Public Mediation

Norma C vs. Vacations Plus

Defrauded customer wants money refunded

N. C. vs. Vacations Plus
Possible Licence #ST40281, 1362 E Vine St, Kissimmee, Florida, 34744-3626, United States
Amount Involved: $2,678.00
    • Status: In Negotiation
      This claim has posted for public comment and negotiation. It will remain posted until resolved to the claimant's satisfaction. Suggest a resolution to help these parties reach a settlement.
       (seeking public comment)
    • Claimant Seeks: View.
    • Claim #: 1560364
    • Amount Involved: 2,678.00
    • Filed On: Apr 08, 2018
    • Posted On: Apr 19, 2018
    • Complaint(s):
      • Bad business practices
      • Problem with a service
      • Customer service runarounds
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Statement of Claim
Complaints Involved (4) - View
Claimant says:
"Mar. 11/17 bought contract for 2 air tickets to Hawaii on Dec.23/17 and 6 nights hotel. Pd in full $2678. Nothing booked in spite of repeated calls.
On June 10/16 I was contacted by Keith Edwards from "Vacations Plus" who sold me a package for $249US to go to a 4 Star hotel in Hawaii for a week, with the expectation that I would give them a 5-star review. There were no timeshare presentations. I had 18 mos to use the package. In fall 2016 I phoned to make a reservation for Christmas 2017 and left a message. My call was returned by George ? on Oct. 6/16 (from 877-373-7357) who said it was far too early to book. I was e-mailed some information regarding "Trips", timeshare locations where I could go. That seemed strange, but in Feb. '17, I phoned the number on the "Trips" e-mail and was told that there was no hotel package, that there were only timeshares.
I tried to phone the original phone number given to me by Keith Edwards (800-784-0901) but the number was not in service. I looked again on their website and found a new number (800-458-0760) and spoke to Alex Westbrook who said that he was unaware of the package I had been sold. However, he offered us a package with two airline tickets and 6 nights in Honolulu at a selection of hotels. I explained that we wanted to fly to Maui on Dec. 23/17 because I had already booked a timeshare week there, then wanted the hotel in Honolulu starting Dec. 30 for 6 nights, with return flight to Toronto on Jan. 5/18. These were the ONLY DATES ACCEPTABLE and he said this would be no problem since it was so far away. We should get our hotel confirmation about 90 days before (Sept. '17).
We were a little skeptical about the company, but he assured us that they had offices in various US cities and had been in business 15 yrs. When we looked online, we found a "Vacations Plus Travel" in Banner Elk NC with 15 yrs experience and a 5 star rating from the BBB, so we assumed (now we realize erroneously)that this was the home company.
We bought the package, paying $2768 total (including the $249 previously paid) with the specific dates explained above and the Embassy Suites in Waikiki as the hotel. This was a very specific itinerary and the ONLY condition for buying the package. We sent a money order for $2429 US by courier on March 11/17 to David Hankins, pickup agent, at their 1362 E. Vine St., Kissimmee FL.
Starting in Oct.'17, I began phoning Vacations Plus and spoke to Brandon (Smith?). He said that he would e-mail my agent either Alex or Jason to contact me. After phoning 3 days in a row and hearing nothing, my husband, Henry, phone and was told that we would be contacted 30 days ahead of our travel date. In mid Nov. I started calling again. Henry also called and was told he would be contacted by Christopher Jackson, another agent. Mr. Jackson called from a number in CO and said that we could not travel until June 2018, which was totally unacceptable. He offered to apply for a refund which would take 60 to 90 days. Henry said that 60 to 90 days was also unacceptable since the company reneged on our contract. We tried to find out from Brandon who we could contact to try to get even just the airline tickets (and we would arrange the accommodation)and he said he would e-mail customer service to contact us. We also e-mailed customer service and Daxous and Soraya Leon who owned the website and (we think) the company but no one replied. The website (www.vacationsplus.us) was no longer online.
We bought our own air tickets at great expense and rented accommodation in Waikiki ourselves. Now that we are home, we are phoning Vacations Plus again. Brandon told Henry on Jan. 10 that he would e-mail the refunds dept. to contact us. Today, I spoke to Jeffrey Walsh in Banner Elk NC who said he had my file and that Brandon was my agent,not just the receptionist, as he told us. Our file was marked "Cancellation" and was sent to the accounting dept. ostensibly for refund. I told him to correct the file: we did not cancel; his company "finked out" on their obligation. He said he would e-mail Brandon in FL to phone Henry next Tues. We have heard nothing from the company regarding any refund. The resolution we seek is the return of our money ($2,678)."
...
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What Claimant Wants Hide
1. Refund: Purchase price of the vacation package Apr 30, 2018 $2,678.00
2. Other – Copy claim to regulators Apr 30, 2018 $14.99
3. Other – Pay for claim posting cost Apr 30, 2018 $14.99
4. Other – Physical delivery charges Apr 30, 2018 $4.99
Cash total : $2,712.97
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Respondent's Counteroffer

There has been no response to this claim from Vacations Plus. This claim will remain posted until resolved
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