Just Dreams Honolulu Paradise Dreams....countless others Nasty scam artists-if you are seeing this before you buy SAY NO and leave now! Honolulu, Hawaii

First of all, if you are reading this and have not yet signed anything WALK AWAY NOW!

All of the reports I've read so far read almost identical to my experience.  We got snagged while walking by an activity center on the main drag off of Waikiki Beach.  They target affluent-looking Aussies and Canadians. (I think this is to make things super complicated because of the cross-border issues).

The workers at the activity center sign you up to go to the presentation...all for a cheap deal on tickets to a popular activity. Don't give them your credit card information, if you insist on seeing this through, give them 20 bucks cash as your deposit.

You agree to a 90 minute presentation, which will take up at least half of your day.  It's all super odd and the thing about no bathrooms or cell phones happened to us too.  Each couple ushered in separately then seated at their own table with their very own rep from the company.  The rep grills you for at least an hour before the presentation even starts.  Then comes one of the family members, doing a high energy skit including what must be planted couples shouting out throughout.  We haven't figured it out but at least two of the couples had to of been "plants".

Then the presentation ends and the high pressure sales tactics start. It's nasty, and super heavy handed.  They make it very tough to say no.  The rep immediately calls in another staff as soon as they think they may have a "maybe" out of you.  The price drops until they hook you and of course they offer lots of things to make you feel like you need to be one of the first people to say yes.

The people who said no left looking very upset.  I can only imagine what was said to them.

If you are finding this after thinking you outsmarted them by talking them into looking themselves up online, then think a bit harder, because you haven't left yet, so you are still not free.

They will get super slimy and keep at you like starving dogs until you end up signing for whatever price you end up agreeing to.  The prices range from 9995.00 to under 1000.00.  They just keep dropping it until they have you.

They then get even slimier and offer you financing at some ridiculous interest rate. PLEASE, for the love of money and your credit history, DO NOT sign up for their financing...this will just make things that much harder to get out of once you realize you have been had.

You leave after signing your life away and get escorted out of the building into an awaiting and pre-paid cab.  You are not allowed to leave on your own and not allowed to walk away from the building.

After reading as much as you can, you will determine that what you have just bought for one to ten grand is nothing.  You will see that this company has a name that changes over and over again but the scam stays the same.  You will have no way to test the "product" before your cancellation period ends, so you will need to decide what to do right away.  Do not waste time once you have made your decision.  Take action immediately.

If they have some of your money, and it is not on a fraud protected credit card, you will need to talk to your bank.  The Honolulu police and your hotel will likely help you out.  Our hotel was super kind in doing all they could to help us.  Report it to the police as well as the consumer protection place.  The numbers are all easy to find by looking them up online.  The consumer protection people were also very helpful and kind and explained how important it is to report these jerks to stop them.

If they have your credit card info and have charged your card, get in touch with your card company immediately.  Explain you have discovered you have been scammed and provide all the details you can.  They will direct you with instructions on what to do next.

Read your signed contract very closely to determine what is required for a legal cancellation.  Hopefully you have found this report in the first few hours after buying and that it is not the last day of your vacation.  They point out that the items given to you must be returned...make sure this happens and that it is registered and track-able.  Honolulu has post offices that can help you and your hotel can tell you where they are.

Cancel clearly with the company as soon as you have figured this out.  You may not get your money back right away, and you may lose some of your money, but it's a heck of a lot better then them taking the entire amount along with the yearly fee.

I personally agree that you shouldn't try going back to the company in person unless you take the police with you.  These guys are really good at what they do and will stop at nothing to keep your money.  Don't waste time licking your wounds and ego, act fast to protect your money.

Lastly, once you have things all sorted, please report the bastards.  The Consumer Protection people can't shut them down until they get enough reports.

Aloha