Vacations Made Easy
Reviews and Complaints

I have booked an evening dinner cruise for 4 people in the Clearwater, FL location for my wife's 40th birthday! A few days later I got a call that the date I booked the dinner for was actually not available (out of a glitch perhaps of the online booking system provided by the company) but there was availability next day. First i thought no big deal, we'll go next day. But then I found out that the other party of 2 (2 of our best friend who only came for this occasion from California to visit us in Florida) is actually leaving next day back to Cali so it's a no go for them. Long story short, we've agreed that no problem, my wife and I will still go since that's what she wanted for her birthday.
I then called to get refund for those extra 2 people I paid for, since it WASN'T MY FAULT THAT I GOT MISLED WITH THE BOOKING. the rep told me that all she can do is to give me a 120$ gift certificate (which is not even the exact half of the purchase and actually it wasn't working for me since Im not planning to do more of this in the future) or if i cancel the whole thing she then can " give" me 75% of the original purchase! WoW! Really?
I think the word "give" has a new definition in this company which you can find in any dictionary under the heading of "steal".
No matter what I choose, I loose. At least some... either less money worth of gift cert that I don't even need, or way less money back to my account if I back out for what..? For the MISTAKE the company made by their not-up-to-date online booking system. TOTAL RIP OFF!

I booked a trip with Vacationsmadeeasy.com and paid over 320 for a 1 night stay for 2 rooms. when I checked out I received a bill for 216 total with taxes and everything, but it was already paid for of course. The very same day my credit card company called me to inquire about a recent charges to my card. There were 2 charges to my card from another state, that I did not make. They promptly cancelled my card and mailed out a new one. Funny thing is I have only used this card to book the trip I made with vacationsmadeesay.com. I will definitely never use these people again. I am thinking of pursuing this further. My advice is to stay clear of this company.

I booked several shows through VME and we were unable to make our trip as my husband was unexpectedly hospitalized. We were told we could not get a refund but we could take a Gift Certificate for 75% of the value. We did not receive 75% of the total value, they would not give credit for one of the shows -around $200.00 because of some rule...? Then when we went to use the Gift Certificates that we did get partial credit for original purchase: one was showing it had been used. It has been a year and we have not seen a show yet nor does it look like we will be able to as it appears that even though we are within one year, we now only have one certificate. This is a scam and there are a few very nice agents, but when you get a bad one-IT IS BAD! They are rude and deliberately mess up your account because they are in control. MAKE A DONATION TO A GOOD CHARITY, DON'T GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THIS PLACE.

I booked tickets to see a Branson show on 11-29-2015 with Vacations Made Easey. Today is the 27th and I have been trying to call for 2 days...of course they are closed on Thanksgiving day, so nothing wrong with that, however when I did get thru today, they told me the tickets were non cancelable. Their are flood warnings issued for Saturday and Sunday between Hot Springs where I live and Branson. TV and the news says it is dangerous to be on the road this weekend. I am 73 years old and don't really want to drive it in this weather. Vacations Made Easy should have some way to refund if getting to the show is dangerous and you call 2 days in advance of the show. I intend to make sure my friends and/or family do not use this company again..I am going to post this on my facebook and everywhere I can.

When trying to book tickets for an event, with the actual company, the web-site for Vacations Made Easy popped up (appeared to be the site I was looking for). After following through to my paypal account, I determined that this was not the web page I wanted to be on. After trying to back out of the pages that I was on, my computer lost power (due to surge/outage). Once I re-started my computer and went to my emails, I received an email from "Vacations Made Easy" stating that my purchase had been made. I never made the actual purchase. However, the "Vacations Made Easy" would not refund my account of the full amount. HOW CAN YOU NOT REFUND THE TOTAL AMOUNT, IF I DID NOT PURCHASE THE TICKETS! With that being said, Always make sure you are on the exact page that you are looking for and not a scam page such as "Vacations Made Easy".

I ordered 2 tickets to a show in Pigeon Forge, Tn with this company, It said lowest price guaranteed so I called and booked reservations. I guess something happened it didn't go through so he called.. The total I got was $88 well he ask if it was for dinner and show I said yes so he said well that is $114. I was like ok alittle high but I had already booked. So I called the show itself to ask how much tickets were normally and they said $39.95 each I was like really so it would have been $80 some $s. I called vacations made easy to cancel my reservations and they were gonna only give me 75% back.. So they were gonna charge me $30 to cancel my reservation. This was the same day maybe 2 hours after booking. I told them that this was crazy and I would not book through them again. Do not book with this company they will rip you off.. They should not be aloud to post false advertisement. I am so mad now I don't even want to go but since it is costing me so much I guess I will have too.

I called Vacations Made Easy on 5/23/15 to confirm that a bus pickup was included in my reservation for the Nashville Nightlife Dinner Theater. I was assured that it was and the operator would call GrayLine to confirm everything had been arranged properly. The day of the event (5/24/15) I called GrayLine to double check everything was in order. The operator indicated that the Vacations Made Easy operator had called the day before. Everything had been confirmed and the bus would pick us up at the hotel between 5:00 and 5:30.

But the bus never arrived. While waiting for GrayLine to arrive, the hotel made numerous calls reminding the “Fords” were waiting for a bus pick-up. The reply: “The bus is on the way. Don’t worry.”

Finally, I called myself to let them know we were going to drive ourselves to the event. I was put on hold. When the operator returned, she asked me to read information from my ticket. She put me on hold again. This time she came back with the message that there must be a mistake. I didn’t have reservations for three at the Dinner Theater, would I like to go some place else? When I protested with, “but my ticket says, ” she said, “I’m sorry, there is nothing I can do. Contact VME.”

When I contacted Vacations Made Easy they indicated that the bus had never been part of the reservation, and said my claim that I had been told the bus was included couldn’t have happened. I asked them, if they were accusing me of making everything up. They responded, I must be mistaken; no one on their end would say such a thing. I asked to speak to a supervisor about a refund.

The supervisor called to tell me that they couldn’t refund my money, because the event had already been paid for. It was their mistake, but now they are unwilling to admit it so I am the one who has to pay. I think others should be warned to stay away from VME.

While visiting Utah we've booked tour with Vacations Made Easy to visit Fiery Furnace area in Arches National park. The tour cost was $400 and I've paid with credit card. I've booked it online and got confirmation that tour is available for the date we've picked. I also followed up with the phone call and got confirmation again that the tour is available for the date we've booked and that we're all set. Later on the day I got a phone call from Vacations Made Easy telling us that some mistake happened and tour is not available. They promised me to call later the same day and let me know whether tour is available next day. They never called me back. Since I never heard back from Vacations made easy, I've booked tour with other more reliable company. I requested refund from Vacations Made Easy. They charged my credit card and refused to give money back. Although I've disputed the company services and brought it up to my credit card attention, Vacations Made Easy continue to lie that they've provided me services and that's why they never will refund my money.

Filed against :
Vacations Made Easy
2101 W. Chesterfield Blvd. Building C, Suite 124
Springfield MO [protected]

Complaint Description:
Did not receive tickets that I had ordered and was told there would be no refund. (See Summary below) I purchased (3) three tickets for the Grand Ole Opry Apr 24, 2015 7:00 PM show from Vacations Made Easy. The seating I selected was aisle seating in center section @ $182.01. I was e-mailed a conformation that read Your vouchers (tickets) will be at the will call as per your request. ID # 3401063. When we arrived at the Grand Ole Opry Will Call they had no information about our tickets! The young lady with The Grand Ole Opry was very helpful and went and asked her supervisor for help, and she came back with a voucher that would get us in. When we went in the seats were not what I had ordered, they were to the far side in the center of the row! I went back to the ticket agent at the Grand Ole Opry and was told that there were no tickets available in the center section. I called Vacation Made Easy and was told that I ordered tickets for something like the Show Boat and not for the Grand Ole Opry. I ask for a refund to my credit card and was told that there would be a 75% charge since I had made the order. We did not use the voucher I purchased 3 tickets for the Apr 25, 2015 show @120.00 @ the Grand Ole Opry ticket office, They were not center section but they were aisle seating. When I got back to my RV I checked and printed out my order it was for the Grand Ole Opry as it indicated above! The next day I called Vacations Made Easy and asked to speak to a supervisor, I explained what transpired with him and he said he couldn't see how I could have been told that by a Vacations Made Easy operator. He ask me what seats they had given us, I told him and he told me those were the ones I was supposed to have, that the ones I requested were not available so that was the ones they ordered for me. I ask him about the fact that I paid for the good seats! He said that was the way it works and that I would not get a refund! I called my credit card company to stop payment on the charge!

Your Desired Resolution:
Amount of 182.01 credited to my credit card, plus any additional charges I might not be aware of.

I booked a room Wednesday night Feb 11th for downtown Nashville for this past weekend Feb 13 + 14. Vacations Made Easy say (when you call them) that they don't outsource their motel bookings overseas like so many other US hotel chains and want to keep American jobs. They are only in operation from 10 am CST to 9 pm CST. So when I booked my room at 10:30 pm that night through their web site, I received a confirmation from VME that the room was booked, showing the hotel, address and dates. We left the next morning for Nashville and I received a call from them saying the reservation didn't go through. So I called them from the highway already heading for TN. I asked why and they said the hotel room was not available as the hotel has an Auto booking system and the room was not available. I asked why then did VME not let me know it was NOT available after sending me an email that it was booked? But because they are not open until 10 AM CST, they don't have anyone to help you. So it was 12 hours later they contacted me. Now I'm trying to book a hotel room in Nashville while traveling there. I'm on the cell phone with them.at 7 pm that evening, only 4 hours from Nashville and we find at the Rodeway Inn in Goodletsville, TN, 10 miles from downtown Nashville. We book it, the rate is $120.00 a night for 3 nights. I ask for and they confirm TWO beds. VME tells me the Confirmation is sent and we are booked. We get to the Rodeway Inn at 11 pm CST and the lady at the front desk has no confirmation for me, has nothing with my last name Thompson, NO confirmation. However we need a room and they have them available. So we book a room for three nights at $55.99 a night, total fees $206.19 for three nights. Now remember, VACATIONS MADE EASY told me over the phone that they had reserved a room for me at this motel for $360. for three nights? We got into our room and I started thinking that the next day I better check with VME and let them know we had no reservation and to make sure they wouldn't charge me. I called VME and told them what happened and the lady there 'Lisa' told me that in fact Rodeway Inn had confirmed the reservation and I would be charged $360. I told them there was no reservation, the lady had no idea who VME was and that we had paid cash ($206.10) for a room for three nights. VME told me to go to the motel front desk, which I did and the manager gave me back my $206.10 cash saying that yes, they did receive the confirmation, but that it never got into their check in system. So I was given my $206.10 back in cash and Vacations Made Easy told me over the phone that they would be charging me $360. for the same room the hotel charges $206.10 for? I was appalled, what an exorbitant mark up from $206.10 from the hotel to $360. by Vacations Made Easy. I said to Lisa that I thought the original booking fiasco at the Comfort Inn downtown Nashville was a farce that they couldn't have let me known sooner, that the Rodeway Inn never rec'd the confirmation from VME and that their fees on top of the Rodeway Inn room price was absolutely pathetic and a rip off, almost twice as much what the motel room cost. Lisa was very unsympathetic, uncaring and told me that their system worked like this. When I questioned them not being able to take calls, confirm or handle problems during their off hours and why they would allow the web site to book and send out confirmations without a customer being able to talk to someone 24 hours a day at VME, she said this is how they operate. I am HUGELY disappointed in their service and in their outrageous fees (mark up) on the service they give. Charging me $360. for a room which the motel charged them $206.10 is brutal! I understand VME needs to make money for their service, but his was ignorant and I will never use VME again and I will do everything to make sure as many people as possible know my story and the outrageous fees VME charges for their poor service!

We attempted to order tickets online for a couple of events in August in the Pigeon Forge, TN area for a weekend trip. When we placed the first order, we received a message that there was a "server error" and to please re-submit the order. We immediately re-submitted the order but never received any kind of confirmation so I called them the next morning (we had been online late in the evening) and was told that they had received both of our orders. I assumed that they would give me a refund for one of them since we didn't intend to buy two sets of tickets for the same events. They said that they couldn't give us a refund...it was against their company policy to give refunds! The lady on the phone also said that their system wouldn't have given us such a message. When I told her that it did, she pretty much accused me of lying. Why would I order two sets of tickets for the same events? I informed her that if this is the way they do business, I would rather not do business with them and would get tickets elsewhere. We never received or used any of their tickets but ended up paying out almost $500 for nothing! This company is a bunch of crooks with no conscience! I would never knowingly do business with scammers like this!

Purchased tour of the stars tickets received those. At the time of ticket purchase we spoke with VME supervisor about a hotel that was nice but not extremely high priced. We get to hotel room today ( Nashville airport inn & suites) and it's a complete dump! Bugs on floor, smelt like stale cig smoke, door wouldn't shut, it was filthy and there were homeless people begging for money outside. VME charges us $135 for this room. The daily rate by the hotel is $41. We called to aware them of this and spoke to a very rude manager named Tawnie who hung up on us. I then left Matt cook (owner) a vm. If I do not get a response nor refund I will be contacting the Springfield chamber of commerce and reporting them.

Charged $20.00 to change hotel reservation. Then when. Wanted to cancel the reservation I was told it was policy not to fully refund the best they could do was 90 percent! The hotel was not the one I requested. I found that out when they sent my
Confirmation! I also ordered show tickets now I am worried I will not get them. I read on the reviews that some folks never received tickets they had paid for. Don't used this site.I wish I had read the reviews !3⃣7⃣2⃣3⃣d

On Friday July 12, 2013 I purchased tickets to two attractions in Chattanooga, TN. online through Vacations Made Easy. I was surprised to see that I couldn't download the tickets at the point of sale. The site informs me they will Email them to me. My daughter and I are having a date as I am out of town so often. We have planed to go to the Chattanooga Nature center first in the morning then to the Vaudeville Cafe for a dinner show that we had to arrive at by 4:45pm. We live in GA and it is 2 hr drive. At 6:30 am I check to see if my tickets are ready to print (site instructs you must have them) and no tickets. Called the "Hotline" and got recording they were not open and leave mssg. Never any beep and it hung up. Tried calling over and over as the hrs slipped by and we waited to get our fun day started.
... reached someone finally after being now almost 3 hrs late to leave. Still no tickets. She told me she could email me the Nature Center tickets and I could show up at dinner show and they would fax them or something. I asked the rep for clarification on email being sent to me and waited on email. Never received. Waited 45 mins for it and gave up. Went online to both attractions and purchased directly. Got imitate download of tickets. At a lower price! (Even their site says they guarantee lowest price) Tried to call them to cancel multiple times and went to voice mail. I sent an email asking them to cancel and issue me a refund. I received a phone call (In Chattanooga) at almost noon. She said she could not give me a refund and would have a supervisor look into a refund. Argued with me that it was not noon? (I know she is in different time zone but what did that have to do with me?)
Got to Nature Center and was told that they had flooding there for last 2 weeks and most of place was closed. Offered me a rain check. No good we are from other sate. Now I have paid 2 times. Never received any tickets. Was told on Tuesday morning I could have 75% of my money back. I didn't receive what I purchased. They have their deceptive responses memorized. My Desired Resolution: I want a full refund. Not 75% I feel an apology is appropriate for taking a big part of our day away and not just doing the right thing.

In reference to Ozark Mountain Dinner Cruise for 2. We arrived as the boat was leaving the dock and missed the evening ride and dinner. What a disappointing beginning of our Branson vacation! I requested a refund of $119.50 for the 2 reservations or a voucher for another trip. I also enclosed a copy of the letter they had sent me and copy of the ticket. When I requested a refund or voucher on the phone I was informed that we were told to arrive 45 minutes prior to departure. There was NO mention of that in the letter or ticket. We definitely left in plenty of time from our hotel in order to board the boat. However, the traffic was heavy and the turn signal at the light never turned green. We sat through the light 3 times before we finally moved to another lane. Phone response was rude and unprofessional and demeaning. There are other vacation agencies for Branson who have been wonderful in making arrangements and compensating if problems occur. Vacations Made Easy is not one of them and should be avoided.

I searched for a Lake Tahoe lunch cruise and found one that described a lunch and tour. When I clicked to purchase. Vacations Made Easy came up the the Tahoe Queen. I purchased tickets for $55.00 each. When I get on the boat, they say no such thing as a lunch cruise- EVER! I tried to call V. M. E. and they won't call me back, just send me to a voice mail! I am outraged! Other on the tour paid about $40.00. These guys are crooks. Don't ever purchase anything from them!

The website sold us a product that they didn't deliver. They advertised a "resort with and indoor water park, two outdoor pools, an arcade and continental breakfast for &150.00 per night. The hotel was sub-par. The hotel pool water was dirty and stunk. The "indoor water park" cost an additional $18.95 per person. The room was small and beat up looking; the elevator was scary. We stayed long enough to know we weren't staying there, about 5 hours which included check-in, dropping bags and dining out...The vacation package was $645.00 They refused to give our money back but sent a gift card for $300.01 and said we'll call it even. We DID NOT spend a night in that hotel...

Attempted to book a hotel room through this site on a Monday for a Thursday through Sunday stay. By Wednesday I had still not reveiced confirmation that the room was booked or recieved an itinarary. (This is not a complaint as their terms of service state that a confirmation will be received in up to 72 hours.)

Late Wednesday I received a call informing me that they were unable to reserve the room. I asked why they couldn't reserve it since they advertised it as available. I was informed that their website must not have been updated. I checked the site as we spoke and the room was still listed as available. They then tried to offer me other hotels at a similair price but that was unsatisfactory as it was the location that I was concerned with.

They refunded my purchase price promptly but it seems that they advertise rooms that they are not sure are availabe and do not seem to have a DIRECT link to the reservation system like hotwire or priceline or expedia etc. They hope/think they can get you a hotel at that price and if they can't, well you've lost 2 or 3 days waiting for them to try.

Would'nt have minded so much if i new that.

Happy travelling!

My wife received a telephone call from a sales representative at their company asking her if she wished to confirm the request for the cruise in Quebec City I initiated on their web site. Unfortunately for me, she was unaware of my desire to surprise her for her birthday holiday in QC. I am quite disappointed in their aggressive follow up method. The request was initiated online and, as such, their follow up should have been to my e mail rather than calling my home on Saturday evening. This ruined my attempt at giving my wife the excitement of a birthday trip and an itinerary including a 90 minute cruise in Quebec City on the St. Lawrence.

Here is their lame answer:

Answer:
Hi there

We are sorry to hear that your wife's surprise was ruined and we do apologize for doing so.

We scheduled an on-line vacations to Nashville Tn. Through this company. After the unfortunate flooding in the area, the shows that we had scheduled and the hotel we were to stay in were damaged. Vacations made easy would not refund our money. Charged us a $ 100.00 fee for canceling our vacation, and would only give us gift certificates to use. I would never recommend this company to anyone. I will never again use this agency.