Imperial Majesty Vacations / Ramada Plaza Resort Took advantage of me Orlando / Fort Lauderdale Florida Florida

Hi,

I am not sure if I have been ripped off. This is what happened.

I live in South Africa. Last week Tuesday (7 June 2005), I got a call from a woman, doing a survey for Imperial Majesty Vacations and she wanted to know if I would answer a few questions. I could barely hear her, the phone line was really bad but I answered her questions and she gave a number at the end of our conversation, saying that I could be one of a lucky 2%, winning a vacation to Orlando and would have to give that number if they phoned back in 24 to 72 hours time. She also gave me a website address where I could go and have a look at what I could win (imperialmajestyvacation.com).

I forgot about it, so I didn't have a look. Thursday evening (9 June 2005) I got a call back from a guy, saying his name is Ben and that I am one of the lucky 2% and can I read the number the other girl gave me. After that he told me everything that I will receive and that it was NOT a competition, I won nothing, it's only a promotion they are running in South Africa to get more people here interested in their vacation.

The vacation is worth three thousand and something dollars which amounts to just under twenty thousand South African Rands. I can get this vacation for eight or nine hundred dollars about five thousand, eight hundred South African Rands this is for four people.

This is what is included in this offer (We have to go in the next 18 months):

12 days, 11 nights in Orlando

For an additional fee I get a 2 nights vacation on the Imperial Majesty Cruise

And for another additional fee I get a 7 days, 6 nights vacation.

So, am I interested?

Of course I am interested, this is a once in a lifetime offer. I can't afford going on such a vacation by myself, it would be to expensive, this offer sounds really great to me. So I say yes. He asks for my credit card details because I have to pay a minimum fee to get the parcel (with brochures, a tape, etc) to me, he named an amount which sounded like nine dollars, ninety nine to me over the phone, like I said, the phone line was very bad. I even jotted it down and converted it to SA Rand, which was in the sixty rand. I told him I was afraid to give out my credit card details but he ensured me that it was safe. After he got an authorization on my credit card, he put me through to Cathy, who would verify my details and go over the package with me again.

She did. When it came to the amount I was paying with my card, we got cut off but they rang me back. Cathy told me that I should pay four hundred and ninenty, nine dollars (about three thousand, three hundred rands). I told her I did not have that much money in my credit card but they already put it through and got an authorization on it. I couldn't back out now (even phoned my bank, they couldn't stop the transaction).

I thought it was not that bad, I would enjoy going on a vacation, can't remember when I was on one! Thing is, I have looked everywhere on the net for more information about this vacation but can't find anything, only find all this complaints about Imperial/Ramada. I do not have any e-mail contact information for this company; I tried an e-mail address on some other site last Friday but no one has replied to me. They gave me two contact numbers:

416 20 7911 (USA)
091 954 630 9449 (South Africa)

I can't phone these lines, they are both in the USA and I cannot afford to phone overseas, our telephone rates are quite high in SA.

All the stuff I have read about Imperial are negative and I am very scared at this stage! What am I supposed to do? Is there anyone out there that can say something positive about this company and set my mind at ease?

I still have a little hope left that me and my boyfriend can go and enjoy a wonderful vacation in Orlando!

kita
Gauteng
South Africa

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