Worldwide Travel

We recently received a call from Tri-Star (they say they are an air filter system for your home, but they are actually a vacuum). If we attended an in our home demonstration, we would receive a coupon for a FREE two night, three day hotel at our choice to 100's of locations throughout the county.

The day following our demonstration we called the number and requested one of three location options of our choice. They said choice three was available for the weekend we chose, but we had to mail in our certificate before they would confirm the reservation. Oh, and please send a $50 check to hold the room and give us a credit card number to secure the hotel room.

Surprise! Even though we mailed our certificate the next day, guess what? None of our choices we available for the weekend we chose. But, did we want to take advantage of a special offer - view a time share - and get an upgrade? Ha! Yeh right. No, we did not. We want our FREE weekend.

So they proceeded to have us choose another weekend we were interested in. Yes, it was available while we talked to them on the phone, but they would not secure it until they received our certificate in the mail AGAIN (oh, and please submit a $3.00 handling fee.) We tried once more, knowing full well these dates would not be available either.

We are now aware of another individual who registered a complaint for virtually the same situation.

June 18, 2006

Worldwide Travel Center

160 12th Avenue Suite 102

Deerfield Beach, Florida

(954) 571- 7990 or 1(800) 268- 5856

I just want everyone to be aware of this SCAM! I won a free 2 night 3 day stay anywhere in the United States (only the states that they had listed) from a radio station in June 2005 in Ocean City Maryland. . The certificate was from Worldwide Travel Center. I tried to schedule a trip on 5 different occasions throughout the year before the gift certificate expired in June 2006. Every time I called they would say that they had no rooms available for that date unless I agreed to sit through a 90 minute time share presentation. When the gift certificate was getting close to expiring I was told to send in a check for $15 and a copy of the certificate to renew it for another year. When it was approved I called and said I was available any date in August. They said I had to be more specific. I gave them date in August and was told they did have a hotel available but it could not be held until I sent in my certificate. I sent it in that day. I got a call about 10 days later saying that hotel was no longer available but that they had another hotel available but I would have to agree to a 90 minute timeshare presentation. I asked for a supervisor. I had to leave a message on her voice mail. It took her 4 days to return my call and I missed the return call. When I called back and asked to speak to a supervisor they said I would have to leave a message again. I was speaking to a rude person named Angie and I said just give me any date you have available that I do not have to sit through a time share presentation. She said the certificate has to be sent back to me and I would have to start the whole process over again. Well, after arguing with her on the phone about how frustrating and ridiculous this whole process was and that It was a scam to get people to sit through the presentations. I just received my certificate back and now they stamped invalid on the certificate saying it was altered. It is because when the guy on the radio station filled out the date in front of me. His first pen would not write and it looks like the 6 for the month of June was written over but the rest of the date and year was clear. When I sent the certificate to them in 5/06 to have them renewed it for a year. They did not think it looked altered then and it was fine for them to take my $15. I was not going to waste any more of my time dealing with all this company but I do not want anyone else going through what I went through because it is a BIG SCAM. I spent more time on the phone then I would of sitting through a presentation. Just beware when dealing with this company.

We tried calling Tri-Star to see if they could help us get what they told us we should have received. Although they indicated they would call Worldwide Travel and see what was going on, they never called us back.

Beware of a "FREE two-night, three-day package" from Tri-Star run by Worldwide Travel. You will end up going through a Timeshare presentation before they will give you your "special deal."

Vicki

Comment On This

I just got a call from Global Worldwide Travel, stating that I had won a top prize from a sweepstakes I had entered. The prizes were a 2010 Lincoln Navigator or $45,000, $2,500 cash, a trip for two or a 32" flat screen tv. They could not tell me which prize I won, but if I show up tomorrow with my claim certificate and sit through a 90 minute presentation I am guaranteed to walk away with one of the prizes. Is this the same thing that these complaints are about?

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I just can't believe people are giving these outas 'gifts' and that the Worldwide Travel Center website promotes them as such. I understand they're trying to get bodies in there for their high-pressure presentations, but I was 'rewarded' this trip after selling my first home as a Realtor. My mortgage broker who gave this to me as lost a lot of credibility for me, has hurt his reputation (with me and EVERYone I speak with), and won't get my clients' business due to finky things such as this. I would just advise business owners to steer away from using these certificates as 'prizes.' Seriously, just spring for a hotel stay yourself-- it's probably only $150. You may save $145 because that dumb certificate is only $5, but you'll gain a lot more business and trust by being a respectable person.

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So glad to see that I'm not the only one!!! Yes...World Wide Travel does SUCK and I would love to see someone take them out of business. I also received a "free" 3 day 2 night stay for donating my truck to a charity. The first 10 months we couldn't travel so I sent a $15 check along with my information to renew the certificate for another year. I received the check back stating that I had to sent in a copy of the certificate(this was not stated in their terms and conditions) after giving what they wanted, I receive a letter saying my year has expired and my certificate is no longer valid. After arguing with a non-english speaking rep about the fact that I originally sent in the check weeks before the deadline and getting no where, I spoke to a so-called superviser and all she said was the certificate was expired and hung up. I filed a claim with the BBB but I would love to do more and see this company do business in another country....like Iran!!!

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This is common for selling timeshares and has been for over 20 years.You agree to a discount, you must attend a presentation but you don't read the fine print. Why didn't you? These vacations are usually three times as much if you go directly to the hotel as a consumer. Why do you think they are offered? It's to sell you something. Good hotel rooms are not always available as people want to use them and they reserve them. So you have to be patient and send in your reservation according to the rules of the game. Also if you are not "qualified" to buy a timeshare you will not be a priority customer anyway. They want to sell you a timeshare. They give you a free hotel stay to take a tour of their resort. If you don't like it pay full price and quit crying about it. Fact is if you do the math and take vacations every year for the next 15 years, you save a bundle. It's a great investment. Don't expect to resell it unless you offer a tour and sell it the sanme way it was sold to oyu. That's how timeshares are sold. Don't beleive you will resell it on the web at some resale site. It probabaly will not sell. You bout it by going to the high preasure tour. That's the best way to resell it if you can afford to market that way.

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I too recently won a "free" vacation from Worldwide Travel through one of their daughter businesses Exquisite Traveling Services. I was so excited until I read these complaints. What sparked my curiosity to look into this business was the fact that the contact number on the brochure is not a valid number and also the fact that along with the request form I would have to send them a check including the $19.00 per night per person fee without having any guarantee that I had a vacation in the works. The contract on the back of the brochure is extremely cryptic and doesn't tell me a lot about what I am getting. Does anyone know of a success story when dealing with this company?

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Tonnie in Ohio wrote:

>

> I am in sorta the same boat. attended a presentation

> sponsored by Global Services, selling vacation

> packages.

Hey, me too! I went to a presentation by Global Services in

Columbia, MD. They gave me a travel certificate from

Worldwide Travel Center in Deerfield Beach, FL. I have yet

to try to use the travel certificate.

However, since the travel certificate's terms and conditions

were significantly more restrictive than what Global Services

promised me on the phone prior to me attending their

presentation, I complained to the Better Business Bureau

about Global. When that didn't get anywhere, I sued them in

Small Claims court and won a $1,000 judgment against them

for their fraudulent advertising. If a company doesn't keep

its promises (even oral ones) and you've kept good records,

it's easy to win against them in Small Claims court. It

only costs about $50 to file, and you get that back when you

win. E-mail me if you want any tips or details on my case.

> Well, 6 months later and six returns of my voucher, I still

> have not received my vacation voucher. Worldwide Travel

> Center has sent my stuff back 5 times - each time they

> indicated "one" issue as to why it was returned.. Each time

> it has been something different. Five of the six were not

> even mentioned in the instructions.

What did they complain about? Sounds like they're trying to

wear you down so you'll walk away in disgust and they won't

have to give you anything. Don't play into their hands. If

they're not honoring their own terms and conditions, report

them to the BBB. Usually, that will straighten them up. If

not, report them to your and their states' Attorneys General.

If you've given them ample opportunity to honor their own

terms and they still refuse to, you should file a

Small Claims case against them. If the case has merit, they

will settle it out of court most of the time.

> If you have any guidance on how I can resolve this thing,

> please let me know.

You can e-mail me at r_q_einstein-complai9tsdotcom AT yahoo.com (but

replace the nine with the letter 'n').

Comment On This

I am in sorta the same boat. attended a presentation sponsored by Global Services, selling vacation packages... did not purchase the package, but was SUPPOSE to receive a two night three day vacation...

Well, 6 months later and six returns of my voucher, I still have not received my vacation voucher. Worldwide Travel Center has sent my stuff back 5 times - each time they indicated "one" issue as to why it was returned.. Each time it has been something different. Five of the six were not even mentioned in the instructions.... (one WAS my fault!).. I'm not sure where to turn for help. But I am guessing I will never get my FREE vacation and wasted about 3 hours in the original presentation! If you have any guidance on how i can resolve this thing, please let me know.

Tonnie in Ohio.