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I'm not sure you will remember us but we were the last and only couple who attended your presentation on February 28th, 2008 at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs. We purchased the Grand Getaways Vacation Club membership our member number is 655794. When we purchased the membership we were told by all three of you, Tommy Middaugh, Viki Haberman and Steve Haberman if we had any issues we could come to you directly...well that's what we are doing. We returned home pretty pumped and excited. We read through the "beautiful membership materials". This is where the anxiety began. John wanted to cancel within the three "Buyer's Remorse" days but contacted Grand Getaways via the 888.269.0182 and he was assured the product was sound and that he could not really make any decisions until Grand Getaways gets our information and "activates" our account. We were given a password and ID prior to leaving but it did not work for several days.
First off we sent in $29 for the free hotel stays and once the certificate arrived it had so many stipulations it was not even close to a benefit we could use. I returned it as the instructions required and received a full refund from C and B Getaways.
Second: We contacted Grand getaways to arrange air travel for a vacation and they were able to provide us flights but the cost was much higher than I could obtain on the internet via Expedia.com. When I asked for the price match the rep said that since I was using the internet I could not get the price match. I have not purchased plane reservations any other way. Plus, the internet had better flexibility than grand getaways could offer.
Third: I contacted Grand Getaways for our Free Cancun vacation and they are booked for any of the times we presented the service rep. We understand the need for some flexibility but all three weeks we suggested were booked. You have to sit through a 90 min presentation (WE ARE NOT BUYING ANOTHER ITEM FROM YOU OR ANY OTHER COMPANY IN THE ARENA OF VACATIONS). Our children (who are children) are too old to accompany us and we had to PAY around $200 in taxes which means it's not free. None of this was discussed at our presentation...you get a $2250 vacation free to Cancun Mexico is what was said.
LASTLY: I rec'd our Airline tickets offer in the mail on July 1, 2008...our second free gift we chose which is where we are drawing the line. This was the final process from this entire deal that made us extremely angry. As I said we received the certificate in the mail on July 1st which includes instructions on how to obtain our "Free Airline tickets". Low and behold the final instruction on a sticker at the bottom of the page says "Your registration form must be received by 07/01/2008 or this offer will be void". I attached a scanned copy of this document.
What the heck is this? It presents like a big scam. John and I are so disappointed in ourselves for purchasing the Grand Getaways Vacation club. We have nothing but bad reviews and we will let them be known. We planned to go to the Travel Inc office here at the Chapel Hills mall but guess what, you are not going to believe this...well you probably are...it's no longer in operation. I want to ensure TRVL, Inc knows how disappointed we are in their product as well as let anyone in the chairs waiting for their presentations know as well. This will be a bit harder since the Colorado Springs office has closed and I've heard The Habermans are working out of a hotel in the Oklahoma City area (LaQuinta @ 405.759.7700). Well, actually they were on VACATION when I called until July 8, 2008, again another convenient lack of response. I plan to contact the Better Business Bureau and anyone else that will listen.
Wow, am I ever glad that I didn't purchase! On 9-17-08, my husband and I attended a presentation. Guess where? LaQuinta in Moore, OK, this was hosted by Steve Haberman. I was actually thinking of purchasing, but wanted to check out the company first. Thank you for taking the time to post about your experience, if it makes you feel better all, you've saved at least one couple from making a HUGE and costly mistake! Thank you.
My wife and I have also been scammed buy this company. If you are contacted by this company, TRVL, or any other name they operate under RUN in the opposite direction, they are BAD NEWS!
My husband and I also attending a presentation in Norman, OK and we tried to get the free gifts, well of course they had no record of us being there and they could not fulfill our request. Twice now we have been scammed by similar companies and now we are staying as far away from these types of scams. The old saying "nothing is free" is so true. Trvl, inc. should be ashamed of themselves.
We purchased our s in Branson Missiouri, totally scammed and we thought we were above this. I am so disappointed our law enforcers allow this to continue after the general public has turned them in.
My husband and I also attended a presentation in Moore, Oklahoma, by yours truly Steve Haberman. We were also victims of their scam! But you know what else iratates me...we have been expecting airline tickets in the mail for over a month, and did not know this was a scam until I pulled it up on the internet. I have tried so many times to reach them by phone in Florida, and in Colorado Springs, and my calls were never answered. How these people can sleep at night is beyond me! Public beware of Trvl. Inc., they only want your money! I'm so thankful for the ones that took the initive to alert the public to this terrible crime.
we have had grand getaways for many years and last month saved over $1700 on a trip to london our son just got back from Vail where he had a 2 bedroom condo at a ski in ski out resort the cost was less than $400 for the week it took us a couple of months to understand how the system works but i am glad we hung in there
I hate to tell you it is a scam do hope you did not pay much. It is a total misrep sorry I know I use to work at that place. They play it much like a Madof scam . The only way you will get a free trip is to go to B&B . You are all dealing with Grand Incentives in Sarasota Florida.
our membership was over $5000 and being 47 years old i know we will get our money out of it mary you must have got fired that might explain your bitterness
My husband and I went to a presentation in Bozeman Montana in December. We were promised airline tickets, "3 day 2 night Marriott Getaway" and a $30.00 Dinner if we attended the presentation. It was 25 below zero when we went to the GranTree Inn for the presentation, sat through a "no pressure" presentation and was told we had to send in a $99.00 money order via certified mail in order to get the items we were promised. We thought about it a couple of weeks and decided to go ahead and do it. (I wished I had checked the internet first!) I have tried calling and I have gone to their website and tried contacted them via e-mail and still have not heard anything from them. It's been about a month. Of course my money order was signed immediately by a Diane Kerby. If anyone can give me some advice as to how to procede, I would be most grateful!
Man, I almost signed up for this product. I went online to see if I could sign up as this was offered through my banking institution. ...you all have definitely enlightened me on this shady operation and I will DEFINITELY share with others AND my bank! Thank you.
We have belonged to this travel club when it was Travel More Now out of Las Vegas. We took their so called free trip to San Diego and they put us in a place 48 miles from San Diego. Of course there are fees to pay when you check in. Now, with Coast to Coast out of Florida, the airfare is no bargin when compared to the internet, and the cheap condos are mostly studio apts unless you want to go to Thailand or Australia. Cheap condos, expensive airfare. This was the last membership renewal from us. Just reminds us of the saying, There ain't no free lunch.
We also made the mistake of buying into this scam. Save your money- I wish we had. The only reason we bought was to get rid of a timeshare- on trade in. We still have the timeshare AND fees to this rip off also.
Everyone call the Attorney General in Jefferson City, Mo to file a consumer complaint. The phone number is [protected], they will send you a form to fill out and send in. This is for Branson Mo. Just call the Attornet General in the state you purchased your vacation club in.
I agree with all of the complaints I have read, I had the same problems. Just a SCAM...
MY wife and I purchased this on a free vacation they gave us to daytona, we paid 4700 for the 4 weeks a year plus friends and family. We tried to book three times although we did speak to someone each time I was able to plan the trip my self cheaper every time. Saving hundreds of dollars not ten or twenty hundreds. Now they want me to pay a two year membership fee instead of one offering us an additional week. I explained that I wasn't able ti use the system thus far because I can better my self on the internet. I would LOVE to have my 4700 hundred back man I could use that right now...
I went to the 90 min. no pressure presentation (which turned into a two hour high pressure deal) totally planning on getting the free trip and not signing up. I'm so glad I didn't do it! I have been totally scammed on getting the "free" (at least $99 per per) trip. They use small print to point out details - I read them- but when I called the agency they said I didn't need to send in the $99 p/p yet. I waited 3 months to hear back from them, calling a few times to get answers but couldn't reach anyone, only to find out that since I didn't send in the fee for my free trip that it was now void. Horrible customer service, scam company. DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THEM!
My sister in law and I were scammed by Travel More Now in Aug. of 2006 . We were on vacation in Branson, Mo. We finally hired a lawyer out of Springfield, Mo and I am sad to say that we feel we have been scammed twice. We pd. the lawyer up front and most all the correspondence we have had with him, has been US calling HIM, and then we talk to his secretary -- not him. We made a trip to Branson last week and tried to see the lawyer. We were told it would be 15 min. then told another 30 min. We were with other people, that had tickets to shows that night and we had to leave without seeing him. We were told to call him between 10 and ll A.M. the next morning. WE TRIED but the phone gave a busy part of the time and when we did get through to the voice mail we left messages but did not got a return call. Since we have been back home I have made several calls that have also been ignored. By the way, the man that was over the presentation at Travel More Now claimed to be a preacher. My advice is NEVER SIGN ANYTHING ON THE SPOT ! If they insist that you do ----run --- don't walk --away.
So how does this shell game continue? Getting calls from Timeshares Around the World.. they are claiming they can sell this worthless travel club membership to someone outside the US in their high pressure presentations they do on carnival cruise ships to foreigners... oh, they need $600 up front and there are only 9 slots left. Nice one. Some one turn them in... I'd do anything to get my money back and they know it.. smell the desperation and prey on it. This travel club was Grand Getaways which doesn't even exist anymore. Can anyone tell me this is not a scam?
Our travel from St. Louis, to Houston, to Cancun was smooth, orderly, and on time. After we passed the gauntlet at the Cancun Airport, our driver was courteous and prompt. We stayed at Laguna Suites, with a second floor room with balcony. We were pleasantly surprised and very pleased with the resort. Our service was very nice, and we cannot say enough about the restaurant and the staff. They made our trip a wonderful memory and we made some new friends. Being the quiet type folks, this resort was the best choice for us. We visited all the other properties; however the personal service at the Laguna was home for us. It was all inclusive and perfect. All our day trips and concierge services were on time, as advertised, and well done. The Laguna Suites was well maintained, very clean, and was very nice.
We like our Coast to Coast Grand Getaways package, and plan to keep it, and use it.
The rest of the trip was very, very nice. From the 30 minute yacht ride, to the last day out to Xelha and back, all we did we were treated very well. The flight back was the same, on time, smooth, and safe.
In conclusion, we were very satisfied with the entire package. Muy Bueno!
Dave and Lisa
O Fallon, Mo
April 2009
I am currently a member of Grand Getaway. I have benefited from the program in a few small ways, however on the other hand there have been times when I found better deals elsewhere. After spending a nice amount for the initial fee, I felt obligated to continue my membership. Where we got duped was with the annual membership fees. We were told they would not increase. Guess what, they did! I figure I had to get my money's worth before I discontinue with this program. That's how they get most people is with the initial fee. Afterwards the members get displeased and refuse to continue the annual fees. My advice is to ask the question about the annual fees and see if they tell you that the fees won't increase. Watch the promoter lie. Don't fall for this trap. Stay away from these guys. If you can get pass the heafty initial fees, it might be worth the annual fee. They want $349 for two years and/or $199 for one year. I initially was paying something like$130 or $140 per year. I think we paid +$1000 for they fee some years ago. For those of you that have memberships, work with the agents to get the best deals. They tell you to go online and you can get the same deals. Not true. Basically what you are doing with the membership is paying someone to do what you can do yourself with a little time.
The Grand Incentives office in Sarasota is on my way to work. Regularly in the morning, one of the employees there drives to work at the same time as me. This worker is a complete menace on the road. He tailgates to the extreme and cuts in and out of traffic with recklessness that has to be seen to be believed. This is a bearded [censored] driving a puke green Ford. EVERY time I see this guy on the road in the morning it makes me give him a wide berth (after he zooms past me).
I realize this isn't so much of a complaint about their business practices, but I thought people might like to know the caliber of people this company employs.
We apologize for the experiences you describe. We would love the opportunity to speak with you. We do stand by our promises and pride ourselves on providing the best value to our members. Please call us so that we may work with you to resolve these issues to your satisfaction. Contact our Quality Assurance Team directly at [protected].
GrandGetaways, literally all you do on here is post the same impersonal comment on every single complaint. You don't actually address any of them or answer any of the questions people are asking. You tell people to call you, but you know for a fact that you will make them jump through hoops and will not really answer them anyway.
As a fact, not a matter of opinion but a concrete fact, Grand Getaways/Coast to Coast/Every other name they go by, IS, indeed, a Scam. That cannot be legimiately debated.
Grand Getaway
Is the biggest scam.They get you when your having a good time.Offer you this great deal on a 30 yr, plan for you and your family to us.Offer you drinks, chat it up like they care.Take your pass port and your visa to another room?So that they can call the officals to make sure that u are how you say you are.I figures this was pretty honest deal seeing that they were doing it on the resort.Right in the resort staff conference rooms.I thought they were representing the resort.Damn i was wrong, the resort rents out these rooms to how ever.There bis no concection at all.Thats how they get you.They took my pass port and visA to another room.1 week after i get home there is a big visa bill, i was never in the states that day.So i had my card # stolen, i wonder how has my pass port #.I can changed everything.But i still get bills every month stating that i have an out standing bill with them.They call all the time.And even have called my work.Its really scary what these people can do.I haven"t trveled sense this.That was in oct.2008.So please be careful.I lost alot of $$$$$.5 thousand $$$$$.
Hi my name is Veronica Llabres, I would like to ask you about a give away 3 days 2 nights, can I go to Colorado Springs to the Hot Tubs . I live in Louisville, Co. I would like to go on the Train. :-) vllabres@centurylink.net Home phone [protected] Thank You.
i got scammed by this company in the Bahamas with the same tricks you all described. I spent $6000 for just breakfast and some accommodation at Atlantis. I think we should all file a lawsuit against this bogus company.