Sundance Vacations review: actually not a scam 31

Sundance Vacations keeps calling my cell phone (yes, my number is on the PA and federal "DO NOT CALL" lists) about every 2 weeks from a different PA phone number and saying that I won a prize for a vacation that I entered at some event in Hershey in June. Problem is.. I was never at this event in Hershey in June and therefore didn't enter their contest. I keep telling them to quit calling me and have filed a complaint with the PA Atty. General's office. When will these spam calls from Sundance Vacations stop?

We actually sat down listen and got a great vacation package with them and travel often only paying about 400 for a week stay in most areas in and out of the country. Nothing is free in life people. The customer service is awesome and super helpful.

Horrible company that will try to trick you and steal your money - don't fall for it. You will receive a phone call saying you won a free trip, but if you redeem it, you will end up paying ALL of it. After waiting several months before they can "confirm" your selected dates (which are restricted to week days), you will be able to call a number and wait for 90 minutes (that's how long it took before I could talk to a representative). Then, you will possibly have the dates you requested, possibly not. I was able to book the trip and, adding the "fees and taxes" which you will never get a breadkdown of, it got to about $500 for both people. Immediately after, I googled the price for the flights and hotels and it added up to the same amount. I cannot believe this business is still running.

Fraud and Scammers! They will ask you to pay $200 at first and it will start snowballing from there. They end up asking for almost $1000 for Bahamas cruise for 2, when on certificate it was only saying up to $200 per person in taxes. Ridiculous, plus the flight suppose to get you to Fort Lauderdale only and cruise is leaving from Miami. More and more and more spending on the way. You can buy a convenient schedule for the same money! It is not a gift it is SCAM and extortion!

The fact that this company employs illegal telemarketing techniques to call Do Not Call registered phone numbers AND lying about "form you filled out at Disney on Ice" should tell you how they operate their business. Complete FRAUD. Why would anyone do business with a company that perform such blatant illegal act is beyond me.

Wow these stories were so helpful thank you all for sharing! I was thinking about going to the presentation I was invited to but didn't know all the information you guys all had. I was suspicious after I was s*uckered into another deal like this several years ago for a cruise package. They all seem so nice on the phone and are very upfront with what it will cost. I guess that is to get you to trust them... They don't mention all the hoops you have to jump through to actually go on the cruise. :/

I went thru all the presentations etc. All I want to know is what are the added costs (range)/for upgrades and extras on the Cruise?!?!? We want a window or balcony and longer trip. Anyone?

Thank god I read this site. I never win anything =(! I thought I was a big winner! Yes they call you and call you and when you finally pick up they honey talk you to go to their seminar! No time than you will miss out on the deadline!

Sorry for the long post, but here is the real story ! I felt compelled to share our actual experience. The service that Sundance Vacations offers is not, by itself, a scam. We just went to the presentation a few months ago, and they do offer a service that can create affordable vacations if you choose to vacation at different places frequently. They have multiple programs, but their main program is essentially where you pay a large sum of money to "entitle you" to book hotel rooms in the future. Sundance buys blocks of hotel rooms, and they leverage their buying power to allow you to use the credits you have purchased in advance to book hotel rooms in vacation destinations. They mainly offer destinations in the US, but have just a few International destinations. Their sales pitch to enroll in their program is that your annual cost for their program, is less costly than if you had to book the hotel rooms at regular rates, which is true. However, taking it from someone who travels a lot, there are so many vacation offers/agencies around that very few people have to pay a regular rate to stay anywhere in today's world, so the savings are not that significant if at all. So what I mean is if you are a savy traveler, the savings are minimal. If you don't like the hassle of searching for great deals, then you can save some money with their program IF YOU FORCE YOURSELF TO TRAVEL EVERY YEAR TAKING FREQUENT VACATIONS. Now here is where the real scam is. If you decide not to purchase, the "AWARD" that they tell you you have won is not applied to make it valuable or practical. I have read the posts where some people say that they did get a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas/air fare and it cost them less than what they would have paid regularly, but that is just not true. They use an outside agency to book your travel, so they control the promotional offering. First they tell you that your included promotional offer, where you have to pay $189-$225 per person, "only includes the lowest cruise cabin offered which is often an upper and lower bunk" vs. two twins put together as a king like the majority of the cruise lines do. They tell you if you want a couple's bed, you should upgrade your package (for more money of course) to get a combined bed. The agency will only offer you segments of flights/departure cities, port cities, cruise carriers, etc where they have an open promotion on, They will only fly you on no-frills airlines, like Spirit Airlines, and those airlines only fly from certain cities. If you are not close to one of their airports, too bad. They will also only fly you there the day before the cruise sails, so not only do you need an extra day of vacation, the accomodations are on your own. Then, even though you already picked your origin cruise port and three departure dates that work for you, they make you wait to confirm your booking until just 45 days before your first potential departure date, and then they can't usually get that destination port, so they try to shift you out of another port where you would have to pay for transfers from another airport 1+ hour away. Here is my example, we requested three dates in Jan, Feb, and April of 2015 from Miami on a cruise to the Bahamas. Once I got through the whole process and they were ready to make offers to me, here is the actual first offer they gave us: They can't confirm a cruise out of Miami which I selected. We picked three different dates as noted above. I know the cruise lines that depart on all my selected dates and all ships had their lowest interior cabin rooms available, and when I told them about that, they said they didn't have a promotion so they have the right to change the departure port. So they confirmed a Carnival ship out of Port Canaveral departing on a Friday, not on the Saturday they allowed me to previously select. I went to the presentation in their office in Scranton, Pa ((I live in NE PA), so you would think they could fly me out of their airport or close by, even if it had to connect through another airport. The flight offer was to fly from Atlantic City, NJ on Spirit Airlines which is 3 hrs away, into Orlando which is about an hour from the Port. Not only is the departure airport unreasonable, I need to find my own transfers to get to the Port, I have to fly the day before, so I then need a room at my own cost. When this offer wasn't acceptable, I asked them about flying me out of Newark or Philadelphia, two major NE airports that are closer for me (not even the smaller regional airports that are within 45 mins), and they stated that "Spirit Airlines doesn't fly out of those airports." They made two subsequent offers for mid-week travel, not even close to the three dates I previously selected, and I even asked them to check availability for the upgraded package that they tried to sell me on earlier, and I got the same departure port, airport, transfers/hotel needed run-around. Essentially, it became apparent that they make it so inconvenient for people to accept a practical award, so they don't have to incurr any cost for the promotion. We are very savy travelers and if you look at the total cost we would have incurred, we wouldn't have saved any money vs. what we could find readily available throgh other agencies/travel programs. They did refund our deposit because we declined all their offers, but they really got what they wanted: Us to attend a presentation and not have to reward us with anything to do so. So in summary, DO NOT ATTEND THE PRESENTATION IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING TO GET A LOW COST CRUISE. If you are interested in buying hotel rooms in advance to potentially save some money for resort hotel rooms in the future, they go to the presentation.

Story was published in a Philly area newspaper about it yesterday. I "was picked" to win a cruise including airfare after filling out a sweepstakes card at a Zoo this summer. I've dealt with similar companies in the past. Whether you choose to give it a try or forego the hassle/opportunity is up to you, but I thought you should at least be aware of this story: http://articles.philly.com/2014-10-06/news/54657590_1_customers-high-pressure-sales-tactics-sundance-vacations

This IS a scam! Any company that tells you you have won but you have to pay taxes up front is a scam. You do not pay taxes until the next year on your income tax. My husband got the call and heard their spiel. Since I already had a friend 20yrs ago fall for this scam, I knew what was up.

Ugh, this is the problem with people today- we are lazy and expect everything to be handed to us on a **cking platter or be provided through an app. Someone hands you a voucher valued between $1000-$1500 to use towards a vacation, after you fill out a survey and attending a 55 min seminar. ...and you say it isn't worth it?

You can always give the voucher(s) to someone else as a gift if you are unable to follow the instructions and take the couple extra steps needed to get the discounted trip and free airfare.

... but of course that's only if you came to the 55min seminar to even get the voucher.
... and if you unfortunately didn't go to the seminar its probably because you assume you already "know what it's all about" and think its a scam. But in the end it's better you didn't go because someone more deserving will get your highly discounted vacation and the sales representatives there won't have to deal with your unnecessarily rude attitude. They know you don't have $20, 000 for their new package but it's their job to ask and negotiate ...and most of them are damn good at it while be friendly at the same time...all you have to do is politely say no, ...a couple times, to a few different people lol

But if your like me, you've done a little research and decided that in the end, it's worth it. I'm looking forward to only spending near $500 for a vacation cruise ship as opposed to spending $1800-$2500.

...oh and here's a thought - if you don't want these people to call you and if you believe this is all a scam and a waste of time...THEN DONT FILL OUT THE CONTEST SURVEY IN THE FIRST PLACE... And if you do, read the fine print on the back. "Wah, it's so small !" Take a picture of it with your smart phone then zoom in. .. Or I'm sure by now there is an app for magnifying text.

I am SO SO SO glad that I read these comments before calling back. Just listened to a voicemail I received yesterday and I assumed it was "too good to be true". Thanks to all of your honest updates, I don't have to waste my time or money. Thank you!

We attended a Sundance presentation last night and while they explain its not a timeshare the presentation was just as bad as one. Started at 20k down to 15k and by the time it was over it could have been $1200.00. They had to nerve to say the interest rate was over 16% if you wanted to break up the payments. Seriously 16%...who would pay 16% for vacations they may or may not ever take to hotels they have never heard of? Clearly we declined and only went there for the free cruise option which I'm sure very few people actually take advantage of due to the many steps to get it. The hotels they are offering as their properties I have never heard of and we have traveled to many vacation locations all over the country. Our salesperson spoke very broken English which made it super hard to understand anything she said. Of course she brings over her manager to reduce the cost..we say NO..she goes away to apparently get our certificate but comes back with yet another offer and we say NO again. We finally get to the person that is supposed to give us the certificate and he tries to sell us something else and we say NO. It was a complete waste of my time and gas and I doubt it we will ever use the "free" cruise since based on some of these reviews its not a good cruise with decent accommodations. I wish I knew how many people they sucker into this program. I understand its their job and everyone has to make a living and clearly some people are actually buying it but its not a good cost effective program no matter how good they make it sound.

What a scam, I feel for those they have raped for thousands they only took me for $2000.00 from June of 2012 I have found cheaper
vacations even using my vouchers, same thing I experience with my free trip, paid $198.00 could never get the same 3 days to agree with them, so finally my time ran out lets see if they will return the $198.00 is been 3 days 7 more to go. Summary, don't fall for this scam. I deserve what I got because I didn't listen to these reviews and if after reading all these reviews you sign, you deserve it too.

So you've won a vacation or a cruise because you filled out a sweepstakes voucher at a ballgame or at six flags or a concert, etc. They tell you its not a prize, but rather, you have to endure a sales pitch, so its not REALLY a prize, but something you have to earn. Doesnt sound that bad right? All you have to do is waste a few hours, say no a few dozen times and walk out with a cruise? Right? WRONG. I assure you, Sundance and all their employees are top notch BS artists. And when all is said and done, you will feel like a sucker. They dont outright steal your money or commit identity theft or any other similar illegal actions, but by all means, I assure you, they intend to screw you over as much as the law will allow. There is nothing in the world that could possibly convince me that they dont have a PR dept whose sole job is to google themselves and insult anyone who complains about them quoting stupid things like "we... I mean THEY are registered with the BBB" and " they are crazy upfront about all the fees and taxes and inconveniences". Well that is Bull crap. We heard from them in September 2012 and now, Feb 13, after a whole lot of work and waiting on our end, we had been hit with the harsh reality that we wasted a TON of our time and got excited over nothing at all. Heres MY experience with Sundance Vacations:

We got a call saying we were chosen for the cruise. Theyre careful to never use the word "Won". They told us where we signed up, we remembered signing up so we scheduled going into their presentation. The odds of getting called in are 1/1. That means EVERYONE that fills a sheet gets called.

We went an the presentation is laughable. A long boring infomercial. They seriously go. This can all be yours for $20, 000... but if you act now, $15, 000 just kidding, $8000! And if you keep saying no, it will eventually hit like $4000 and then they will offer you mini packages for as little as $400. But they seem like a hassle. In any case, we said no. They eventually, after passing us around like a bong at a frat house gave us the information about where we needed to call to get the ball rolling and get our cruise. We were shown that there were several 4 and 5 day options with Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises departing from Florida and California. Flights would be paid for but we would have to pay taxes and all other travel/accommodation expenses.

They make it as annoying as possible. Im sure a ton of people forget certain steps and just end up missing out on booking the cruise altogether. You have to send in a $99 deposit per person, and mail junk in, call places, keep an eye out for emails & respond to these, every single step along the way having a time window that you can miss if you are not diligent.

FINALLY, in January, we were asked to choose 3 dates when we could take our cruise. Thats right, they dont tell you when they have available. You have to choose 3 dates that you would have available. We chose a date in March, one in May and one in June. Several WEEKS later, we received mail saying that now it was time to call in and finally actually book the cruise. When we called, get this, they told us that 2 out of 3 dates had no cruises available. But one of them, the June one DID have a cruise available. It was only available in Miami though, so we had to forget our preference of having them fly us to the West Coast. Also, they couldnt fly us directly there. We would have to drive from Philadelphia to Atlantic City (2 hour drive) and that would drop us at Ft Lauderdale. We would then need to pay for a shuttle to Miami where the cruise would depart. Also, the cruise ship belonged to Norwegian (WHO!?) AAAND it would depart Friday at 5pm and be back Monday Morning at 7am. Uh wait... one... two... thats 2 days 3 nights. Oh, and taxes would be $295 on the cruise alone. Oh, and it was the tiniest room the ship has available with 2 twin sized mattresses in the form of a bunk bed (ideal for me and my wife!) It would be an additional $75 per person if we wanted the same size room with the same size mattresses but in non-bunkbed form so they could be put together. They also wanted to fly us out on Thursday, so we would have HAD to get a Hotel. Changing the day of the flight would be an additional $99 per person (what!?).

We argued with the person for a while, but all we got was "yeah, thats the way we do things here". She had the audacity to say that if they had nothing available on the 3 dates we chose, they would have to make special arrangements to accommodate us. But since they DID have something available, our only option was to accept it or decline. Upon declining their bogus offer, the lady said we would get our original $198 refunded in 7-10 business days. Time well spent.

So just to recap, you have to choose 3 dates blindly, and they reserve the right to say: "On those dates, we only have one cruise available. Its actually more a dingy than a cruise. And the ride only lasts 4 hours. Itll be $300 in taxes. Your options are Deal or No Deal."

Screw Sundance, screw all their stupid employees and they can take their BBB registration and stuff it. Anyone can be on the BBB as long as they pay. And I LOOVE how everytime the "address a complaint", the client never acknowledges that the complaint was addressed. These guys get a 0% customer satisfaction rating and for good reason. Long story short, it seems to be too good to be true because IT IS. Save yourself the time and frustration and just shop around for a good cruise deal. You'll have to pay less in the long run anyway.

Found out today that i missed the e-mail on my trip, nobody told me it could go into my spam mail, was never told to check there to. When ever i get an e-mail it has never gone into my spam. this must be the way they get out of the trip. So of course they have no other dates avaible, after i gave them three. So i asked for my money back, can't wait to see how long this takes. Will never go for this deal again, learned my lesson. Will tell everybody i know to stay clear of this promotion. Not happy in Pa! Joe Conapinski [protected] or dconapinski@yahoo.com and if you answer, make sure it's not in my spam!

I would just like to say this...my complaint is not about the cruise...they make it clear about the fees and if you can follow a long line of calls and specific dates and mailing in then you can finally take this cruise...it's also not about the " big savings" you get with a package...again they tell you about ALL the extra fees for almost everything and dues and charges that most non-rich people can see is almost not worth...the fine print tells you that these vacations are a pain in the butt to book and go on. so all you defenders of Sundance out there just know that the truth is the sales pitch after the presentation is very high pressure full of act now's and sorry today only's which is complete dishonesty.and if you tell them you can't do it right now you get moved to someone else with another offer and you say no to that and you get taken to an office in private where...you guessed it another offer. The problem with all of this is that they do not stand behind any of these mis-understandings or in most cases like mine mis representation of the deal from the rep. I am now stuck with a plan I did not want and said no to the first time but when she gave me the BIG deal she just re-worded the same one...now I'm out 400.00 and there customer service said your sol because my rep forgot to write down a date and she checked the wrong box! so to you defenders of this company there is no defending mis rep and poor customer service!

This place is an absolute scam. If the employees and friends want to write nice things.. Well that is just to make the people whom have not been taken feel better about a possible decision. I can tell you 100% that this place is a scam. I am sad to say that I was taken advantage. I looked into using my new vacation packages. They rope you in with it is now or never, deal of a lifetime. It is to good to be true. You were selected from an elite group. This is totally not true. They will be glad to steal your money the very next time this band of gypsies pulls into town. I look into their place.. for example in Florida. The places are outdated. They have not been renovated in close to 20 years at least. By the time you pay all there extra fees. You could of stayed in a newly renovated resort. Oh did I mention the thousands they took from you.. Well they got me for $13, 500. Then it is $99 to book. It is $350 for dues a year. Then $30 a night for prime season... Well all but sept. and Feb are prime. Then $50 a night during vacation season. I found cheaper and much nicer places just at there nightly fees, Not to mention thier places are outdated. Not to mention the $13, 500 you just gave them for nothing. Looks like another Sundance employee (planwithtan) with be putting that toward their next Lexus.

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Blah Blah Blah.. Notice 68 complaints.. yes some are resolved. Why would people need to complain about this company.. If things were so GREAT! PLEASE

Hey everybody! I know a lot of you are screaming LIAR b4 you even read this post, but please read it. I am not speaking on behalf of the company but rather am speaking my mind. I am a marketer at Sundance Vacations and i work my butt off every day. I am doing my best doing a job that by all information that i have is totally legitimate! NOW I HAVE A2 BONES TO PICK!
#1 IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE PRESENTATION PLEASE JUST STOP TALKING! HOW DO YOU KNOW WE ARE A SCAM IF YOU DIDNT EVEN GO. OH, YOU KNOW ANOTHER COMPANY OUT THERE? WELL MY SISTER GOT FOOD POISONING AT A BURGER KING IN NYC. SHOULD I AVOID ALL RESTAURANTS? OR MAYBE JUST NYC? NO! JUST THAT BK SPECIFICALLY

#2 IF YOU DO HAVE AN HONEST COMPLAINT REGARDING NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD PLEASE CALL [protected]. ASK TO SPEAK TO EITHER A MAN NAMED JOE MOLITORIS OR TO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WORK HARD TO DO MY JOB RIGHT. I ALWAYS BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE PITCH THAT THE COMPANY PROVIDES BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND I KNOW I WONT MISS ANYTHING THAT MAY. I ALWAYS TELL PPL THEY ARE OBLIGATED TO ONE HOUR, HAVE TO PAY TAX, PORT CHARGE, AND SECURITY FEES. I ALSO TELL THEM THAT THEY MUST MEET THE 3 QUALIFICATIONS, AND THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO PURCHASE ANYTHING! SO, IF SOMEONE IN ONE OF OUR SALES OFFICES IS MAKING A LIAR OUT OF ME I WANT IT STOPPED. PLEASE, THIS IS A GOOD COMPANY RAN BY A WONDERFUL COUPLE NAMED JOHN AND TINA DOWD. THEY ARE GREAT PEOPLE AND TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES WELL, BUT I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SCREAMED AT ON THE PHONE BECAUSE SOMEONE HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPE VINE SOMETHING THAT IS UNTRUE FROM SOMEONE WHO NEVER EVEN ATTENDED THE PRESENTATION.
EVER HEAR THAT SAYING ABOUT IF YOU DON'T VOTE KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF POLITICS? WELL, MY DAD USED TO SAY THAT ALL THE TIME, GUESS WHAT? IT APPLIES HERE AS WELL.
aLSO, THOSE MARKETERS, YEAH THEY GET $8 DOLLARS FOR SOMEONE TO SHOW UP. REALLY WE ARE NOT MAKING MILLIONS OFF OF YOU, AND YES IT IS A REAL JOB!

NOW I AM SORRY FOR THE RANT, BUT I FEEL IT NEEDED TO BE SAID. ALSO, TO PROVE MY POINT I HAVE FURNISHED YOU WITH SOME RESOURCES THAT I AM GIVEN YOU CAN MAKE YOU OWN DECISIONS INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE ON HERE!

courtesy of: http://nepa.app.bbb.org/report/10012488

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Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of B- on a scale from A+ to F.
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•68 complaints filed against business
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Business Contact and Profile

Name: Sundance Vacation, Inc.
Phone: [protected]
Address: 264 Highland Park Boulevard

Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
Website: www.sundancevacations.com
Original Business Start Date: June 1991
Principal: John Dowd, President
Customer Contact: John Dowd, President
Email Address:
Entity: Corporation
Incorporated: June 1991, PA
Employees: 520
Type of Business: Travel Packages
BBB Accreditation: This organization is a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names: Dowd Marketing Inc
Sundance Vacations

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Products and Services
Sundance Vacations is a wholesale travel club providing clients with discounted condominium style vacations on a ongoing basis below retail rates. The company offers consumers an invitation to come to one of their sales centers to listen to a presentation about their travel club. The company also operates Tri-State Financial which finances the vacation programs for this company and other companies within their industry.

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Additional company management personnel include:
Mr. Tommy Shafer - Sr. Manager Customer Serv

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Additional Phone Numbers
Tel: [protected]
Tel: [protected]

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When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB processed a total of 67 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 67 complaints closed in 36 months, 29 were closed in the last year.
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Resolved
4 - Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to BBB.
5 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.

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10 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.

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3 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.

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7 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.

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Dowd Marketing is not associated or affiliated with Sunquest Vacations located in Toronto, ON Canada.

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ADR the Commonsense Alternative

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Report as of October 27, 2009 20:46
Copyright© 2009 Better Business Bureau

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BBB Identification - A BBB program that allows BBB Accredited businesses to identify themselves as BBB Accredited businesses in off-line media when BBB Accredited business signs a formal commitment to resolve disputes, if necessary, through arbitration.
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arbitration - http://www.dr.bbb.org/ComSenseAlt/bindArb.asp
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BBB Identification - A BBB program that allows BBB Accredited businesses to identify themselves as BBB Accredited businesses in off-line media when BBB Accredited business signs a formal commitment to resolve disputes, if necessary, through arbitration.
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arbitration - http://www.dr.bbb.org/ComSenseAlt/bindArb.asp
BBB Definition:

BBBOnLine - A national BBB dispute resolution program offered to companies who transact business via the Internet and allows the company to display BBBOnLine Reliability Seal. Refer to https://www.bbbonline.org/reliability/Rel_EN.asp for a fuller description of the program and eligibility requirements.
BBB Definition:

BBB Identification - A BBB program that allows BBB Accredited businesses to identify themselves as BBB Accredited businesses in off-line media when BBB Accredited business signs a formal commitment to resolve disputes, if necessary, through arbitration.
BBB Definition:

arbitration - http://www.dr.bbb.org/ComSenseAlt/bindArb.asp
BBB Definition:

BBBOnLine - A national BBB dispute resolution program offered to companies who transact business via the Internet and allows the company to display BBBOnLine Reliability Seal. Refer to https://www.bbbonline.org/reliability/Rel_EN.asp for a fuller description of the program and eligibility requirements.
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BBB Definition:

Report - A summary of activity reflected in a company's BBB file. Includes basic business background, BBB Accreditation information, and BBB complaint activity over the previous three years. Also reports may include any known government actions, advertising issues or other information that results from activity conducted by BBB.
BBB Definition:

Report - A summary of activity reflected in a company's BBB file. Includes basic business background, BBB Accreditation information, and BBB complaint activity over the previous three years. Also reports may include any known government actions, advertising issues or other information that results from activity conducted by BBB.

www.sundancevacations.com

Awards
Sundance Vacations takes pride in all accomplishments. The company has been honored numerous times for their marketplace business ethics, workplace policies, practices, and philosophy. In 2005 Sundance Vacations received the Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. The Torch Award is bestowed upon a company that demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction. In 2007 Sundance Vacations participated in the American Business Awards, and won the Stevie Award for Best Overall Company. Also in 2007, the company was honored in Pennsylvania’s Best Place to Work Program. Sundance Vacations was named 8th best large company to work for in PA.

In 2008 Sundance Vacations won the ATSI (Association of Teleservices International) Call Center of Distinction Award. This award is a ‘mystery shopper’ program that provides independent testing for quality assurance in customer service levels. Sundance Vacations recently participated in Best Places to Work for 2008. The company placed 12th out of 50 large companies in Pennsylvania.

If you are interested in finding out more information on these awards, or reading press on Sundance Vacations, please visit our Press Section.

Sundance Vacations Annual Essay Scholarship

Sundance Vacations Named as Stevie Award Winner during American Business Awards.

Sundance Vacations Named the Best Place to Work in Illinois. Press Release.

Sundance Vacations to be honored at the 2009 Annual American Business Awards. Press Release.

Sundance Vacations Named as Finalist for 2009 Stevie Awards.

Sundance Vacations Named as Finalist for Chamber Choice Award. Press Release

Sundance Vacations voted one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for 2008.

2008 Best Places to Work in PA
Once again, Sundance Vacations was nominated as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in PA for 2008. More...

2008 ATSI Call Center Award of Distinction
Sundance Vacations won the ATSI Call Center Award of Distinction. More...

2007 Best Places to Work in PA
Sundance Vacations was honored as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in PA for 2007. More...

2006 Stevie Award
Sundance Vacations' employees are nominated for the 2006 Stevie Awards for Selling Power Excellence. More...

2005 BBB Torch Award
The Better Business Bureau of Northeast Pa awarded the 2005 Torch Award for ethical business practices to Sundance Vacations. More...

1. Is Sundance Vacations a scam? Sundance Vacations is not a scam. What travelers really want to know when they ask "Is Sundance Vacations a scam?" is if the Bermuda Cruise or Sundance Vacations Sweepstakes is legitimate. Nobody types “legitimate” when scam has fewer characters. We understand the skepticism, so we have gathered answers to the most frequently asked questions about Sundance Vacations Inc. Understanding these basic facts will positively impact your experience with Sundance Vacations.
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2. Who is Sundance Vacations Inc? Sundance Vacations Inc is an award winning travel company offering great vacations at wholesale prices. John and Tina Dowd started the business in 1991 with the goal of providing families with affordable quality vacations. Sundance Vacations offers its clients the opportunity to vacation in many popular resort areas, where the company and its partners own, lease, or otherwise have access to resort accommodations.
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3. Does anyone really win the Sundance Vacations sweepstakes? Absolutely! You can check out our previous winners. Sundance Vacations collects entries submitted by people who want to learn more about us until the end of the calendar year in December. The drawing is held on or before February 1. The winner will receive their choice of any car up to $70, 000 MSRP, or the Ultimate Sports Getaway which includes 6 tickets to the sporting event of your choice (Daytona 500, Super Bowl, etc) private jet transportation, premium hotel accommodations and limousine transportation, or $50, 000 in cash.
“You don’t think these things could ever happen to you. You fill out a raffle form and think, yeah right, ” said 2008 Sundance Vacations Sweepstakes winner Argiris Hristofis. “It still has not set in yet. I have a legitimate check for $50, 000.” Read the legal mumbo jumbo.
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4. What's the office visit like? Sundance Vacations has found that our clients like the casual atmosphere that we create while we introduce our company. One of our staff members will conduct a brief 45-minute group multi-media presentation to highlight the benefits of traveling with Sundance Vacations Inc. The last 15 minutes are reserved for individual questions about the company.
Jack from the web said: “The pitch was not hard core which we appreciated and for what it is worth, if you are avid travelers and vacation ALOT - this may be a good idea. Think of it like the Costco of Vacations.”
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5. Why are there qualifications? While we welcome anyone to come to one of our offices or attend one of our presentations to learn about the company, our travel program is really designed for people who are over 21 years of age and have a combined annual household income of $25, 000 per year. If you are married, your spouse is required to attend with you. These qualifications are in place to ensure that, like all businesses, Sundance Vacations Inc focuses our marketing and promotional programs on the demographic group that is most likely to travel and take advantage of the full benefits of our program.
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6. What do I have to buy? You are under no obligation to purchase anything. All of our qualified clients receive the promotional gifts as a thank you just for letting us introduce Sundance Vacations. Our job is to outline our Sundance Vacations travel program and show you the benefits of traveling with Sundance Vacations Inc. Whether you see the value is for each person to decide.
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7. What’s the deal with these free gifts I won? You did not win the gifts. Sundance Vacations offers these incentives to clients who meet certain marketing demographics and who have first requested information about us. All qualifying clients receive the incentives just for letting us introduce ourselves. Also, the gifts are not free because some of the items do have fees and conditions of use. A previous customer said:“We knew what we were getting into after we received the “you won a Free cruise” phone call. We were aware of the taxes and fees that we would have to pay - and that was cool.” Click here to read all of the terms and conditions.
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8. Are there fees associated with the gift?
Yes. There is no such thing as a free trip. Our promotional gifts change rapidly and frequently and sometimes vary by geographic area. The terms and conditions and fees vary for each offer. Sundance Vacations Inc promotions currently include:

3 Night Cruise on Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise Lines plus round trip airfare for two passengers (approximate value $1200): Depart from Port Canaveral or Miami, Florida to the Bahamas aboard a luxury cruise ship. You will be asked to pay a security deposit of $100 when you request a reservation. You do not need to pay this deposit on the night of your visit to our office, only when you request a reservation. The deposit is applied to taxes, port charges and other government fees which range from $189-$225 per person. The cruise requires advance reservations and is subject to availability. Some dates may be blacked out.

Marriott Package: Each client will receive a travel voucher for 2 nights hotel accommodations at the guests’ choice of 600 select Marriott brand properties nationwide. Not every Marriott property is available. Advance reservations are required and reservations are subject to availability. You will be asked to pay a refundable security deposit of $50 when you request a reservation. You do not need to pay this deposit on the night of your visit to Sundance Vacations, only when you request a reservation.

Las Vegas/Orlando Package: Each client will receive a travel voucher that is valid for two complimentary hotel nights in their choice of Las Vegas, Orlando or Reno and one round trip airline ticket departing from most major US cities. Clients who attend the presentation as a couple will receive a second round trip airline ticket. This getaway requires advance reservations and is subject to availability. You will be asked to pay a refundable security deposit of $50 to the getaway provider when you request a reservation. You do not need to pay this deposit on the night of your visit to our office, only when you request a reservation. More Info.
View all the terms and conditions.
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9. Where can I go on vacation? Clients can choose all of the most popular vacation destinations plus even some lesser-known destinations. The program is destination-based and not resort or location based; however, we do provide a sample list of the company’s available properties. Sundance Vacations Inc inventory is client-driven, which means that we actively seek to procure and maintain accommodations in the areas most desired by Sundance Vacations' clients.
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Hey Whitley -

I am a Sudanese prince, and I need to submit $1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 into a U.S. bank account by tomorrow. I am not making this up. Seriously. My email is RichSudanesePrince@sudan.gov.

Hey Whitley -

I heard your local Pizza Hut is interviewing for delivery drivers. Go for it! Big money!

Hey Whitley -

Please provide your home phone number so we can all call you at dinner time, every day, for the rest of your life.

Whitley Bailey,

Of course your going to say this is not a scam you work for the very company that's running the scam. I went to one of these and it is a scam and everything they said was a complete fabrication. Why doesn't your company have an email so people can contact you? Why when I tried to call after the presentation to complain about the false statements made to my wife over the phone to get us there was I not able to get through. Your sales people were friendly at first, however, after they realized they were not going to steal our hard earned money they became rude. I also have to feed and cloth my family the difference between us is I make my living honestly. I suggest you quit flapping your gums, get a real job, and quit stealing from others.

I agree. It is not a scam at all. You have to pay taxes on ANY gift you recieve or prize that you've "won." Most people hear "free vacation" and tend to put it in their minds that no money is coming out of your pockets at all. For instance if you win a large sum at the casino, you pay taxes on it. Win the lottery? Taxes. Win a car, or a cruise? Taxes. There's no getting away from that.

As far as the presentation goes, I sat through it and yeah it sounded like a great deal if you had the money for it. And yes, the Sundance people did kind of come in like a riot crowd to talk to everyone individually. I agree that could have been organized better. But something isn't a "scam" if you actually go on the trip. People go to timeshare meetings ALL the time to get free tix to Disney and they don't call that a scam. Just know what it is that you're getting into. The lady I talked to on the phone was very friendly and told me that the trip was free, but I'd be responsible for the taxes which is fine. She specifically said I'd have to sit thru a presentation and then receive the trip whether I made a purchase or not.

In response to the poster that says most of the comments are negative, it's a well known fact that for any business people tend to post negative reviews more often than positive ones. This is especially true for a message board. Just use your head with these "so-called scams" and look up the truth for yourself. Call the Better Business Bureau, look up the awards they've won for service. No company is getting an award for scamming people.

Well, everyone’s first mistake seems to be thinking this is something they have "won." We, here at Sundance Vacations make it vary clear that this promotional item is NOT something you have won. So you did not in fact win it, we offer it to everyone who fills out an entry form, equal opportunity; everyone has a chance to take it. You are simply asked to visit one of our local offices for 60 minutes, no longer, this is because we have presentations every hour, on the hour between 4pm and 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays and if we were to keep you longer, it would conflict with our next showing. This is not a free item. At this time, May of 2009, we are offering a 4 day, 3 night cruise on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines to the Bahamas for two passengers leaving from Port Canaveral or Miami, Florida, your choice. This is a $1200 package that my company, Sundance Vacations, is paying for, what you are asked to pay is simply the port charges, taxes and security fees, which totals $189 in the off season and $225 in the peak season. The only thing we ask of you is the 60 minutes I mentioned earlier, if you are physically capable of sitting in a chair and listening for 60 minutes, you will leave with the 2 travel vouchers. You don't have to buy anything to receive the cruise either. You aren't even required to have anything on you to purchase anything with; you don't have to have cash, check or plastic on your person when you come in. We are also offering 2 round trip airfares, these are absolutely free, simply because we purchased overstock of them and they work with our promotional item quite well.

My second item of discussion is the fact that if you don't want to be called by us, you simply pick up the phone and say "Please, don't call me again." Ignoring the phone calls won't do anything unless you want us to call you back tomorrow or later on that day. We have a 'DO NOT CALL' list and you will be placed on it immediately. Of course we're persistent; of course our first response will be something along the lines of "Are you sure?", or "This is a wonderful offer!” something to get you to change your mind, but that is because that is what we are paid to do. Do you understand that in our job, yes, we are paid hourly, however that doesn't pay much, we make our money by booking you and you showing up. We NEED you to come into the office because if you come and sit for the 60 minutes, we get paid for it. That's a pretty small price to pay to help someone out, don't you think. You sit, view a presentation, are informed about our company, receive a cruise and I get paid for it. You know, to become a part of this company I had to sit through the presentation too, and all I got out of it was a ham sandwich, you get a cruise.

My third item for you is something you should think about. Now-a-days, everyone has or had or will be a victim of fraud, therefore we should all be wary of where we write our names, our numbers, our addresses, and any other confidential information we don't want others to have. When you see a contest or a give-away, you already know they are going to want your contact information, to contact you should you win the grand prize, right? You are also aware that on the back of the card you fill out there is tiny print that you should read, tiny print that is legible and is written there because you were meant to read it. If we wanted to hide it from you, it would not be on there. READ IT. In there it says that in putting your contact information on this card you are giving us the right to contact you for any reason, not only if you win the prize, but for advertising purposes as well. Hence the phone call you just received.

Lastly, I’m just going to put in my two cents (the rest has been factual information I think you should know). Why be rude? If you get a call from me, I’m very pleasant when you pick up, why don’t you do the same. This is my job. I did not come to work today with the attitude, “well, I wonder how
I can piss the next person off.” I came in with the same attitude we all have when we go to work… “I need to make money today.” Make my job easier, pick up the phone when it rings, listen to me talk for just a few minutes (we have this thing called ‘talk time’ and you being on the phone for an extra two or three minutes adds up as the night progresses), and tell me if you’re interested or not, consider that you spending that hour of time with us will earn you a cruise and me my dinner, my bill payments, my kids clothes and my home.

My name is Whitley Bailey and my extension at Sundance Vacations is 112.

This is absolutely true! The only things that you are required to pay are the taxes, port fees and your airfare (which is sometimes given to you if they are running a special). By law, they are not aloud to pay these things for you. Plus, they never say you have "won" a "prize". These words, they are prohibited to say. I know they don't say them because if they do, they will be fired on the spot. ALL CALLS ARE RECORDED. "You have been selected to recieve a free cruise" is what they actually say AND MEAN! Thousand have received the offer and used it with the same results.