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Royal Palm Travel

Royal Palm Travel review: travel agency fraud 27

K
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11:32 pm EST
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Wow - we were duped too. And rarely do I ever get duped. I cannot believe I did not follow my wisdom to never buy anything big without sleeping on it. And I can usually smell a rat. I think I just was so excited to sign up for a vacation club - something we could not afford in the last 5 years.
There is a lot of info that this club in Dallas at the Galleria Towers used to be Beachcombers, owned by Bill Bailey of FL, then turned Phoenix Vacations, then in spring 2008, Royal Palm Travel. Lies lies lies from the plaques on the wall claiming membership with Better Business Bureau, to the 50-75% off rack rate prices, to their cancellation policy. And even what they give in free gifts. We were told we would get 4 airplane tickets - well fine print said only 2 free, then pay full price for the other two!
We signed up in Sept, I came home and read how fraudy they were, we cancelled the next day, and still owe $1300 on the bofa card they signed us up with! Now bofa tells me TX allows a company to charge how ever much they want for cancellation fees. There is no remorse law like in CA where I am used to purchasing!
Anyone else up for a class action suit?

Update by kdeco
May 30, 2009 4:39 pm EDT

Yes, they were horrid liars to us as well. Even on the gifts - we were supposed to get 4 free air tickets - the fine print said it was only 2, and you had to pay full price for the other 2. Then on the gas, we turned in receipts in Nov, its now May, and we still do not have the $25 gift card that was supposed to be mailed to us within 90 days.

More importantly, we tried to cancel the travel service the exact day we signed up - and get out of the contract with buyers remorse. We talked to a big contract lawyer in Dallas, and he said the amount of time to take to fight them at his $350/hr would not be worth it to us. I agree, but I am very happy to help any class action suit if anyone is putting one together. Unfortunately, we will not probably be able to get them easily because those of us who signed on with them also signed the agreement that if we cancel, we pay the ridiculous "restocking" and admin fee, which for us was about $1200. I think this is how they exist, even if everyone cancels, they still get $1000 per signup, maybe 4-5 of them per day, plus the $5000+ for those who stay on, maybe another 4-5 per day.

Please contact me if anyone is starting a class action suit...

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27 comments
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dobbermalchi
Springfield, US
Nov 07, 2008 8:43 pm EST

Are you also a victim of Royal Palm Travel? Submit a complaint to help other consumers to be educated and don't let them get you like they have gotten so many others. Their sales team are headed up by nothing more than scam artist, fast talkers, and liars. This company will be out of business in about 2 months, so don't let them get your money.

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Natalie Graham
,
Sep 13, 2008 1:44 pm EDT

I am not asking you people to believe me, I am just expressing my thought on our experience with this royal pal whatever company!it's for you to find out!but in my end, I was somehow happy though not very satisfied coz we get to pay some taxes, but that's ok. We are just trying to look on the lighter side anyway.

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shaunaj98
Sandy, US
Mar 05, 2009 6:34 pm EST

This firm started calling our home last night. After asking to be removed off the caller list, the very rude gal called back and said she would call us every day as I was a ###. She again started her customary calls again today. I have had it with this. This is harrassment and extremely unprofessional.

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jeneheffer
Dallas, US
Jan 09, 2009 7:41 pm EST

Somehow my phone number was sold to Royal Palm Travel and when I tell them I am on a Do Not Call list they hang up on me.

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Syphus
Tallahassee, US
Jan 08, 2015 12:26 pm EST

Adrian D Miller of Grapevine / Florida is a conman and always has been. He is evil. stay far away from him and if you have been among the countless people screwed over by this scam artist then complain loudly and constantly until you get bored.

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anonymous9804
Frisco, US
Oct 07, 2009 1:57 pm EDT

FYI, hundreds of complaints filed with this company. Multiple class action lawsuits filed. Cases all over the country.

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anonymous9804
Frisco, US
Oct 07, 2009 1:13 pm EDT

We were completely scammed by this company in Dallas. They claimed by using their "wholesale" service we would get prices from 50-70% off the rates of online agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

We paid $3600 for the service and when I compared the prices from their service to the prices on Expedia and Travelocity I was completely astounded. The online prices for an all inclusive to Mexico including travel were $1700 less than Sealand and Travel prices.

Of course, we tried to get our money back and they keep telling us it is being "investigated". I researched online and found several sites exposing their scam.

http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/41539012.html# (local police in Colorado had also investigated this scam)

/URL removed/

/URL removed/

I have reported the BBB, Police Dept. and will call the Attorney General's Office. Pricing examples as of 10/6/09:

Their price for Moon Palace (includes rebate) is 926.00 per person. Expedia price for Moon Palace w/ better itinerary (Non-stop on the return) is 865.00 per person – savings of $366 if I use Expedia, plus I get a better flight.

Their price for Oasis (including rebate) is 604.17 per person. Expedia price same carriers/flights with earlier return time is 559.00 per person. Savings of $270 using Expedia.

Their price for Omni (including rebate) is $852. Expedia price is $559 per person. Savings of $1758 using Expedia, plus a better flight (nonstop).

These people should be ashamed, they have taken our vacation money that we were planning on using for our Thanksgiving vacation... now we are completely at a loss..

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rfj
, US
Oct 06, 2009 1:29 pm EDT

Hi, my email is fred.riegle@hotmail.com. I was scamed last weekend. The speel sure changed to the actual. Lies, switch and bait, "trust me", I fell for it all. If you were taken by these people I'd like your advice or let's do something that might get us results. They're slick but we can fight it together.

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novaprodsol
Dallas, US
Sep 10, 2009 6:05 pm EDT

note that because of so many complaints Royal Palms Travel is now "All Inclusive Excursions" Same company same people

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22doglover
Azle, US
Aug 22, 2009 9:25 pm EDT

We got our money back. After filing with Missouri BBB and our credit card company. Both put the heat on them. My credit card company actually put a credit on our credit card and would not pay the bill. All of the sudden we received two calls from Sea Land Travel/All Inclusive Excursions/Royal Palm Travel etc... They wanted to give us our money back. My husband met with them, we got our money back and immediately they asked for us to contact our credit card company so that their merchant account could be cleared. We were persistant. You credit card company can fight for you. If you have not got caught up in this scam STAY AWAY, FAR AWAY! If you have then contact everyone you possibly can think of. I had two television stations contact me about doing a story on them. We had researched sooooo much stuff on them and my husband told them some of the information we had on them. I think they were shocked we had done so much homeowrk. Good luck, and don't give up!

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MHP
, US
Jun 17, 2009 2:20 pm EDT

we have just bought the package @ $6000 and silly me am reading the reviews 7days after..didn't think we would get scammed
what should we do?

MP

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Robin Povey
Garland, US
Jun 15, 2009 3:17 pm EDT

I need anybody's help, I too got scammed by Royal Palm Travel April 24, 2009 for $5600 and I have already sent all my documentation approx 158 pages to bank of America and to the Office of The Attorney General here in Texas on May 8, 2009 and thank god when I sent the documentation to both organizations, guess who denied that they received the information, Bank of America, makes you wonder if they are in bed together. However after a long conversation with the Bank of America and confirming that I had a receipt signed by Bof A, they agreed to re-open the case on the disputed amount. However in regards to the Attorney's general Office, I did receive an acknowledgement, but heard nothing since, can anybody advise to what other steps I can take?
Robin

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RED
Plano, US
Jun 12, 2009 2:19 pm EDT

JMT,
What is the cost of doing arbitrations. I too would like to get my money back. I sign because they recommend some other company would sell my timeshare. I told them that I did not want to have both as that would be too much. Anyway to make the story short I would consider joining in if there is enough people that would participate. I turnaround and try to cancel in less than 24 hours and their reply was no way. I too have file with the BBB and the AG's of TX. The reply came back from BBB was that Royal Travel did not response to their inquiry.
So I am willing to file something...anything...with these people. What about those from the TV station. At least we can get some media attention and warned others about these people.

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jmt
Irving, US
May 31, 2009 12:23 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Per the contract, Royal Palm Travel suggests that if you want to cancel you have to go to arbitration throught the American Association of Arbitrators (AAA). We contacted them and they are charging us $125 to arbitrate our case and get our money back and cancel our membership, if the case is decided in our favor which is decided by the arbitrator. Has anyone tried this route? At this point it is hard to trust anybody, even the AAA.

I will also write the AG and the BBB, but they can do nothing to get any money back or at least that is what the AG's wbesite says.

Would anyone consider doing arbitrations instead of a class action law suit? It is cheaper, but there are no guareantees...

Please reply with your recommendations. Thanks!

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Cautious1
, US
Apr 15, 2009 9:18 pm EDT

I just had the same thing happen to me. This guy called me from "Roayl Palm" and I'm normally very harsh to cold calls, but I decided to listen to the "pitch" and as soon as the caller told me that all I had to do was to come down to the Galleria in Dallas and listen to a "9 minute seminar" (what seminar lasts 9 minutes?), I knew it was a scam so I got rid of him.

Nothing is free. The offer was for an all expenses paid vacation, flight, hotel, etc., to any "major city" in the U.S. The caller said they were doing "word of mouth" advertising instead of paying for "expensive newspaper or television ads". There's a big price difference between a newspaper ad and a television ad; that was another "hint" that this caller was "full of it".

Beware...

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joe
Grapevine, US
Mar 01, 2009 10:38 pm EST

The last two posts on this page are clearly from the conmen at Royal Palm Travel. You see, the problem is not that all these innocent people purchased something they will not use, the problem is that the conmen of royal palm travel will say anything to get you to purchase their product. They are all liars and truely can not save you any more money than you would save using a site like travelocity. Adrian Miller is a conman and has been his entire life. Stay far away from this company. If you have been scammed by this company start by filing complaints with the bbb and a complaint with the attorney generals office in texas. When you file the complaint with the attorney generals office be sure to write in the complaint that the owner of royal palms travel is the former director of sales for Horizon travel and Suncountry travel named Adrian Miller. Let the AG know you requested a refund because the salesmen lied to get you to purchase their product. If we all stand up to these conmen we can shut them down. Although they did not force you to give them your credit card, they lied to you, which is against the law! If you were scammed and you do nothing about it, you are just allowing these people to continue their fraud. Stand up for yourself and do whats right, file a complaint with the Attorney Generals office. Another good idea is to let all the local news stations know about the scam that these people are pulling. They will try to attend the presentation with hidden cameras so they can catch the lies on tape and really stick it to them. If you decide to attend the presentation it would be a good idea to take a tape recorder with you so you can hold them responsible for the lies they will surely tell you.

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Davida Jones
Cedar Hill, US
Feb 27, 2009 5:12 pm EST

Joe,

You have a very good advice.

I have advice also. Do not let this happen to you so that you will not file a complaint to the AG.

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Davida Jones
Cedar Hill, US
Feb 27, 2009 4:56 pm EST

Hey you people..

It is not Royal Palm Travel's fault if you purchased and will not use it. They did not get your credit card at your hands without your permission. They did not stole it from your pockets. You gave your credit card because you want it. You bought without thinking..

Think people.. Think...

If you don't want it then then don't buy it. That simple.

I can't understand you people always nagging and complaining about the things that you yourself just did.. You are making your own problems..

Enjoy life.

Davida
Cedar Hill, TX

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dcjr
Dallas, US
Feb 23, 2009 10:58 am EST

ROYAL PALM TRAVEL RIPOFF

INTERESTED IN LEGAL ACTION ?

EMAIL WITH INFORMATION.

WILL RESPOND MONDAY, MARCH 2

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Royce
Rowlett, US
Feb 22, 2009 10:08 am EST

My husband and I also attended one of the presentations offered by "Royal Palm's" finest. One of the last offers from the pitch guy was a $1000 discount for the first couple to sign up. I am usually very skeptcal. But it sounded like such a great deal. Another couple took advantage of the great discount, but when our salesman came over, I told him we wanted the same deal. Fine with him. So we were going to pay $6995, to be able to book the discounted travel. But then we realized our credit card would not take the charge. After an hour and a half of discussion, we told them that we would just wait till another time. Their last offer was that they had a package that someone had purchased and quit making payment. There was a balance of $2695 left on the package. We agreed that I would write a post-dated check for the total amount, giving me time to move money into my checking account. After dinner, we started re-thinking the whole deal. In today's economy, even the discounted amount was still a lot of money. The next day, I stopped payment on the check. So, luckily, I am not trying to collect money from them. And we are so lucky that we had second thoughts. I thank all that have placed comments. I hope that we have learned our lessons about working with a company that won't let you at least try before you buy, or offer a guarantee that they will live up to.
Oh, and the company sent our membership card two days ago. They really are on the ball over there.

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joe
Farmers Branch, US
Feb 19, 2009 11:11 pm EST

It would be my pleasure to help you get your money back from these conmen. First of all, if you are disputing the credit card charges the only way you will win is to tell the credit card company that you did not receive the product you were promised. If you want to force the company to give you back your money there are a few tricks to try. First of all you can start by filing complaints with the bbb and a complaint with the attorney generals office in texas. When you file the complaint with the attorney generals office be sure to write in the complaint that the owner of royal palms travel is the former director of sales for Horizon travel and Suncountry travel named Adrian Miller. Let the AG know you requested a refund because the product is not what you were promised in the sales presentation. The last sure fire way to get your money back is to go to the building where the presentations are held and hold up signs that inform people about your bad experience with the company and tell everyone walking in the building and the owner of royal Palm Travel will give you a refund just so you dont scare away his next potential customer. If you have anymore questions you can leave them here and I will do my best to answer. Good Luck

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duped231
dallas, US
Feb 17, 2009 9:56 pm EST

i was duped too...tried to get my money back as well, and was stuck with processing fees...
they are all scammers...and then when i went to get my refund, they hit me up with fees that were almost equal to what i paid!

anyone filing a suit against them PLEASE PLEASE email me at poker15031@gmail.com

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vger
, US
Feb 05, 2009 4:17 pm EST

You need to get the adress (13355 Noel Road, . Suite 1850, Dallas, TX 75240) and phone number [protected])for this company and report them to texasnocall.com The more of us who report them, the more likely that they will face legal action.

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joe
Grapevine, US
Feb 02, 2009 11:31 pm EST

Do yourself a favor and file a complaint with the texas attorney generals office. The AG has taken a tough stance against travel clubs here in texas. When you file the complaint with the attorney generals office be sure to write in the complaint that the owner of royal palms travel is the former director of sales for Horizon travel and Suncountry travel named Adrian Miller. Make sure you also tell them that they claim to be members of the bbb and other agencies. What these conmen are doing is illegal and if the Texas AG gets enough complaints, he will shut these guys down.

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W. Miller
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Nov 24, 2008 4:33 pm EST

Thank you for your post. I was called by Royal Palm Travel today and I must say they had a sweet pitch. Thankfully it was long and I had time to google them while they where on the phone with me. When I asked them about being on a complaints website it derailed the hyped up sales pitch and they ended the call.

Thanks for the post.

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joe
Grapevine, US
Nov 22, 2008 4:08 pm EST

This is sooo funny. First of all, the owner of Royal Palm Travel is a man named Adrian Miller. Adrian has been a con man his entire life, if you dont believe me just do a background check on him and you shall see. Adrian has spent the last 8 years or so scamming people into buying travel club packages for various different companies such as, Sun country travel, Horizon travel, beachcombers vacations, Castaways vacation club and many more. Do some research on these companies and you shall see that all he has done is created a new corporation to sell the same old crap. All of these companies have had troubles not only with customer complaints but also with various Attorney Generals in Several States. Why would anybody believe that the new product he is selling is any different? He has found a legal way to scam people out of lots of money. TRAVEL CLUBS DO NOT WORK! They are all the same. You really can get much better deals on the internet with companies like expedia and orbitz. By the way, ANY AND ALL POSSITIVE REMARKS ON THIS PAGE ABOUT ROYAL PALM TRAVEL ARE THE WORK OF ADRIAN OR ONE OF HIS HENCHMEN. Oh By the way, The man with the Mullet who said his name was Ron, is really named Bill Cate and He is just as big a con artist as adrian if not bigger. Bill however is a traveling gypsy and is on the run from the irs, so his days are limited. If you want to try to get your money back from Adrian, he lives in Grapevine. The best way to get your money back from any travel club scam is to call your credit card company and tell them you did not recieve the product you were promised. Sorry to all that have been scammed by this rat ###. If you have any more questions about adrian or any questions about his scams please post them here and i will respond the best I can.

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Steven Craigen
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Oct 03, 2008 5:31 pm EDT

I found out that the company who continued to hassle me is not really the travel Agency. they are an outside agency with a 602 area code Gennock & Gennock. These people should all be beought under charges. How can people scam innocent people just to make a buck? I'm filing a class action suit if any one is interested.