, one can purchase this same package at any time at http://www.dreamtimetours.com, and just a week before my vacation, I received another call from RPR offering me the same package, which it claimed again was available only on this one time basis. Thus RPR fraudulently misrepresented the nature of its offer and its availability, which is a direct violation of Florida law.

RPR indicated in the solicitation that the vacation offered were valued at over $2,800, but for a limited time, RMR was selling it at a highly discounted price of $698/person for a total of $1,396. This is deceptive and misleading because the actual retail value of the vacation I recently took was significantly less. The vacation included:

• Two nights of first class accommodations at the Ramada Plaza Resort Hotel
• Premier Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line or Imperial majesty Cruise Line
• Three nights of first class accommodations in south Florida
• Transportation for seven days provided by Alamo Rent-A-Car After taking the vacation, I have determined the actual retail value of the trip as follows:
• One night at the Ramada Ft. Lauderdale on Commercial Blvd. ($50/night): $50.00
• Two nights at the Quality Inn Hotel at 1208 N. Ocean Blvd. ($129/night): $258.00
• 2-night cruise on Imperial Majesty Cruise line (2 people @ $100.00): $200.00
• 2 nights at the Radisson Barcelo in Orlando ($90/night): $180.00
• 7-day Alamo car rental: $130.00 Estimated total retail value of my RPR package: $818

Thus the trip value is nowhere near the $1,396 that RPR claimed was a discounted rate, much less the $2,800 price indicated in the solicitation, or the $1,700 that I paid for my vacation. Aside from the problems with the inflated cost, my vacation was not worth the $818 because of the continuous problems caused by RPR, which I detail below.

In the solicitation I received in the mail, RPR claimed the package was being offered to me was part of a prestigious nationwide marketing study and promotion. Only after I purchased the package did RPR inform me that the vacation package was actually a timeshare program, in which I was obligated attend to a timeshare presentation. If I had known that the market study was really a timeshare presentation, then I would never have signed up for the vacation. Furthermore, as I explain in detail below, RPR forced me to attend two timeshare presentations, not one, in order to receive the gift that it promised to me upon completion of one presentation. Thus RPR required me to pay more than the retail price, while it also required me to take part in a timeshare presentation that took time away from my vacation. RPR fraudulently solicited the package as a discounted vacation in exchange for quality feedback.

Additionally, the solicitation sent to me indicated that the trip offered a choice of the carriers Premier Cruise, Carnival Cruise, or Imperial Majesty Cruise. The solicitation made no mention of additional cost to choose a carrier, which implied that each service was available and that all were all of equal value. However, this was not the case, as RPR again misled me. Only after paying for my deposit did RPR inform me that I would have to upgrade to a more expensive package in order to go on the cruise line of my choice. I was never informed of this in the solicitation or at the time of sale.

Part II: This section provides a day-by-day account of RPRs mistakes, fraudulent claims and failure to address its errors, all of which ruined my vacation.

The problems began on my first day in Florida. My wife and I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 19, looking forward to spending several days at the upgraded, luxury, beach-front hotel for which we paid. I chose the upgraded hotel because Ramada described it as a luxury resort with excellent dining facilities, a deluxe exercise area and other amenities. However, the hotel where we stayed (the Ramada Fort Lauderdale on Commercial Blvd.) was a low-class hotel in an unattractive, commercial area that was a 20-minute drive from the beach. The hotel smelled like an athletic locker room, the room was dirty and dank, the room had no refrigerator, the tap water was yellow, the restaurant in the hotel was unattractive and grungy, etc. etc. These accommodations were anything but deluxe. Because room we checked into was dirty, we had to change rooms later that evening, which was another hassle. I called the hotel from the my cell phone and was told that a room for the evening would cost a mere $50 for someone off the street. This was an early of many indications of RPRs failure to give me the vacation for which I paid.

On the night of Dec. 19, I called the Fort Lauderdale Welcome Center to complain, but the person who answered the phone told me that the manager had left for the day. Therefore, he claimed, we could not change hotels until the next day. We were forced to remain in this dump when we should have been a luxury, beach-front resort. I told him to have the Manager of the Welcome Center call me the next day. I never received a call from the Manager. I met others in the hotel who were on Ramada vacations, and they too were furious about the poor accommodations. They had already gone on their resort tour, and their tour guide informed them that Ramada and the hotel where we were staying had received several hundred complaints from customers who had been misled in similar ways to my experience.

In conducting research since taking my trip, I have found countless cases of fraud committed by RPR. On Dec. 20, my wife and I drove over an hour each way to get to our resort tour. Ramada had informed me over the phone that after completing the 90-minute tour, we would receive free passes to Disney World. However, after completing our tour of the Radisson West Palm Beach, which took over two hours, David at that Welcome Center told me that we would receive the vouchers in Orlando. This was not part of a nationwide marketing survey as RPR claimed in its solicitation, it was a scheme to sell timeshares.

My wife and I were unable to change hotels until 6:00 pm on Dec. 20. We had lost nearly two days in the run-down hotel on Commercial Blvd. This package was a horrendous way to begin what was described to us as a luxury vacation. Ramadas problems continued.

We moved to the Quality Inn Hotel at 1208 N. Ocean Blvd, which is also not a luxury resort. It was a low-end Quality Inn Hotel. The exercise room was very small and had old equipment. The hotel restaurant was grungy and had a foul odor of tobacco smoke. When I checked into the Quality Inn, I again called the Ft. Lauderdale Welcome Center to find out why we were not in a luxury hotel. I was told that the Ramada Resort on the beach, which was several blocks from us and was the hotel where we should have stayed, had no vacancies. Again my wife and I suffered because RPR fraudulently misled us in describing the vacation as much more valuable than it was. Our vacation failed to meet the description of what we purchased from RPR.

In falsely describing the quality of this hotel and other locations where we stayed, RPR again violated Floridas applicable laws. I again asked for the Manager of the Welcome Center to call me on my cell phone in order to discuss these problems. I received no such call, despite leaving multiple messages for her at the Fort Lauderdale Welcome Center. Not only was I extremely angered by the poor quality of our vacation, but I resent having to take time from my vacation to address Ramadas myriad errors.

On 12/22/02 we departed on the Ocean Breeze ship. This portion of the vacation also failed to meet the description of the trip that we were given and which led us to purchase the package. First, the boat was over 40 years old, small, poorly equipped and unattractive. The rooms were tiny, the beds uncomfortable; the boat was not a floating luxury resort as RPR described it to me in its solicitation. Second, RPR told us that once we were on the boat, all expenses would be covered except for alcohol and gambling. This was not the case. Small bottles of water cost upwards of $5 and cans of soda were similarly overpriced. The ship automatically billed us $39 in gratuities. Other similar charges appeared despite the fact that we were told that the cruise was all-inclusive.

Again I tried to contact the Manager at the Fort Lauderdale Welcome Center in order to rectify these numerous errors. I left multiple messages with Christina in which I stated firmly that I needed to speak with the Manager. I never received a return call from the Manager, even though I waited on hold over 20 minutes and left my cell phone number for her.

On 12/24 we arrived at the Orlando Welcome Center (OWC). RPR had told us that we could pick up our Disney World tickets at the OWC. However, a Senior Employee with a British or Australian accent at the OWC told us that we had been misled by Ramada and the Fort Lauderdale Welcome Center. If we wanted the vouchers for the Disney tickets, he told us, then we would have to take another resort tour. I explained that that was incorrect, as Ramada had told us that we would receive the vouchers after taking one tour. The OWC double-checked and confirmed that we had been misled. Yet again RPR lied to me in order to make its package sound more luxurious than it was. We would have to take another tour to receive the tickets. Yet again Ramada misrepresented the terms of the vacation package. Yet again we lost vacation time because of Ramadas failure to provide the vacation features that we purchased.

I decided to purchase the vouchers outright from the OWC and then be reimbursed for them after taking my second tour (recall that Ramada had informed me that I would only have to take one tour in order to receive the tickets). However, when I went to claim my refund, the representative at the tour facility (2901 Parkway Blvd/ Kissimmee, FL 34747) claimed that I was only entitled to a 50% refund of the price I paid for the Disney tickets. I had to argue with her for several minutes to convince her that I was entitled to a full refund, despite the fact that I had in my hand the OWCs written guarantee of the full refund. This sort of unpleasant and dishonest experience was typical of my vacation, as I found myself having to fight for things for which I had paid or been promised based on my purchase of the vacation package.

In sum, my vacation was ruined by Ramadas fraudulent sales practices, misleading information and failures to provide me with what I purchased. As documented, these errors are deceptive and fraudulent. Furthermore, they violate applicable laws of Florida and Maryland. I look forward to receiving from Ramada a full refund for my vacation package.

Thank you,

Daniel

The company in question misrepresented itself and the products it sold to me. Following my investigation and letter of complaint, I received a full refund. I encourage others to do the same.

I lost $100 for hotel, 4 hours of my time being irritated by their time share pitch men, put up with staying in a really 2nd-class dirty hotel and added about 200 miles of driving from Disney back and forth from where I would have stayed. The legitimate Ramada Inn on International Blvd was also charging $39.95. I am a Ramada Club memember and therefore would have stayed there.

For the complete package for 2 adults: $1665 this was paid up front (credit received $135) Ft. Lauderdale: Hotel Taxes: $24 Alamo upgrade: $251.61 Total: $275.61 Bahamas: $100 Orlando: $24 My husband was very upset during most of this vacation. We spent way too much money for something that was only halfway decent.

I have called on three or more occasions since then and been told that I still will not get a refund. The only response I have gotten from them when trying to get a refund is them trying to push me to add $234.00 more to my package as a customer service upgrade.

This was the worst travel experience that I have ever had. It was insulting and much more expensive than if I had booked this trip myself.

I called the customer service number of the company, Ramada Plaza Results, and wish to refund or cancel the program. Nevertheless, I was told that the cancellation was not possible. After an hour phone negotiation, the company "kindly" let me change my program to a cheaper plan, 7 days 6 nights in Orlando/Ft. Lauderdale for $686. I have no idea but to reduced my lost. I changed my program to the latter, even though I strongly want to cancel the program after just hours of the purchase.

I have totally spent $686 for the vacation program of Ramada Plaza Results, which is a big deal for a full time student like me. That means a month's living to me. I cannot sleep several nights after the purchase, felt guilt, and fight with my girlfriend who thought I am stupid and totally waste of money. I want to fix the relationship with her and urgent to know is there anything I can do to recoup my money?

Funny thing is, I was contacted AFTER the vacation expired. A salesperson tried to talk me into paying more money to extend the travel period. When I refused I was told that my only option was to take their less expensive package, worth $498, because they could not give me a refund. I figured I better take it because I'd rather lose $200 than the whole $698 I originally paid. But after reading about all the horrible experiences other people who've gone on these trips have had, I am loathe to take my four kids on this trip. Is there any way I can get my money back????

Researching the Las Vegas and Puerto Vallerta sites revealed that the hotels in Florida were palaces compared to the poor accommodations offered at the other locations. I refuse to travel to the bonus destination sites and realize that the 2800.00 I gave to Ramada Plaza Resorts will be allocated solely to the Florida trip. This business arrangement was unfair to the consumer and I would like some restitution of my original investment. In addition to any fund that I may recover, I would relish the prospect that the organization and individuals responsible for this fiasco be prosecuted and fined.

Luckily I'm not out dollars on this, but in looking up corporate leadership to send a complaint to, I came upon your site. Now I know the $599 already paid is lost forever, but maybe you saved me thousands plus untold anguish due to their unconscionable misbehavior. There is no point in trying to shame Ramada's corporate leaders into fixing these problems because there really aren't any, just as there isn't really a Ramada anymore. Ramada is just one a number of names in the inventory of Cendant, successor to CUC, one of the most fraud-plagued companies of the pre-Enron era. Their chairman, Henry R. Silverman, appears immune to the very concept of shame. Nothing short of an indictment will make any impression on Cendant.

Now I knew I had to pay for the taxes on the hotels and the car, I just didn't figure on almost $300 in taxes. Now comes the day of the trip. My new wife and myself flew to Ft. Laud. go to Alamo car rental in the airport. They tell me that I'm getting a Cavalier. I said no I was getting a Grand Am (midsize). He said no you are getting a (compact) car. So I call the reservation number that I had. They proceed to tell me the same thing. After about 45 min. i was getting nowhere. So I had to pay another $83 to get a (midsize) but Alamo was running a special that I could get a SUV. so ended up with a brand new Trailblazer with also a total of taxes for 7 days of about $100.

I go to the welcome center get my info of the hotel and where I had to go for the timeshare resort to get my cruise tickets with which I knew I had to do to get the cruise tickets. So we go and find the hotel, found it and could not believe the condition it was in. The place was called the Ocean Resort Hotel. I thought we were staying at a Ramada Inn. Not true. We went in, talked to the girl at the counter and was informed we would be staying across the road not on the beach like I had paid for in the upgrade so I'm on the phone again. They give us another place to look at. This was the Paradise Hotel that was only 2 buildings down. It was a dump too but we would be on the ocean but would not have an ocean view.

So I called back to the lady at the welcome center. She tells me its there (Paradise) or here (which meant the welcome center place which was 20 miles away from ocean and also was a dump) and she would refund me about a $100 but we wanted to be on the beach so we stayed at Paradise hotel. The day at the timeshare was not too bad, they did have trouble with us saying no thanks but after 3 hours we were out of there with our cruise tickets. The taxes at the hotel was around $60. The part I didn't get was when heading the the ship we passed a great looking hotel called the "Ramada" right there on the beach about 2.5 miles from where we stayed. So we get to the port for the ship find out that we have to pay $10 a day to park there.

Now this is the first cruise we been on. It was a dump also. Get our room, its very small with 2 single beds. It was an outside cabin but it did not have a clear view of the ocean. After talking with the purser's desk we were stuck with what we had. Now so far we were told that we were staying at lux. hotel and going on a lux. cruise they were full of crap. On the cruise we were to get 5-star food (I'm a chef and I've eaten at 5-star places). I would consider it a 1-star. We were heading to Nassau, bah. We find out that if you want to go swimming you had to pay $32 apiece to go because all the beaches by the port are private. So we paid $51 apiece to go snorkeling and then go to their beach where they were serving lunch. We got a hole 6 hours in Nassau. The entertainment was lousy. The pool could only hold about 6 people. The only good thing was the weather and being with my new wife.

We get back paid $20 for parking and head for Orlando. On arrival we found our hotel which was the Amerihost Inn. Go to the welcome center which was inside. There I find out that the Universal Studios tickets I was to get I had to go to another timeshare meeting. At this time I started to lose it. I started to yell at the guy (Phillip) behind the counter. He says there's nothing he could do, tells me to call this #. So I go to the phone outside the doors of the welcome center. A lady answers, I ask for a manager. I get James. We start talking, he told me that I have to go to this timeshare. I say no, I don't, nothing was said prior to this. He tells me to talk to the guy inside. I tell him that I was told to call him (James). That went round and round. At this time he tells me to go back in and he'll call there. He talks to Phillip, he gives me the phone, James tell me that I have to go to the timeshare or I don't get my tickets. I lost it and told James that if I could reach though the phone (you can fill in the rest) so my wife got the papers that we needed. Had to pay $20 to make sure we showed up which it was returned to use after the meeting.

When arriving the next morning, meet the guy that was give the tour, told him he had 1.5 hours then we were done (that was the min. time they said we had to go). After 1.5 hrs we left with our tickets. Now the hotel we stay at in Orlando was okay but the funny thing was that there was a "Ramada" right across the street. We talked to a good dozen couples and they all felt the same - that they got ripped off.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, and due to this hardships to my wife and I, "We wrote them" that "We must cancel our vacation package with them." Since that time, we have been forced to move to Michigan, due to increasing health problems recently, also my wife has had numerous emotional breakdown and is home-bound due to her Fibromyalgia and low back problems, and other health problems to many to mention at this time, which have been documented with her doctors, she is confined to bed & occasionally to her wheelchair, it is for this reason that we are requesting for a complete refund of $1,600.00.

Since we didn't hesitate to purchase your program at that time, we would also expect the same courtesy, we have no one that is left in our family to consider for this program and cannot sell it to any other persons, this has been very devastating for the both of us...We need to resolve this issue soon. Please let us know what maybe done to expedite this matter.

To date, I have been in contact with all of the following:

• FLORIDA: State Attorney General's Office; Consumer Affairs; Better Business Bureau; Bureau of Time Shares; Mayor of Orlando; Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale; Central FL Hotel & Motel Association; Dept. of Business & Prof Regulations.
• TENNESSEE: State Attorney General's Office; Consumer Affairs; Better Business Bureau; NBC News.

  I have also sent a detailed letter with supporting documentation and a copy of the videotape they sent us to the Federal Trade Commission.

  As of June, I know that Florida SAG settled on behalf of 17 states for $200 for each litigant. Seven more states (CT, IL, NC, OH, WV, WA, WI) have a class action suit going against these people. Tennessee can't seem to make up their mind as to whether they will file a class action suit on behalf of their consumers.

  After returning from our nightmare vacation, I proceeded to call all of the companies involved in this fraudulent scheme to recoup our $6,400.00. Here are the results of the calls and complaints I have received thus far:

• ALAMO Rent-A-Car: According to Marsha Samuels the reservation is made by RAMADA and it is their responsibility to advise us of the seating capacity of the car. Therefore, they respectfully denied our request for a refund. My answer indicated that they were responsible under the "bait and switch" theory. If they truly were innocent, they would refund our money and charge RAMADA Plaza Resorts for the so called "up-grade". I have not received an answer.
• NATIONAL TRAVEL SERVICES - I have not heard anything about my complaint against them.
• RAMADA PLAZA RESORTS - They responded to Consumer Affairs in Florida that they were going to credit our charge card for the initial cost of $1668.00 and they have credited our charge card for that amount. I answered that this amount was NOT sufficient and was a far cry from the $6,400.00 we were out due to their scam. I am waiting for their reply.
• RAMADA FRANCHISE SYSTEMS,INC. - When I contacted them, they were aware of the litigation against RAMADA Plaza Resorts and claimed they were misled by Daniel Lambert on how he would use their name in the franchise agreement. YET, they are still allowing him to use the RAMADA trademark to give the scam creditability. They claim that "In accordance with the terms of the Franchise Agreement entered into between the owners of the Ramada Plaza Resorts and Ramada Hotels, Inc., this is an issue on which Ramada Customer Service has no authority to intervene". If Daniel Lambert of RAMADA Plaza Resorts had used the RAMADA trademark for purposes other than was indicated by the franchise agreement, that would be a breach of contract allowing them to sever his use of their trademark. Instead, they continue not only to allow but also encourage the use of the RAMADA name which indicates their participation in this scam.

On the advice of both the Florida & Tennessee Attorney General's offices, I have contacted an attorney about filing a civil suit. He has admitted we were scammed and have a case. He has suggested that if we get a group of people (at least 10) to go in together and file a civil suit, the legal fees would be shared by all the plaintiffs. We would then be able to go to Federal court to file a suit against RAMADA. I have a wealth of supporting documentation as well as the video tape and the pictures we took of our accommodations on the trip.

We lost one of our two week's per year vacation time as well as the $6,400.00. When we finally reached Orlando, two in the party of three went all to pieces when they refused to give us our "bonus tickets" to Universal Studios as promised and cried themselves into an exhausted sleep. By this time we had had so much go wrong and with the rising amount of money it was costing us, they were too scared to leave the room that night.

After speaking to the young man I was transferred to someone else who confirmed that the vacation package I just purchased was not voluntary. When I hung up the phone I thought I had a good deal. How wrong was I?

At the time I purchased the Ramada Plaza Resorts plan the available credit on my credit card was almost gone. I did this purchase in good faith. Four months before the date my vacation would expire I called the 1-800 number listed on my vacation package. At first I thought to just extend the package because I was going through some economic hardships and knew it was not possible to travel so soon. My package was extended for six months free of charge.

After sending in the certificate (which had my Visa number on it), they called me and said that Imperial Majesty was out of business and that they are trying to be the nice guy and cover vacations for them and Maui was not available.

I have been having an incredibly tough time dealing with a travel agency I took a vacation from about 9 months ago. Basically, everything that was promised in the vacation, was not delivered, and when all was said and done, me, and 8 other friends of mine were left with a big bill, and a vacation that was more agonizing than enjoyable.

I got a letter in the mail telling me that if I called this toll free number I could receive a vacation for free. So of course I called, and spoke with a VERY pushy saleswomen, who convinced to take the vacation, which would only cost 600$+. She told me that if I didn't say yes right then, that the offer would not exist for me again, so it was either now or never. So I made the mistake of saying "now".

The itinerary of our vacation was that we would arrive in Ft. Lauderdale and stay at a "Luxury" hotel for 4 days/4 nights on the beach. We would then proceed to a "Luxury" cruise line to the Bahamas for 3 days/2 nights, and finally finish our trip staying in Orlando for 2days/1 night. The only other accommodation we were supposed to receive was a free rental car for the week.

One other thing to note, was that because of the number of friends who were accompanying me on this vacation, we had to purchase THREE separate packages, because one package only accommodated 4 people, and we had 9 people in all.

The day we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale was a disaster. We had to take a bus to ALAMO Rent a Car, and realize that our free rent a car was actually not free. We ended up haggling with the Travel Agency for 3-4 hours to get them to give us more than ONE car because surely 9 people and their luggage could not fit in ONE car. I ordered THREE packages, and therefore should have gotten more than one car.

The travel agency was supposed to send us these "vouchers" to use at the rent-a-car, hotels, etc. for everything that we paid for, but they didn't send us the vouchers for some reason or another, so that at every stop, we had to get the travel agency on the phone and get them to fax the vouchers to the different merchants. This usually took 2-3 hours each time, and it happened at the 3 different hotels we stayed at, the Alamo Rent a Car, and the cruise boarding.

After we squeezed into our TWO rent a cars, which we ended up spending a total of 620$+ for the week, we proceeded to our beach front luxury hotel we were promised. We arrived at this poor excuse for a hotel, that was about 20-25 minutes from the beach.

I proceeded to get the travel agency on the phone to find out what the hell happened, and after about 2-3 hours, convinced them to get us a room at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper on the Ft. Lauderdale beach. That hotel was very nice. Probably because it wasn't a Ramada.

Then came time for the cruise. The Salesman for the travel agency convinced me to take their ship called the "Ocean Breeze" instead of the Carnival ship we were supposed to take because supposedly the "Ocean Breeze" was a nice ship, with more things to do. When I first saw this ship, the "Ocean Breeze" that I was supposed to be boarding I almost cried.

It was a over-sized garbage barge. The first thing I noticed about the ship was its swimming pool, which was a 5-ft by 5-ft hole in the floor. We were promised a "stateroom" with luxury accommodations, but, you guessed it, there was no luxury about it.

In fact, the Travel Agency didn't reserve enough rooms for all of us. We only got two room, which slept three each, for the nine of us. That means 3 of us had to sleep on the floor for the cruise. THE FLOOR! Can you imagine going on a cruise and having to sleep on the floor?!?

The rooms themselves were disgusting. They looked like stow-away cabins. They were about 5' by 8' closets, with tiny skinny bunk beds that folded from the walls, and NO window, another thing we were promised. The ship apparently was built in the late 50's and boy did it feel like it was.

When we arrived in Nassau at 10am. we were told that we had to be back on the ship at 6pm for departure to Florida. What happened to the 3 days/2 nights in Nassau? We were only allowed one day, and didn't even get to experience the night life. The rest of the time we spent on the rust-ridden ship. There are more details that I could get into about how awful this trip was, but I think I explained the major ones.

After calling up Ramada Plaza Resorts, they assured that if I wrote a letter of complaint to the "Compliance Department" I would get some sort of a refund. I did this 3 times, and had my friends do it as well. Every time I talked to a customer representative, they gave me the run around, telling me it would be handled next week, or that they had to put me on hold, and never took me off hold, or that I'd have to speak to a supervisor who wasn't there, but would call me back when they were. Every time they told me just the things I wanted to hear just to get me off of their back, and it almost worked. I almost gave up after 2 months of nagging them, until I read on the internet, a similar story of someone who had almost the same experience as me, and it re-vitalized my energy to try and receive some sort of compensation for this disaster of a trip.

Since he had stock previously in Ramada Inns, he did not think twice about the offer he received in the mail and was quite proud of the vacation he had set up for himself and his wife (they are both in their late 70s). He has paid about $1,176 for a 7 day luxury cruise/vacation out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. which includes an upgraded rental car (Alamo) and an outside berth on the cruise ship. The dates are 16 Jan 00 through 22 Jan 00. The dates consist of vacation on 16-18 Jan in Ft Lauderdale; cruise on 19-20 Jan on Premiere Cruise's Ocean Breeze (which I understand Ramada has chartered for two years starting Jan 00); and vacation in Orlando on 21-22 Jan which I think is an option included in the price.

After returning home this weekend, I started to do some research on the Internet on this and found out there were all kind of problems and complaints. He was not told that this is part of a marketing/sell campaign for vacation condominiums, and they would have to attend a meeting (sales pitch) on 17 Jan. Also I understand there are additional costs including port charges of up to $390, rental car parking, etc., etc.. He was led to believe the price he paid included all expenses.

I also understand the hotel and ship accommodations are "less than luxurious" and in some cases downright atrocious. I don't think this is the type of luxury vacation/cruise he had in mind for the both of them. To date he only has a voucher for one night at an unspecified hotel. I also understand there are 8 state-led class action lawsuits against Ramada Plaza Resorts (including Ohio). He is checking on what he can do to cancel, but it appears that he would forfeit $100 each plus "other deposits Ramada made" (amount is unspecified) and the remainder, if any, would not be returned, but held for a future vacation through them.

I planned this trip as a special time for my sister and I to get away together. Our mother passed away last year and we wanted to spend more time together since we live in different states. Now I am out $698 and have to make other plans. I am ashamed to let my sister know how I was duped.

There may be class action suits and there may be regulatory agencies going after some or all of these companies but each of these individuals should sue in Small Claims Court to get back the funds.