TRAVEL SERVICES US review: SCAM! 65

I purchased this same deal along with 10 other people. We received our Premium Cruise Award form that had to be signed and sent back to Travel Services located at 6929 N.Hayden Rd- Suite C4-506, Scottsdale AZ, 85250. We are now waiting for our Travel Portfolio which was mailed out on 2/15/2011. As of this date, we have not received this package. I am praying that this was no scam. I lost my 22 year old son by a tragic accident and my family and I need this vacation to unwind a little. If this is a Scam, I feel like these people need to be prosecuted for the humiliation and financial burden that they impose on individuals. I have been investigating this matter( which I wish I had done prior to giving them my credit card information) According to the google map, this address does exist as a office/retail plaza: however this company's name is not listed in their directory. I further investigated by checking the google satellite, no such luck! If and when we do take this trip, we are hoping to have a great time. If not, shame on travelservicesus.com!

I fell for the same scam.They called with an offer that all we had to pay were taxes, and port charges.I got 2 other couples from work to go as well.We are supposed to go may 19-may 22.Now that the date is coming up, I cant get anyone to call me back with conformation numbers, Carnival Cruise cant find us anywhere in their system, and i'm supposed to be all set, according to Travel Services.The few times that my calls did go through, no one knows anything.Everyones rude, I've been hung up on, or I get transferred to an extension where kno one ever answers.The times that I've left a message, No one ever calls me back.BEWARE DO NOT FALL FOR TRAVEL SERVICES! Anyone can e-mail me for further details.wsjmmy@yahoo.com

I got SCAMMED by Travel Services US Agency as well and I am in the process of trying to get my money back. This agency called me with the offer of a free 4 day 3 night cruise to the Bahamas from now until anytime within the next 18 months. The promotional offer was that the fee was only for government tax in the amount of $93 per person. They claim to offer this promotion in order to occupy the vacant cabins on the Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines. The transaction was processed for a cruise for 2 in the total amount of $186 and I was told I would receive a confirmation email and a cruise package within 7-10 business days. After getting off the phone I then researched the company and found out that this offer and this company is a complete SCAM. I am very dissatisfied and I do hope I will get my money back.

Wow I almost fell for this But I had hidden my credit card on myself for finacial reason which I have now solved but I was going to buy it glade I searched their company name and found this before I did it! Thanks!

I have done everything the last writes have. However, everything Travel Services US had said its been true. I sent the form to vacation on October via certified mail. Then, 2 weeks after that I called them and they acknowledged me that the form had been received. Also that there are port fees not included on the first fee. But those will be paid later on. I wait and see what happens in October...

Travel Services US is a SCAM... They say, if you give them at least 60 - 120 days’ notice, then they guarantee a cabin. NOT TRUE. You cannot use your Cruise Request Form for anytime in the year. First they will tell you, your requested dates are premium sailing dates and you should adjust your sailing dates. They will even suggest new dates. When you pick the new dates, they will find some excuse of why they can’t process your request and promise to call you back. They never call back. Don't fall for it, it's a big scam.

I have traveled through travel services, i think people just need to pay attention and follow the rules, i had a great experience and their c/s was great. i think some people are just pissed of and i dont blame them but everyone one has diffrent experiences and mine was great im even thinking of booking again.

I was told I had a free cruise and had to only pay for taxes in the amount of $94 per person and when it came to booking I was asked to pay additional money for other fees. The final total for the cruise was the same amount as if I would have booked through the
cruise line itself. I was told that the premium award letter I signed and faxed back had the info on it about what fees aren't covered but you do not receive this until after the sales person feed you with lies and you have already paid your non refundable fee of $94. I was told by the company that I shouldn't have signed the paper. They are full of it!

Although I don't agree with the sales tactics of the sales department, my family and I decided to pay the additional fees and book the cruise anyway since it was a birthday trip. The booking process was very smooth and helpful. Once you book you will get your booking confirmation number within 24 hours and you will then be able to access the cruise website to complete your fun pass (if travelling with Carnival). Kudos to you Christina for being a great booking agent! :-) Shame on you Lisa for not being totally honest in your sales pitch and for lying! Not nice to deceive people! If you want people to book cruises through your travel agency other than the actual cruise line itself you need to teach your sales department better tactics or provide some kind of truthful incentive! :-(

At the worst it is a scam and at best it is a marketing misrepresentation. I hope I get back my $186. I filled a compliant with the Attorney General of Arizona. As my bank to refund the money and they will replace my debit card so no other funds can be deducted. Arizona law also requires all telemarketing companies to tell their customers, both orally and in writing, that they have the right to cancel their order within three days after receiving the merchandise or any gift, bonus, prize or award.

I received a call the beginning of February from Travel Services. He stated, I won a 4 day/ 3night cruise and would only be responsible for taxes, which was $94 per person! He said I could invited up to 16 people for the same price, but if I wanted to add the additional people I would have to do it within 15 days to guarantee but he would extend it to 30 days and still guarantee the cabins. I asked him if there was any black out dates, any additional fees or charges? He said No, there are no black out dates or any additional fees or charges and you can book the cruise anytime! I went ahead an gave him my credit card information and signed up for two people. The 30 days was about to expire so I called travel services to add 6 people. later I receive a letter from Travel services “Premium Cruise Award” this is there “reservation validation form” in this letter it has the terms and condition. I did not receive this letter until 30 after my first call with Travel Services. After reading the letter, I learned, I would have to wait 60 days before I could book the cruise and there are additional fees! Surcharges for peek season, port fees and holiday fees. I called Travel Services and asked them about these additional fees? They said port fees would only be around $30- $90 per person. Peek Season about a month in the summer and around Christmas time. I signed and mail the Premium Cruise Award letter back to them. A few weeks later I received the “Cruise Request Form” In this form they asked for two travel dates has to be 60 days advance notice and 60 days apart! As you can see this is quit an ordeal! They make you jump thought a lot of hoops and getting them on the phone is a different story! I filled out and mailed the “Cruise Request Form” to travel services. They said I would hear from a travel consultant about two to three weeks prior to the travel date (departure date). Never happened! I call to find out what was going on? They could not book the two different dates I submitted. Originally these were suppose to be guarantee dates to book the cruise! They said they can book in October. So they transfered me to the travel consultant to fine out more information on booking the cruise? He said, peek season is from March to September! There is additional fees for these Months! I was never told this and it is not in there terms and conditions! There is additional fee on top of that for Holidays! So, I asked what it would cost to book in October which is not peek season or Holiday for the cruise? He said, it would be and additional $220 per person! Durning Peek Season it would be around $400 per person! This is Fraudulent! They used a bait and switch, misled me and lied to me. This company is a scam. They did not fulfill what they promise me on the first phone call with Travel Services. I would have never agreed to this cruise award if I knew the cost, blackout dates, peek season, holiday season and booking fees! I have called numerous times to get a refund. They transfer me to the supervisor, which I only get a voice mail, the supervisor has never called me back, it has been over a month now! Enclosed is few complaints for Travel Services from other people!

Travel services US is not a scam. I paid my $94 per person tax this past April 2011. i was told i would be responsible for port fees (between $90-$120 per person depending on date which i verified through other parties) and any peak season surcharges which as a previous cruiser i knew about. I asked about any booking fees, as most travel agencies charge and i was told no unless i choose to upgrade my cabin at the time of booking. As a consumer I asked questions i needed to know and got the answers. I'm a little confused as to why it makes this company a scam because consumers don't do THEIR part. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. and this doesn't sound all that great when all said and done. but JUST $94 is obviously too good. Good thing i also paid attention when transferred to "quality assurance" to be verified. The only scam it sounds like is that i was told it was a one day only promotion.

Guys, it's gotta be a scam. I got called today, and luckily found this site right before giving my credit card info.

Don't listen to anyone on this site who is saying it's not a scam -- if they truly paid for cruise tickets, and didn't get scammed, why on earth would they come visit a COMPLAINTS BOARD website and write positive comments?

The positive commenters likely know that Travel Services US is a scam, that's why they're visiting these boards -- they're representatives of the company.

I haven't booked, but I was given all the information about port fees and surcharges. I have cruised before and these are expected fees. The rep I talked to was knowledgable about the particular cruise I was most interested in and although he told me the sale was for today only, he allowed me to discuss with my husband and call him back. I am always leary when you have to book right now or loose the chance! I don't like pushy sales people. I will probably call back and give them the taxes and reserve my cruise. If I get scammed, I will come back and let you know. Not asking the right questions doesn't mean you have been scammed. It means you are not an educated consumer of travel / cruises.

I too have been scammed by Travel Services US. The same thing has happened to me as listed above. Before I agreed to any of this, I specifically asked, are there any peak season times that will not be available? Of course, the answer that I received was no, any dates that you pick will have some availability. I have talked to the company several times, every one there is rude, and so far I have not been able to book any dates. When I ask to speak to someone else, I am only transferred to leave my name and number for someone to call me back which never happens. I too will be filing a complaint with the Attorney General's Office in AZ. This place needs to be shut down!

I just took my cruise with them and after everything was done..I still ended up saving about 150 dollars than if I had booked it through the cruise line call Shawn Chapman @ 1800-971-2702ext7563

I have booked a cruise with Travel Services US based out of Scottsdale AZ I was not informed of the additional charges, I figured the cruise lines wanted to fill the tiny inside staterooms even if there was no charge and make the money on upgrades, beverages, casino, spa, photos, and other expenses that may occur. If I find out this is a true scam, if they reject my dates, I will take action. I live near Largo FL. and I own a gun, need I say more?

"Travel Services US "is not or has never been the same company or conducted business under the names "Royal Palm Vacations, Travel Services USA, United Vacation Network, Suncoast Vacations, Suncoast LLC, World Vacations, Imperial Incentives. Travel Services US has excellent relationships with major cruise lines and we are confident we can find the lowest prices in travel. We travel thousands of cruisers each month and have been in business for over 20 years. If you are having issues with the booking of your trip please contact us at: [protected]

im just trying to figure out how thE hell is it a PROMOTION when carnival is charging 249.00pp on the dates I choose..if i go through travel services i will be paying more than that with the booking fees etc..WUTS THE PROMOTION?

DID ANYONE HAVING A PROBLEM GET IT RESOLVED YET...?

I think that those writing good reviews about Travel Service US are the ones PART of the SCAM and trying to "convince" us that is not. Just got the phone with this rude man that was being sarcastic all then time. Please! DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM! I wish i had found this website before. Is there a way we can sue this company?

I just got a call from this company; definitely a scam!

i think that all the people saying its not a fraud are employees, because they randomly called me saying i won. so i got their info and reseached them and called them back after i read all these forums. i told them that everyone says they are a scam then the guy tried to explain that it wasnt a scam, if it was they would have been arrested. and that the background noise was an office full of people calling winners like me. but the 1rst person i talked to(that called me) was a woman and gave me her ext. number which didnt exist. they gave me another salesman. also i googled their address in arizona...noone called travel services was there. scamm

This company IS a fraud! just sorry I looked them up on line after my phone call with them! The man selling this package was awesome so polite and helpful. When I called back to ask that the charge to my discover card be reversed I was treated very rudely. No legitimate business would ever speak to another person this way! The guy was a sarcastic, rude, condescending, and had no interest in assisting me. Which is fine as he said that's what your credit card company is for let them dispute this charge for you!

This is NOT from a FORMER employee. I have done extensive research in this matter and what I have found is that the person claiming to be a FORMER employee and provided all of the details of Mr. Congelton & company. Travel Services was shut down by the Florida AG and they filed for bankruptcy shortly after : http://bankrupt.com/misc/flmb09-20902.pdf

My best guess is that there is someone who was close to that situation that decided to pick up where Mr. Congelton & company left off and is now scamming customers by phone. Mr Congelton's original scam was to do this in person by renting rooms in large cities and advertising these seminars that showed you how to never have to pay for vacation locations again. The reason I feel this phone cruise scam is not being perpetrated by the same people is that this is the first time it is being done by phone. Also, why would a company continue doing business in the same name when they are on the radar of the AG of Florida?

It is also my best guess that the letter from a "FORMER employee" was actually posted by the new copy cat scammers to help conceal the identity of whoever is really behind it. It led me on a goose chase and I wasted nearly two days researching all of this.

The only reason I got involved in this is because I can't stand it when someone calls my cell phone trying to sell something. Was never going to buy anything but wanted to personally let the caller know they had broken the law by robo calling my cell phone. When I called the number back, I got nothing but a busy signal. I did call back the number that an operator gave me and the people were extremely rude and eventually hung up on me after requesting a copy of their do not call policy (which they need to provide by law if asked).

The best thing to do is to never give out personal information and remember the saying that my father always recites: "If it sounds too good to be true, it is."

I was also scammed by these people today. When you pay, they just send you a generic letter on a generic web site. Their scam is about TIME. You think you have a cruise, and by the time you figure out they are scamming you they are long gone. They make you request a cruise 60 days in advance. They send you back fake letters or don't get back to you or give you the impression you're booked for a cruise when you actually aren't.
Then tell you it's full or charge you more fees. If they do ever give you a cruise, it's one they bought on a discount that you could have done yourself.

They also hide the name of the company until you bought from them when it's too late to look it up. They told us "Travel Services" and left off the US so you can't find them on search.

You can request a refund from your credit card company within 60 days.

I purchased a cruise in Feb. 2010. I paid over $2000 for 12 people to travel and today I had to pay another $3, 689 to finalize my cruise. I called the cruise line to check prices on my dates of travel and the price was cheaper if I booked now with them. Travel SERVICES US is a scam and I should of listen to my husband 3 months ago!
Please be ware and don't fall for it! I am $3000 in the hole because I have to pay everyone back that were traveling with me. It also comes with shame!
TRAVEL SERVICES US in Scottsdale, Az is a SCAM!

This company is a scsm the agents dont use their real name and they just bssiclly tell uand promise what u wannt to hear. I know this cuz i work there.

This is a scam... My husband and I pay $274.00 each year for a service that we do not get . I pay it because I do not want our credit to be affected . What can we do ?

Has anyone let the companies that provide the actual cruises aware of the situation? If you contact Carnival cruise, they will put them on a list of "scammers." Anyone looking to verify a promotion can call Carnival Cruise to see if there have been complaints.

I was contacted by them and won a cruise and as a dumb a? i paid they sent me all the parwork to fill out for dates then they sent papers that said your trip is a go then a week before the trip I received a call stating that date was full I was then contacted and told that my October trip was on as the date got closer and never received the papers I call them no one would call back email never got answered so im out money and i'm very pistoff i lost $ 199.00 and I want it back

Everyone! PLEASE submit a complaint to the Attorney's office of the state you live in and the one in Arizona! it does not take a long time!... if each one of us submits a complaint. they will get shut down and investigated. There is a new Facebook page against Travel Services US... search "travel services US Cruise the truth.
Also... document every single contact that you have with them. Who you speak to.. when.. what do they say.. everything.. start building a cause so you can get your money back with your bank for "services not rendered" Call your bank now and explain the situation.

We were solicited by phone by Angel Ramirez of Travel Services. He said we had been selected for a free cruise with no blackout dates, and we just have to pay taxes and port fees of $94/person. We were told that this offer had "no strings attached, " and was valid for multiple people. We were asked to select a date for the cruise that was at least 60 days in the future and will get our confirmation two weeks before the date requested. This is a clever scam technique since sixty (60) days is also the deadline for contesting a credit card charge as fraudulent.

Believing this was a completely credible offer, we chose March 16-19, 2012. A payment of $188 was paid on Oct. 14, 2011 for my wife and I. Another payment of $188 was made on Oct 28, 2011 for our two sons.

A couple months later, Travel Services notified us that our selected dates of travel were considered to be in "peak season." and that the promotion we had booked was not applicable for those dates. This was not previously mentioned to us, and we were under the impression that all dates were eligible for selection. We were then asked to pay an extra $271.95 per person in order to secure our chosen time of travel. We told them we want to cancel. but
were informed our payments are non-refundable.

We researched Travel Services reputation online and found out so much information that they have a history of scamming people in this same manner. The method being used to scam us is the same or similar to the scams
reported online by a lot of people.

On December 25, 2011, we filled up an online complaint form of our credit card provider and provided them with
two websites documenting the numerous complaints. On December 27, 2011, we were CREDITED on our credit
card the amounts we paid the scammer, Travel Services.

I paid for a trip in July 2011. Ive been trying to get in touch witha representative for a entire month. They have put me on hold for 30 min. at a time before they hang up on me. In the past month, I have been given 5 different numbers. I haven't received my money, trip, or spoken to a representative pass 2 minutes. Please help. I just filed a complaint with the Florida Attorney General. What should I do next. Please DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER.

Shipwrecked!

We were told by the salesman that because we were sailing fr Long Beach there was an extra charge, the total being 199$ per person. We asked several times if there were any other fees or surcharges and were told no. On the first of 3 rediculous forms we found a clause that said port fees and surcharges were not included. We called to dispute this and the teller said the same thing as the salesman. Now that we want to book the trip we are told we need to pay an additional 240$ per person. If the extra charges are more than the trip, should that not be disclosed up front? "Extra fees" does not nearly convey the possibilty that the bill will become more than double what was advertised. This is clearly predatory and fraudulantly deceiving-especially if there has been a clearly recorded history of complaints with many attorneys' generals and the practice continues. I for one will do EVERYTHING I can (legally) to make sure I get my money back and these tactics stop.

I answered the ad, It sounded to good to be true but I've gotten deals on Book it.com that were steals and several other sites also. I sent my fee for double occupancy because I'm a Widower and have no one to travel with me. I'm retired and living off my savings, investments and a tiny bit of Social Security, so things or rip-offs like this hurt.

Rene Ricafranca,
Could you tell us what website you gave your credit card company to document that travel
Services was committing fraudulent activity and get your payment to travel
Services refunded? Did the credit card company give u a hard time or question you about why you were disputing the charge so long after the charge was processed on your card? Did they tell you of there was a time limit to dispute a charge? Would you mind telling me who your credit card company is that refunded it? I am just wondering if I have the same company or if I try to dispute it if I can tell my company that your company successfully disputed it. You can email me at cjw640@aol.com, I would really appreciate it! Thank you! - Christina

I got a call yesterday (5/9/2012) from a travel agent claiming he works for www.mytravelservicesonline.com and said I was picked as a winner of a promotional "giveaway" and that all I had to pay for a 4day/3night Bahamas cruise from Miami, Fl with Carnival/Norwegian, etc is $95/pp and port fees. He said the offer is good only today and that a credit card given over the phone will reserve for you a cabin (or cabins for as many as additional 15 guests at the same offer ) so long as you book the travel within 18 months... what a scam!

We have also been scammed by this company they have had over $1300 of our money for a year and half. We assume that we will never get that money back. Has anyone ever got Thier money back? What can we do?