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Vip Travel Reservations review: Beware of this scam! 66

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12:00 am EDT
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VIP Travel Reservations - Port Orange Florida

I paid for one of those super vacations... come visit Florida and get a free trip to the Bahamas just for taking our tour. I went to both of my Florida tours and got my paperwork in order. I paid $45 for the form to request my "free" vacation paperwork. When I received my paperwork it was unbelievable how many rules and regulations there were. It was date stamped 12 April and I didn't receive it until the 20th of April and it had to be back to them by the 30th or I voided my contract. After picking my 3 different dates, none of which could be 7 days before or 7 days after a major holiday, spring break or easter and all of the dates you picked had to be 45 days apart and you had to leave on a Monday or Tuesday I mailed my paperwork back to them. Several days later when I received mail from VIP Travel I excitedly opened it to see which trip dates and location I would be getting. Instead, when I opened the envelope there was a piece of paper telling me that because I had not sent my paperwork by certified mail I had voided the contract, no letterhead, no name, no phone number, no website. Now they received it before the deadline because their letter was dated on the 29th of April so they received it but because I failed to send it certified mail I was cancelled and that was it. When you try to call and talk to them you get their many answering machines that tell you to call back because they are busy. I paid for a passport to take this trip and now will not be going and all because they are looking for any little thing they can use to cancel your "free" trip and not have to pay airfare and hotel reservations. I feel like I was robbed because I fulfilled my obligation to go to 2 Florida locations and take their 90 min tours, I paid for all of my travel vouchers and then they put the screws to me for my free trip. I will never sign up for anything like this again.

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66 comments
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Joe C
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Aug 26, 2008 3:14 am EDT

Thanks everyone for all your comments, you just saved me 2 hours and possibly money. Good thing for the internet and that I investigate EVERYTHING that sounds too good to be true. Mine was for a 3 day/2 night at any Marriott plus $30 dinner, $100 gas card, and a $50 visa card. When I called to inquire, I asked all the questions like will there by high pressure sales people, will it cost me any money to get my rewards, were there excessive rules that made it impossible to claim. The woman assured me that this was not one of those deals. What a LIAR. Thanks again everyone!

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ray parker
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Aug 24, 2008 5:09 pm EDT

I paid the $75 fee. Was unable to take the trip and aked for my deposit back. Sent a certified letter in June " 08" as of yet Sept "08" have not heard a thing, after reading many of the complaints I suppose i'm lucky to only invested $75.
Will never be so dumb again !

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Jennifer
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Aug 14, 2008 2:44 pm EDT

After dealing with VIP Travel Reservations, the most important thing you can do is READ the certificate, there are no promises of anything and no where does it state that anything is free. If the certificate tells you to send it certified it's on the terms & conditions that if you don't do as they state it will be voided due to the consumer not the company.

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Lisa Barb
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Aug 01, 2008 6:20 am EDT

just did one of those high pressure sales gatherings. Knew that something was not right. Came home to investigate and found this website. To those who have gone before us, we thank you all for posting your honest stories. Interesting, that there is not one posting stating that they anyone got what they were promised...thanks again, LIsa

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Trish
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Jul 31, 2008 9:45 am EDT

I was ready to mail my $ to VIP Travel to redeem my 2 "free"plane tickets and car rental. After reading all your comments, I will go somewhere else for my travel services. Thank you so much for all your honest responses. I was almost duped with this one. It's really sad that people do business this way. We were going to take this trip to "evaluate" their services with the anticipation of buying into their travel program if things were good. They loose!
I hope that Florida wakes up and does something about this types of scams. Isn't there a TV news show that could give the low down on these loosers so others won't get scammed?

Thanks again!

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Jerry DeCleene
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Jul 29, 2008 10:17 am EDT

I received the use of a free rental car for 1 week from VIP Travel Reservations, Inc in Port Orange, FL. A $75 dollar refundable deposit was needed which would be refunded after the rental. I fell for it even though I never used the car. I was suppose to be able to get the refund back according to their rules. It never happened, even with the registered letter I sent back. I would avoid this company.

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Harry
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Jul 23, 2008 11:26 am EDT

Dear Fellas,
I realized long ago that any "DEAL's" coming from Florida are Scams and here I fall aggain. I was not aware the company I am dealing with is from Florida. And let me tell you whay one can not trust a Florida Company. Florida doesn't have legislation against scamers. The long arm of the LAW is not activated in FLORIDA.
THEREFORE NO ONE SHALL TUCH ANY THING THAT IS NOT CAST IN STONE, or CHANGE HAND TO HAND DIRECTLY WHEN YOU ARE CLOSED EHOGH to HIT THE ###.
Another way will be to presure FLorida the SUN SHINE STATE to introduce the LAW or they will loose business. DON'T visit Florida. Spend your vacation money some place else.

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John
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Jul 21, 2008 2:13 pm EDT

Glad I check here first before responding to free airline ticket offer by this scam company that has a bad track record--- here is a link to the local Better Business Bureau that gives VIP Travel and UNSATISFACTORY rating:

http://www.orlando.bbb.org/codbrep.html?wlcl=y&id=18000517#CustExp

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david finholm
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Jul 11, 2008 7:08 am EDT

I am following up on our drive away activation form CR28115 mailrd in early june and no return vacation planning package arriving at our home yet. please follow up and reply so i know the statue of our request thanks dave.

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Melissa
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Jul 07, 2008 11:05 pm EDT

Thank you so much for posting your stories. It has saved me many hours of not dealing with these people.

Thanks!

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Notsoeasy2dupe
Hartford, US
Jul 01, 2008 7:08 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am very grateful to be able to find all the comments posted here regarding the 2 free flight tickets and the 7 days car rental offered through the VIP travel. I filled out the Activation Forms before I decided to check out the VIP and Certs, Inc. (where the forms supposed to be sent to). Good to know about their tricks. But I can't help to wonder: what percentage of people actually got the tickets if they followed the rules carefully and met all their requirements? Thanks.

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Nancy Bednar
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Jun 04, 2008 9:52 am EDT

My husband and I were also duped. Promised round trip plane tickets and $100 gas. We did everything on our end at the right times and attended, signed, and sent in everything we were asked to. Nothing came through as promised. These people should be arrested and charged with fraud, if they can be found.
We attended in Panama City, Florida, but it is the same group. I can't even reach them by phone.

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Jennifer
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May 27, 2008 9:17 pm EDT

I just went to a presentation today and was planning on mailing my certificate off in a few days. I'm disappointed to know that this is a scam and I wasted my time. I had hopes in receiving my two free airline tickets, just as I had gone on trips through Casablanca Express who are legit. Sigh... Oh well

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Mike
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May 27, 2008 2:08 pm EDT

I got the Free AirFare + Free Rental Car offer and am glad I checked this site first. Sorry for all of the troubles those of you that tried the deal suffered, but thanks for taking time to post here so that others would be spared!

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Kelly
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May 27, 2008 7:50 am EDT

I have my $100 money order right here, ready to be mailed to VIP Travel to redeem my 2 "free"plane tickets. After reading all your comments, I will cash my money order in and pay a bill instead. Thank you so much for all your honest responses. I was almost duped with this one.. thanks again!

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M. Williams
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May 14, 2008 8:17 am EDT

My husband and I went to a timeshare presentation and got the certificate for the 2 night get-a-way. We sent it in with our dates. When they called to book the weekend, the dates we had originally put in would not work as we had travel plans for three weeks that included both weekends we had selected. We asked them to change it to August 10-13 instead. That was fine. When we got back from our other trip, the confirmation was in our mail. It was for April 10-13 instead of August 10-13. We were out of town for April 10-13.
I called them twice, my husband called them once and they assured us they were mailing a new confirmation with the correct dates. On 8/15 we still had not received anything. My husband called them again and changed it to Nov 21-24. We still never received a confirmation from them.
On 1/24/08, I contacted them again and changed it to Nov 08. They assured us that we would receive the confirmation by not later than 2/7/08. To date we still have not received a confirmation and when I tried to call, the general voice mail box was full.
I was trying to call and get our $75 refunded. At this point, if I can not actually talk to someone, I will be sending a certified letter to them and filing a report with the better business bureau, locally and in Port Orange. My husband & I are both so disgusted with this company. When I called in January, they said that the person I had talked to on all my previous calls was no longer employed with the company.

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Peggy Braden
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May 12, 2008 3:29 pm EDT

VIP Travel should be out of business. YOU ARE A SCAM!

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Peggy Braden
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May 12, 2008 3:27 pm EDT

This organization (VIP Travel Gift Center) is a scam. I attended the 2 hour session and was given a form for 2 airline ticket. The program was held in Birmingham in Febuary. In March, I received a letter from VIP stating that the ticket were on back order and should be mailed in 30 days. Today is May 12th. I have send e-mails and left message on the phone number provided on the VIP website. No contact or action has occurred on the part of VIP. I am going to contact the Better Business Bureau and every national travel organization. This is nothing but a SCAM! In my opinion VIP should not be in business.

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Carol L MacLeod
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May 10, 2008 5:13 pm EDT

We attended the required seminar (and bought the trickey package). This "free airline ticket and car rental" has been frought with caviats and is essentially useless. I don't know what recourse we have, but I am really disappointed with this promotion. Take care when believing this type of "hype".

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GratefulToEveryone
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May 02, 2008 8:12 am EDT

Got the card promising two free airline tickets and rental car and had scheduled to attend the presentation this Saturday. A conflict arose with the babysitter so i cancelled. The operator tried the "this is our last presentation in your area" line, but I declined anyway. I was always skeptical of this so i did a search online (was planning on doing this before attending anyway) and found all kinds of scam alerts. Thanks to everyone who posted - you guys are doing everyone a great service.

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George Wright
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Apr 10, 2008 10:56 am EDT

I received a card today for two "free" roundtrip airfares and checked the internet for problems with VIP Travel. Thanks to the responses I trashed the card. As the old saying goes, "Nothing is Free".

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Jonathan Keune
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Mar 31, 2008 11:14 am EDT

I got scamed also. Listened the the 2 hr. speal, in Daytona, Florida, got the paper work for a free hotel weekend anywhere, mailed the the papers and the $75 money order (refundable), and they sent it back to me, because the Sponsor line wasn't filled out right by the lady at the place we took the tour. VIP will never see any of my business again. Cresco, IA

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Scott W. Spragg
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Feb 29, 2008 9:34 am EST

My wife Ruth and I were also duped into taking one of these so-called free airtickets for two inside continental USA, by Lonestar Savings, in Stephenville, TX for sitting through a presentation expounding the advantages of owning a membership in Lonstart Savings, for which we purchase and expensive membership to Lonestar and already feel cheated becuase of various promises they keep making and do not fulfill. Lonestar and VIP are bedpartners of like tactics. We have our Activation form in hand for those socalled free tickets with all the 14 requirements listed by others. It all seems so complicated that there is no way that it can be free and we doubt that we would ever get our socalled "refundable deposit" back in any shape or form as they would find a way to disqualify us as well. Therefor we are not biting the second hook. What we thought is yeo "free" airline tickets for listening to the presentation is not free and the membership thus far in Lonestar is not worth anything either.
We are considering how we can report this to the Attorney General of Iowa.
Ankeny, Iowa

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Vlad Regina
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Feb 09, 2008 11:41 am EST

My wife and I were promised two free round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the Continental U.S. plus a free rental car for a week. Requirement was to attend a no-pressure 90 minutes presentation of Vacation Professionals at 13 Branch Street, Suite 105 Methuen, Massachusetts.

After sitting through a 2 and a half hour presentation we said ‘no thanks’ to multiple salesmen with better offers each time.

They gave us two activation forms that had a list of 14 rules about how to obtain our free airline tickets and free car rental from VIP Travel Reservations. The first rule is that you have to pay a 'refundable' deposit of $100 (by money order or cashiers check) for the airline tickets and $75 for the rental car. The rest of the rules placed so many restrictions on the deal that it was designed to make you fail.

We struggled to obtain our tickets via multiple mailings which were mostly demands to fill the forms differently. At the end we got rejection for airline tickets on the grounds that it’s too late, even though we had to submit it multiple times in order to meet their demands. We also got certificate for a car rental. We told them that we do not need car without airline tickets. Now we are trying with no success to get our deposit back.

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Ellen
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Sep 24, 2007 7:51 am EDT

My aunt -- who's a nun! -- had a similar experience. She sent the money for the "free" trip and chose dates to travel with her sister, who was going to travel down from upstate New York. She never got a confirmation on the dates. I'm now trying to get her money back. She and I have called various numbers and she's written, but neither of us have gotten a response. VIP is listed on the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce website, and I've emailed them through that listing. Hopefully, I'll get some satisfaction.

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Natalie Martinez
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Jun 28, 2007 4:59 am EDT

I purchased the Stay n Play package thinking I could go to the Bahamas. I upgraded so I could invite family to join us there. What a nightmare. To make a long story short, we're still fighting to get VIP to pay the hotel we stayed at so they can delete the charge we incurred afterward. The Bahama deal didn't work because they only accept 4 people in the hotel rooms and we're a family of 5. I even told the sales person and he let me buy the package. I'll never purchase such a deal again. We're not only out the Bahama cruise but the turmoil we suffered while in Florida made our trip extremely stressful. Imagine that while we stayed in our owned timeshare the week before we arrived to claim our hotel from the VIP check in center, when we got there, they told us that they left a message on our home phone six days before, they couldn't find us a place. It took us hours to finally get us not what we wanted. I was so stressed. We almost had to leave FL. Then, we mistakenly toured the same place we were supposed to while we were there a week earlier and they want us to now pay for the place we stayed at. I could go on and on but I knew the day after I purchased the package that I should have canceled. Lesson well learned.