Apple Vacations

We used Apple Vacations for a trip this spring 2008 to Punta Cana we first tried booking online directly with Apple that didnt happen we had tom go thru a travel agent. no biggie we got the same price unfortunately when we got to the Ohare Airport for our 6:00 a.m. flight at 4:30 the apple rep that was at the USA 3000 gate put us in the wrong line. after almost an hour wait in the line to check in the rep at the desk says, "oh your going to punta cana?! that flight has been cancelled, needless to say the apple rep wouldnt do anything it was 5:23 a.m. and they said they couldnt get us on the flight. in my opinion if you work for a company that uses a manifest or itinerary they should make sure that they call out peoples names or make announcements instead of standing there with their thumb in their ### not helping you. Because of the reps laziness we had to go through hours of agony trying to get a flight wich in the end cost 4 of us $695 dollars EACH wich was almost the cost of our $900 vacation just to get down there and we missed a whole day of vacation that was included in our package. I did write a letter to Apple still no answer.
DONT USE THEM...and if your ever flying out of Ohare double check everything

I had a group booked with Apple Vacations traveling to Cancun flying USA3000. I had a gentleman who needed to travel with the Inogen concentrator. When we booked him the agent never told us he could not take it. This gentleman feels he has been discriminated against since all the other airlines even Southwest allows this unit to be taken on. This machine has given a lot of people the flexibility to be able to travel more than ever. I have tried to talk with the airlines and Apple but was told they would not bend. In my opinion they do not want these people to be able to use them as a tour company... don't need to worry about that since the group has decided not to use them in the future for travel. This is not the 1st time for them to mess up and it will be the last for us to use the.

Description of machine follows. I weigh less than your cat. No more worries about running out of oxygen ever again. No more relying on others for your oxygen supply. And no more deliveries. The INOGEN ONE is the first oxygen system designed to provide unparalleled freedom for the active oxygen user. With the INOGEN ONE, you’ll no longer need separate pieces of equipment for home, portable, or travel use. Best of ll, because it gets oxygen from the air around you, there are no gas or liquid tanks to fill. That means your INOGEN ONE will never run out of oxygen. The INOGEN ONE is made to make your life easier. It’s light enough to carry over your shoulder, and it comes with a cart to roll behind you when you’re on the go. We like to think of it as a “polite companion”... and since it’s whisper quiet most people don’t know it’s running. I’m smaller than your coffee maker It can be battery operated. what makes USA 3000 better than anyone else... We are planning to go further with this discriminating issue.

We booked an Apple Vacations trip to Mexico In August, 2007.
The trip was scheduled for Oct 20 thru Oct 27th, 2007.
We booked with Apple with the understanding that you have a price guarantee.

I contacted Apple Vacations at 11:56 am (CST) on Monday, Oct 15th to inquire about the price guarantee because I noticed on the internet that the price had dropped on our Mexico vacation package.

I was advised by one of your Representatives that indeed, our package price had dropped $400 per person.
I was advised that the guarantee would be processed and would be applied to our Mastercard.

Several weeks later, I had not received a credit on our Mastercard.
I contacted Apple Vacations again and was advised that I needed to wait 1-2 billing cycles before this credit would be applied (apparently I reached the Chicago office)

Again, our billing statement arrived, and we had no credit on our Mastercard.

I contacted Apple Vacations again on November 28 at 3:00 pm and spoke with "Megan". Megan advised that the price guarantee was never processed, and in fact, there was no record of my call.
I asked her what Apple could do for me now? Could they look up the call that was made and find out why the price guarantee was never processed?
She stated that Apple Vacations does not record their calls. She also stated that there was nothing Apple Vacations could do for me now, because it appears that I had never called regarding the price guarantee.
I advised "Megan" that I would not accept her answer. I would not lose $800 due to a mistake that Apple Vacations made.

I asked to speak with a Manager.
I then spoke with "Harold".
"Harold" advised that the only thing he could do was to see if they could pull a report and show if I ever did call Apple Vacations.
I gave Harold the phone number that I called from [protected]), which is my telephone number at work.
He stated it would take one business day to run the necessary report and he would call me back.

On 11/29/07, Harold did not contact me.

On 11/30/07 at 3:10 pm (CST), I contacted Apple Vacations again and reached "Allison".
I asked to speak with Harold. He was on another call, so I left my name and number. Allison advised that he would call me back after he was finished with his current call.

Harold did not return my call.
He did not even call me to state that he was still working on the issue, and apologize for the delay.
He simply didn't call.

Needless to say, I am very frustrated with Apple Vacations and your process.
Clearly, one of your Representatives did not complete the transaction as they were supposed to.
How can I correct this?

We spent $3200 on a vacation with Apple.
We just want the $800 that was supposed to be processed on Oct 15

I will keep pursuing the issue until the mistake is found and the correction is made.

Well well apple vacations told me they would get back to me about my vacation complaint in 30 days? My vacation was in june?what year will they respond to my complaints? We paid for an ocean view and got palm trees, watered down drinks, one crowded pool, old workout equipment, expensive excursions they push and expensive massages, souvenir shop full of crappy items they can keep,a disco catering to young people, and they keep telling me theres no complaints. Apple please open your eyes this time and read the complaint instead of taking everyones money and running with it. People are not satisfied with your vacation resorts. Get it?

Apple Vacations
www.applevacations.com

Went to San Jose Cabo on Sept 18 to stay until Sept 25th. Booked with Apple Vacations. I choose Presidente Intercontinental bc is was all inclusive but because Apple rated it a 5 star hotel. Trust me this is not a 5 star hotel. When we checked in to our room it smelled of mold and mildew. My husband went to lay down on the bed and the smell was even worse. I had him get up and pulled the sheets down to reveal a huge circle of fungus growing there. Mold was everywhere. I immediately went to the front desk demanded another room was taken to a new room which was no better. I tried for two days every hour on the hour to find a apple rep that was supposed to be there in the hotel. On the 3rd day went to concerige and requested our flight back home. She called a apple rep and the apple rep came over to our hotel a hour later. She wanted us to look at another room. I walked in and it had one bed. I asked where she thought our two kids were going to sleep. She then took us over to Crown Palace. This hotel was 75% improvement but the showers had not seen any type of cleaning in a long time. We had only one restaurant for Breakfast which served the same food each morning. The lunch and dinner menu were the same every other day. We thought going all inclusive was the way but now we know. Our apple agent here in Denver told us that all the restaurants would be open every day and that was not the case. I spent alot of money planning for this vacation for our family. We were so disappointed. There was no apple discounts on excursions as we were told their would be. The hotels elevators were shut down 4 hours almost every day leaving us to walk to the 4th level where our room was located. This was our first time with apple. We have been to cancun, jamaica, carnival cruises lines, etc. booking on our own. I went with Apple to have this trip planned for us. What a waste of time and money.

This is not the first time I used your Company to travel. We do it because we always find what we are looking for, a nice Hotel, Delicious food, drinks and a beautiful place as a resort. to rest and relax. Ritz of Acapulco was nothing like we were expecting! We were so disappointed , I don't have words to describe my sadness. It was so expensive and it was all a waist of money. I don't understand how you can sell this package as a 4 Apples Resort... this is not even close to a Resort neither to the 4 apples.

Since the minute we walked into the Hotel I started crying because it was nothing like of what we were expecting. We felt as though we thrown all of our money way! Let me tell you some of the many, many things we found here:

The Restaurant Las Cavas only opens once a week. The food from the buffet is the same everyday. The pool is not clean it everyday, very small, overcrowded.
The beach chairs have not cushions and the cushions are for the beach only, how weird is that? and the worst is that they don't let you take this cushions to use on the chairs, they used it separate, chairs from cushions. You know what I mean? The toilet do not work all the times The nights when it rains our room leaks.(the windows were closed), We did not have a refrigerator, hair dryer, iron board neither an iron. I can keep going on but I am just very disappointed and very sick of the lost of all of my money! I can highly recommend to all of our friends not to used you in the future.

The Hotel is very,very ... very old...! We have not words to say how sad, disappointed and mad we are about this trip.

I HAVE EMAIL KATHY HILL MANAGER OF APPLE VACATIONS 2 TIMES AND I HAVE A RECEIPT THAT SHE GOT THE EMAILS AND I FAXED AN EMAIL TO CUSTOMER CARE DEPARTMENT AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY ANSWER. HOW RUDE CANT THIS BE? I HOPE SOMEBODY CAN HELP US TO GET A REFUND OR AT LEAST A VOUCHER CREDIT FOR ALL THE MONEY WE LOST IN THIS TRIP.

Went on our overrated overpriced honeymoon disaster. Jaccuzzi tubs big enough for midgets, wateredown drinks, one very crowded pool, ocean view room if you could see through palm trees, lousy beach, disco that catered to young couples,state of the art old fitness equipment, souvenir shop that sold junk you wouldn't buy or take home, pricey massages must have massaged with golden fingers, expensive excursions they try to push down your throat. I found i didn't get what i paid for and would not use apple again. I have wrote a couple of messages and complaints none that were never answered. I believe they get so many customers that they don't care about complaints.

Beware!

The vacation was a complete disaster from the beginning. There was no communication with the North American Airline or Apple Vacation. The hotel was horrendous; there was no security, they gave 2 room keys to other people with no identification, it was filthy and the customer service was awful.

The following is a rough timeline of how the vacation occurred:

- FRIDAY NIGHT 3/16/07 -Called [protected] at 10:30 PM Friday night and flight was still on time
- SATURDAY MORNING 3/17/07 -Called 800 number at 3:00 AM Sat. (after our ride to airport was already there) to check on flight and it was delayed till 4:30PM so we sent our ride on its way to come back later. (We should have received a call from Apple Vacations or North American Airlines that flight was delayed)
- SATURDAY -Kept calling 800 number all day to make sure flight at 4:30 PM (it was)
- SATURDAY -On the way to air port at 2pm tried 800 number again still says flight leaving at 4:30 PM
- SATURDAY -Got to airport at 2:15 pm no signs for North American Airline at Terminal A so we asked Delta people who sent us to Terminal B1 asked there and they sent us to Terminal B2 there they sent us back to Terminal A
- SATURDAY -Departure screen reads Aruba Flight 17 leaving at 4:30 PM
- SATURDAY -Representatives from Delta tell us at 3:00 PM that Flight 17 is cancelled till Sun. at 6:30 am Sunday but wait for representative from North American Airline
- SATURDAY -Representative from NAA shows up at 3:30 pm and says the flight is canceled till Sun. at 6:30 am but keep calling [protected] for updated info. (Departure board still says 4:30 PM Sat.)
- SATURDAY -Around 3:45pm-4:00 pm call 800 number several times because its so busy it keeps disconnecting you and finally get through for it to say flight 17 is 2:30pm on Sunday
- SATURDAY -Representative from Apple Vacations Jo-Anne at 3:45 pm., was very rude, says keep trying the 800 # “I don’t know what else to tell you”
- She then says “I heard the flight is 2:00 pm but it may be at 6:30 am but keep trying the 800 number.
- SATURDAY -Try the 800 number and it says 2:30 pm Sun.
- SATURDAY -Who is correct what do we believe at 3:45 pm:
o NAA Rep says 6:30 am
o NAA 800 number says 2:30 pm Sun.
o Departure Board at airport says 4:30 pm on Sat
o Apple Vacation says 2:00 pm Sun but call 800 number

- SATURDAY –Check in at Hilton at the airport because we no longer had transportation to go all the way home and we weren’t sure what time our flight was on Sunday
- SATURDAY -Jo-Anne called from her cell phone number around 7:00 pm Sat. and said she heard flight is at 2:00 pm
- SUNDAY 3/18/07 -We called the 800 number at 5:00 am Sun. and it says there is no information on Flight 17 to Aruba after being told to call 800 #
- SUNDAY –we call Jo-Anne on her cell phone and she started yelling at us NOT to call the 800 number. …….So which is it call the 800 number or don’t
- SUNDAY – She finally told us our flight is at 2:00 pm and be at check in between 11:00 am to 12:00pm
- SUNDAY -We were there at 11:00 am and waited finally took off at 2:45 pm on Sunday
- SUNDAY –We finally arrive at the Holiday Inn at 9pm on Sunday night
o We have now lost 2 whole days of our vacation
o We have also paid for 2 days of all inclusive and weren’t there

- SUNDAY – After checking into Holiday Inn our friends go to the front desk to ask what room we are in so we can meet them and they just GAVE THEM 2 KEYS TO OUR ROOM WITH NO IDENTIFICATION and he only asked what room Michael and Laureen Wright were in.
- MONDAY 3/19/07- We requested towels to take a shower and no one showed up for 2hrs after several calls saying they will be right there
- TUESDAY 3/20/07 – Night we set Air conditioning to 65 degrees it read 73 degrees in room. We had a sleepless night
- WEDNESDAY 3/21/07 -we reported the A/C was not working and they would send some one to our room right away. And no one showed so we left.
- WEDNESDAY – came back to room and still no A/C we called again and again they said they would send someone right away no one showed we left again
- WEDNESDAY –Night came back to sleep and still no A/C and did not Sleep again
- THURSDAY 3/22/07 –8:00am went to front desk and again “We’ll get someone there right away” no show and we left
- THURSDAY – came back to room at 12:30 pm and still no A/C 74 degrees in room for the third day. We called and the said the had a cooling issue in several rooms and working on it
- THURSDAY – trying to dry hair to meet friends again in very hot room and called again they said “SOME ONE WILL BE THERE RIGHT AWAY”
- THURSDAY –Called GWV Vacations and they will call back
- THURSDAY – 3:30 pm Someone from Front Desk called and said there was a problem with cooling system and it would be fixed in an hour
- THURSDAY – Spoke to GWV Rep who tried to get an answer and referred me to go see Front Desk Manager Alisia
- THURSDAY –went to front desk before leaving to meet friends and asked for Alisia and she was not there but I can change my room and I said I want to speak to Manager
- THURSDAY – Spoke to Manager on Duty Michelle who assured me she spoke to the General Manager and the problem would be rectified and compensated. She also assured me the Manager on Duty on Friday would definitely call me between 8am and 4pm with a resolution.
- THURSDAY –left at 6:30pm and STILL NO A/C THIS IS NOW THE THIRD DAY WITH NO A/C
- THURSDAY– night when came back to sleep finally A/C working
- FRIDAY 3/23/07–Cut my day short to go back to speak to a manager at 3:00 pm and spoke to Manager on Duty Brenda who said she didn’t know what they were going to do for us she would contact the General Manager and “she is very busy” ( so that’s my problem your busy I’m not important enough for you to find out) She said she “Would get back to us, if not tonight first thing in the morning”
- FRIDAY –got back to room and there was a message from Terry from GWV stating that Angela was down stairs to try and resurrect this problem. Well I was out trying to enjoy my last day of my short vacation as far way from the Holiday Inn as possible.
- FRIDAY –got to the room at 2:30 and it was not cleaned and no clean towels I called the front desk to speak to the Manager and the operator said she couldn’t just connect me to her and she would call back and I explained we had no towels and our room was not cleaned, and again insisted that I speak to a manager and she said someone will call me back. I called back again and she said someone would call me back and I explained to her I was irate and was not going to wait for 2 hours for towels again and she hung up. I then went to a maids cart outside and took towels so we could shower.
- SATURDAY 3/24/07 – 8:30am tried to find Brenda and check out and “she didn’t know what they were going to do and what ever it said on my check out sheet” She then had Jonathan check us out and she walked away without a sorry or thank you and no customer service at all.
- SATURDAY –Jonathan gave us $140.41 cash with no explanation handed us receipt with no words walked away and we waited for him to say something and a pen because we thought we would have to sign something and Mike grabbed a pen from the desk to sign it and he rudely said you don’t have to sign that and walked away again.
- The room we stayed in was filthy the floor was moldy and filthy as well as the tub and this was after they had “cleaned the room” There was also no bar on the sliding door and we were on the first floor in the way back of the hotel, looking at another building.
- We were also not upgraded “guests who have Aruba as their first and only stamp in their passports will receive an upgrade to a Superior room and one bottle of domestic Champagne upon check-in” And it was our first and only stamp on our passport.

There is no clear definition on the website, on the phone message system, or in the conversations that I had with the initial customer service representative that I could not cancel my vacation and get cash back. This is kind of a double ### because of the new legislation on leaving the country. Thank bush and the patriot act on this one too.

My vacation days are locked, so I had to take them.

When I canceled my vacation because passports are (backed up by the millions) they told me that I could only get vouchers. The customer service department that would give you an actual refund is not available by phone, and makes no promises to contact you by email in under a month. So basically I go from having an all inclusive vacation in Cancun to a piece of ### non-inclusive ### room at the same price in Orlando because of the change. I'm not saying this is all their fault, but considering the fact that the customer service department is a black hole in regards to cash refunds, even if you purchase travel insurance I would avoid this company at all costs. So a 3000 dollar vacation in an all inclusive hotel in Cancun turned to a Orlando nickel and dime feast because I have to take the vacation with their ### vouchers on last minute notice.

Below is the text of a letter I sent to John Mullen, President of Apple Vacations and their response.

4380 Bunting Ln
Columbus, IN 47203
January 6, 2007

Mr. John Mullen
President
Apple Vacations
P.O. Box 6500
Newtown Square, PA 19073

Dear Mr. Mullen,

I am writing to let you know of the extreme disappointment my family and I have with Apple Vacations and our local travel agency, Destinations Travel. We just returned from a December 28, 2006 through January 4, 2007 vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico booked through Destinations and Apple. However, had we known the changes Apple would make to our arrangements and lack of support from Destinations, we would NEVER have booked this vacation.

Our original flight plans (flight 420) were to leave Cincinnati at 11:00 am which would have allowed a 7:30 am departure from our home. Our return flight (FLIGHT 421) from Cancun was to leave at 2:20 pm giving us the morning to enjoy breakfast and a final walk on the beach at the hotel. Your company saw fit to not only change our return flight time but also our departure time. Had we know the flight would leave at 7:30 am from Cincinnati, OH we would never have booked this vacation since it is a two hour drive from our home, and Apple Vacations suggests we arrive two hours early. We would have had to leave home at 3:30 am to meet your suggestion.

The return flight (flight 411) was changed to 10:50 am requiring us to be checked out and at the pick up point at 5:50 am. This not only robbed us of our last morning in Mexico but also disrupted our final evening due to the need to rise so early to meet the pick up. This flight also went to Cleveland and then to Cincinnati requiring us to travel until nearly 6:00 pm that day... over 12 hours... just to get to Cincinnati (a normal 2.5 hour flight from Cancun). The bus did not arrive at the pick up point until 6:30 am. When I asked at the airport about getting on the Cincinnati flight, I was told by USA3000 that Apple would have to approve it. When I asked the Apple representative, I was referred to a supervisor. When he checked a list of flights he said, there would be a charge, and he would have to call for approval. I told him I did not intend to pay for a change when Apple made the change originally. He then asked for the original documents before he would call. We did not have the original documents with us, and it was obvious he had no intention of making the call. I gave up extremely frustrated.

The flight from Cleveland was on a 19 passenger prop plane operated by Continental. It hardly met your claim of non-stop vacation flight on new, technically advanced Airbus A-320s providing state-of-the-art aircraft for transportation.

Despite the early pick up, there was no food offered to us until we were on the flight to Cleveland. Then it was a small sandwich. By the time we reached Cincinnati, that was all that we had to eat and it was 6:30 pm (more than 12 hours since we were supposed to be picked up).

Further, while all of this is upsetting, it is infuriating to know that you chose to withhold this information from us until last week before the trip even though the flights were changed the first of December. This made it impossible for us to reschedule to another vacation for our family. I consider this a blatant act since Apple owns USA3000 and knew far in advance of the planned flight changes.

The bottom line is Apple and its charter service USA3000 failed miserably in providing the transportation service we were led to believe was part of the package for which we signed up.

As a result of all the changes, we had to stay the night in Cincinnati, board our pets an extra day, and disrupt our Christmas celebration plans with our children and our stay in Mexico. For all of this inconvenience, you gave us $100 per person. That does not begin to compensate us for the inconvenience and the additional cost we incurred. The additional costs for the hotel rooms in Cincinnati, dinner, and boarding our pets (2 dogs and a cat) for an additional night was $500. The inconvenience compensation should not only reflect the disruption to our plans and vacation but also penalize Apple for this obvious disregard for us, your customers. I believe an additional $400 per person plus reimbursement of our additional expenses would better reflect Apple’s understanding of this inconvenience.

Without this compensation, I assure you the six members of my family and I will NEVER use Apple Vacations or Destinations Travel again and will actively share our disappointment with our family, friends and various travel internet review sites. If you are as customer oriented as your literature suggests, you know that a vocal, dissatisfied customer will cost a company in future sales many times any compensation provided to reduce the dissatisfaction.

Sincerely,
Dennis Steele

cc: Destinations Travel, 2780 N. National Rd, Columbus, IN 47201
Arnie Weissmann, Editor in Chief, Travel Weekly, [protected]@travelweekly.com
BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania, 1411 K St. NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC [protected]

Apple's response to the above letter was:

February 14, 2007

Dennis Steele
4380 Bunting Ln
Columbus, IN 47203

RE: CVGCUN20061228CL07 Steele #[protected]

Dear Ms. Steele,

"We are in receipt of your correspondence in regards to your Apple Vacation to Riviera Maya Resort.

Please be assured that we have a very deep concern for serving our clients and the travel professional community and we are committed to offering quality service in the travel industry.

APPLE VACATIONS deeply regret that we found it necessary to inconvenience you by making a schedule change. Although we try to minimize the impact of a schedule change, it seems that it can affect some vacationers' plans more than others. Please understand, however, that APPLE VACATIONS can all airlines, including charter and scheduled airline carriers, reserve the right to reschedule and/or reroute flights For this reason, we will stand by the compensations which was previously issued." ($100 per person) "Unfortunately, we are not able to provide the reimbursement you are requesting as glight times are subject to change.

We appreciate you taking the time to write to us. APPLE VACATIONS is considered America's favorite vacation company, therefore you feedback whether positive or negative is very important to us. In spite of this incident, it is our hope that all other aspects of you APPLE VACATION was a positive and memorable experience. Also, we hope that you will reconsider choosing APPLE VACATIONS when planning your future leisure travel needs.

Sincerely,

APPLE VACATIONS
Paula Kirby
Customer Care Department

Cc: Destinations Travel
2780 North National Road
Columbus, IN 47201"

Apple Vacations was chosen to help our friends & family travel to Cancun, Mexico for our May 2006 wedding. The majority of our guests were leaving Dulles International Airport and purchased the land & air accommodations through Apple Vacations. The week prior to our wedding, the package price dropped $87.00. I immediately notified Ballston Travel (local agency) and Apple Vacations. I was told Apple "guaranteed pricing" and will offer the lowest advertised price. Providing the lowest price is also in my contract that I signed with Apple for the Seago/King Wedding on May 6, 2006 at the Riu Palace Las Americas in Cancun, Mexico. All qualified guests would receive a check in the mail. Well, 6 months later my guests are still waiting for their refund.
Myself and our local travel agent have called and/or sent numerous emails to resolve the situation. Most of the time, no response. On a few occasions, an Apple Vacation representative says "they are checking into it" and then we never hear from them again. It is an embarrassment that this refund has not been issued. They are clearly overcharging 21 people.
My local travel agent at Ballston Travel [protected] has all of the necessary documentation to show individual payments and the qualified individuals that should be receiving a refund. We have presented all of the information to Apple and they still have not provided the refund...6 months later!
Any assistance you can provide to get our wedding guests their refund would be greatly appreciated. We know they spent their hard earned money to celebrate a monumental time in our life. And we would like for them to receive their due refund. Thank you in advance.