| 5th Avenue vacations |
| 5th Avenue Vacations Bahama Getaways LLC DON'T DO IT! Saint Petersburg, Florida |
| 15th of May, 2011 by User258237 |
| I, too, received that magical telephone call stating I had won a free Bahamas cruise after submitting an entry form at a local ice cream shop in Florida. However, being an investigator by trade, and knowing that something that sounds too good to be true usually isn't, I did some checking. First with the Better Business Bureau: 5th Ave Trading has a B+ rating but is not a member. There were 5 complaints forwarded to the BBB in the past 12 months, all of which were resolved. The good news is that this company actually responded to the complaints. The bad news is that the complaints ranged from deceptive advertising practices to requests for refunds. Second, I contacted the Federal Trade Commission. 5th Ave Vacations is registered with the state of FL, and there were no open complaints on record for this company. Third, I contacted the Dept of Agriculture in FL. There were no complaints on record for this company. Yet, the demand for fees upfront in order to 'receive' my "prize" bothered me, so I began researching cruise costs, beginning with the Discovery Cruise websit. What I found was that it is cheaper to travel to the Bahamas if I make reservations myself rather than use this "prize". The cost for a Bahama Cruise 'N Stay Vacation is $179, which includes all the port fees (not the additional $119 port fee that 5th Avenue charges) and when I looked further, I discovered that I could actually obtain my cruise and a hotel stay at a much better hotel, that is actually near the ocean, for $229 per person. And this is All Inclusive. All in all the cost to travel for this cruise that I "won", using only the fees that I had to pry out of the female that i spoke with ( port fees at $238.00, administrative and booking fees of $180, and $15 hotel tax, per person, times 4 nights ($120)) totaled $538. The cost for me to book this cruise on my own, at an All Inclusive hotel, was $383.98. And that includes the "port fees and other taxes". See for yourself: http://www.discoverycruiseline.com/home/hotels. My advice to all who read this is: DON'T DO IT! |
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| 5th avenue vacations contacted me also and they have my money and will not answer their phones. what should I do to get my money back. I was unable to contact them online. it said to put in a 10 digit phone number which I did and it would not take it after several tries, nor their email contact. |
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I have no complaints, however am glad I saw this page before responding again to the call I received.
I also completed a form in a restaurant...I will just be travelling with my family... |
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March 22, 2012
Just receved the call...Bahama"s 3 nights 4 days. From Maryanne Caller (HA HA) who is just the receptionist, from 5th Ave Vacation located in St. Pete, Florida I won this trip for filling a entry at a chinese resturant. I have a phone number and conf. number. How can this contiune to go on. Who puts them in these resturants?????? GEEEEZZZZ! |
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| I recieved a call today for a 4 night 3 days or for an extra fee i could up grade to an 5 days 4 night. The lady said it was $69.99 for administrative and $29.99 for booking all due before they could mail me any information... I really want to go but like everyone says it sounds tooooo good to be true... Confused... :( What to do I have until monday to decide :( |
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| I just did the same thing I felt kinda pressured on the phone but I did it. The emedietly took $100 out of my account and told me they were sending me a packet. If they try to slam me with more fees can I get my money back? |
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