Amazon Travel Club reviews and complaints

I want to add to this list so that anyone out there smart enough to google before getting ripped off. The lady who called me said her name was Brooke Vetter. A quick google search returned this image: http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Brooke_Vetter_5429031/
It's a mug shot! This lady has been arrest TWICE for robbery, so fraud isn't too far beyond her experience. Indeed, I did fill out a raffle for a Florida vacation in Buffalo NY at the annual Dyngus day Festival. She called me from the number [protected] and told me she was the Executive Director at FLA Vacations. Gave me a website: www.go2floridavacations.com and even listed a license with the Florida Department of Commerce (ST37595), as well as a customer information hotline [protected]). EVERYTHING IS A TOTAL SCAM. In order to get my "prize, " I would have to cough up $199.00 x 2 BEFORE registering or getting anything in writing. Yep, that was the first red flag. And when the "prize" got better and better, another red flag went up. A simple google search confirmed it. Needless to say, I refused to give her my CC number, but felt like I had to share this.

I received the same call today Feb.15/10 about the same travel package. It was a ballot at the London Lifestyle Home show that got me the timeshare trip. My wife and I don't remember filling out a ballot for amazonEtravel. All the info was the same 18 months to take it, $249 per person bla bla bla. When he asked me to go to there web site I opened several sites and asked him to give me a few mins. to read it over as I was researching the company. I did a who is on the web page and here is what came up...

Registrant:
DreamDriven Web Design
1428 Margina Ave
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: 4AMAZONETRAVEL.COM
Created on: 01-Jan-10
Expires on: 01-Jan-11
Last Updated on: 01-Jan-10

I found it odd that a company that had been in business for "15 years" had registered their web page Jan 10/10 and only did it for 1 year. (11 dollars/year) So I did another search on a site I know and trust...
Amazon.com

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact :
Amazon.com, Inc.
hostmaster@AMAZON.COM
PO BOX 81226
SEATTLE, WA [protected]
US
Phone: +[protected]
Fax: +[protected]

Record expires on 31-Oct-2019
Record created on 01-Nov-1994
Database last updated on 11-Nov-2009

Notice the 25 year registration...

Next was Expedia ( if you want a real Vacation)

Registrant:
Expedia, Inc
Legal Department- Domain Administrator
Legal Department-Domains 333 108th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
US
Email: domains@expedia.com

Registrar Name...: CORPORATE DOMAINS, INC.
Registrar Whois...: whois.corporatedomains.com
Registrar Homepage: www.cscprotectsbrands.com

Domain Name: expedia.com

Created on...: Sat, Nov 25, 1995
Expires on...: Sat, Oct 12, 2013
Record last updated on..: Mon, Nov 09, 2009

and here we have a 18 year registration.

If they had called and said were selling timeshares and we would like you to come down to Florida to see what we have to offer, we will put you up for 3 days and 4 nights at any one of the 50 resorts participating just to listen to a sales pitch for 90 mins. My answer still would have been no but I wouldn't be thinking scam like I am. But hey, if you want to do the whole time share sales pitch vacation ( I know people that do it) Thats your call, it's just not for me. I personally think they would get further by being honest.

I too received a phone call today Feb. 6/10 regarding the above mentioned travel package. I was at the London Wine and food festival in January. I don't remembe filling out any ballots for "amazonetravel". They claim that I did. The guy that I talked to "Dan Sack" said that I had won all of these accomodation packages within Florida to be used within the next 18 months. I was quite suspicious and asked him whether or not I would have to sit through any presentations regarding these resorts. He admitted that there were presentations, but I would be able to refuse no penalty. On top of that he told me that I would have to pay $249 per person up front in order to receive the info package. That makes it a scam in my books, certainly I hadn't "won" anything! I'm glad that I also researched this on this site. Just confirmed what I already believed to be true. Don't fall for this one, would be my advice!

I got the call today (Nov 27) from John Ringo who is from Amazon Travel Club. Same as everyone's complaint above he said that he was the co-sponser at the London show I attended and asked if I remembered filling out the ballot, which I said "not really". Anyways I let him go through the same list that you all heard and even though he said I would be getting an email in an hour, he still gave me the website. Long story short, I went to the London show website and Amazon isn't on the list of sponsers let alone CO-sponser. Their name/ad/etc is nowhere. If they were the co-sponser I bet you they would have advertising on the main website. I emailed the person in charge of the show vendors/sponsers and gave him "Ringo's" phone number [protected] which is from South Daytona, meanwhile there is no JOhn Ringo living in South Daytona. I am hoping once the vendor knows it won't happen next year maybe they will put up a sign letting everyone know or be smart enough not to let random vendors in to scam people. I told John Ringo that if it was a prize he wouldn't be giving me a 3pm deadline to pay him. Give me a break!

Is it a scam? Yes and no. You do get what they say you get, for the 'free' accommodations and shows, but it's what they don't tell you that makes it somewhat of a scam. They are extremely vague about the details.

There's always a catch. Over the phone they won't tell you what resort you're staying in, the cruise ship details, blackout dates, or any other catches that come along with the package. It's most likely free travel paid for by time share resorts or owners. You'll probably have to sit through some presentations.

Basically what you get, won't be what you expect. They mislead you on the phone to think you're getting something other than what you are actually getting. They are sneaky though, they ask you all the right questions over the phone so you can't claim fraud. They get you all excited and make you think you're a lucky winner so you won't be thinking clearly.

Hold back your excitement, and ask the right questions. For some people this may be something their looking for. Probably not for most.

I asked them to send me an email with the details in writing. They danced around the question and directed me to their website to see their licenses and bonds. I asked again, they responded that they didn't have time to because "so many winners were on the phone". Uh-huh, riiiiiight.

I got called over the past week multiple times from the same number and finally picked it up today (Nov 25 2009). It was pretty easy to see right through their ploy. I ended up telling the guy flat out that I wasn't making a purchase without the details in writing. He wished me a Merry Christmas and hung up. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. haha. You KNOW something is wrong if they wont back up their claims in writing.

Anyways, I want to respond to the posting above from "Fraud Attorney (Michael Lundie, on 06-11-2009".
Come on man, you clearly work for the company. You're defending the company down to every little detail. Speaking of 2nd graders, you write like one. No actual attorney would speak or misspell to the extent in which you did. Wow, bad form man. How about a little honesty? You just misled everyone AGAIN! That's twice in one day for me from the same company. Please re-read what you wrote and realize how ridiculous you sound.

To everyone else, please please please TAKE CAUTION!