Odenza Marketing Group - Odenza Vacations - Fun Planet Vacations THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE PROSECUTED FOR FRAUD! Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7 Canada California

  If you think you’re immune to a con artist’s scam, you might want to mull that one over. If you answer your telephone, you can be vulnerable. Even if you see yourself as a person who looks objectively at every situation, you could be caught up in a clever web — even if you’re one of those people who looks at every aspect. Oh, oh, there’s the catch.

Just weeks ago we read and saw on the news that a young woman finally was free in Iran after being incarcerated for months, though she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Spying, they said. The phone-call setup Your own telephone rings midmorning. “Grandma, I’m in trouble in Barcelona, Spain. I need your help.” She is crying uncontrollably. “Who is this?” “Don’t you recognize your own granddaughter’s voice?” Guilt. “But I have five granddaughters.” “I’m your oldest one.” It has to be the oldest one of the three sisters; the actual oldest granddaughter is working. “Nancy (not her real name). But where’s the baby?” “I have a super baby sitter. My friend Sarah had an extra plane ticket to visit her relatives and invited me to go with her.” That makes sense. Nancy needs a vacation trip. “What happened?” “We were out riding and her cousin was speeding. The police found drugs in the car. I was tested and found clean of drugs and alcohol. But I’m in jail anyway.”

Oh, oh. The money request “I need $2, 000 for bail when I see the judge this afternoon. Then I can fly right home. And you’ll get your money back right away. But please don’t tell a soul. I’m too embarrassed. I’ll tell everyone when I get home.” Where are those alarms that are supposed to be sounding about now? It’s those tears that drown them out. Of course you’ll give her the money. You look at your husband. He has that terrified look like he’s going to the poorhouse. “The police officer wants to talk to you now. But please don’t tell anyone.” OK. “This is Officer P. Seagal of the Barcelona Police Department. Nancy is innocent, but she needs the bail money. You won’t tell anyone, will you? She feels very badly about that.” No, you won’t. Such a kind officer. So what should you do? No checks, please Officer Seagal, who put the accent on the first syllable of his name, then switched to the last syllable (sounds more Spanish, right?), wants you to send cash only, through Western Union. He even gives you the office closest to your home. You did tell him what city you live in (you don’t remember anything that Barry Bonazzi of the Will County Sheriff’s Department has told seniors time and time again: DON’T GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION.) But this is your own granddaughter we’re talking about. Stay out of my head!

Directions are explicit. He gives you his phone number (later turns out to be a Montreal area code). You have your cell phone turned on (of course you gave the kind officer your number) and he will call you in 45 minutes. You will get a form from Western Union and you have specific instructions on sending the money, which is now up to $2, 935, to Nancy. No, not Nancy, he corrects himself as someone else seems to speak to him. You send it to her lawyer, David Benson. “An American lawyer?” you ask. “He’s with the American Embassy, ” Seagal says. Hubby knows best Hmm, are the bells ringing now? Your husband certainly hears them. “It’s a scam, ” he yells. You break the rules and call Nancy’s phone number to talk to the baby sitter. Nancy answers. Could this be her cell phone? “Where are you, Nancy?” “I’m home. Don’t you hear the baby?” “Is anyone forcing you to do anything, ” you ask. “No, Grandma, why?” You explain the whole story. “Grandma, you’ve been scammed, ” she screams. Thank God, Nancy is safe. And no money passed through anybody’s hands. Your husband answers the next call from Seagal and puts him off. When Officer Seagal calls back a few hours later to see if the money went through, you tell him Nancy got home and you both appreciate that he did such a great job, and hang up. Funny, he hasn’t called back. So the next time you hear that Bonazzi is going to talk, you go and take careful notes. You’re going to put those withdrawal slips away, and the only thing you’ll take to the bank is everything Bonazzi says.

I had a lot of the similar complaints about Odenza and the upgrade selling, then discovered that I wasn't even booked on the cruise I thought I was taking!  I called Darren and raised hell.  He was very polite and apologetic though he supported his sales staff.  

Very quickely he had Priscilla call me and offer me several suggestions, including a very inexpensive upgrade on the cruise I wanted, which I accepted, because in the meantime I reviewed my emails and discovered that I was wrong in my claim that I didn't know I wasn't booked.  So I admitted it to Priscilla and thanked her and them for their patience and assistance.  I'll let you know if all goes well from here.

So they are hard to work with but not total jerks apparently

I would just like to say this... I am not an employee nor a consumer with this company.
Please get your facts straight lady. The "misrepresentation" came from the 3rd party who would have purchased the voucher off of Odenza. They told you what they wanted, not Odenza, and you decided to believe it. You would have had to register your certificate, meaning you signed that you read the terms and conditions, and those stated that you have to pay your ports and taxes for 2 people. They also stated that it was a category 1A (bunk beds), which if you are handicapped (not just old like you), Odenza and Carnival provides accomodating space FREE OF CHARGE!!! and it states that you are entitled to what they have been alotted by Carnival, which is why it is called "promotional inventory". Also, regarding Carnival's taxes, incentive companies have a set amount they charge everyone for these taxes because they always go up and down. I know for a fact that Odenza will either refund the remaining amount, or fork over the rest of the cost if that amount is less than what Carnival is charging at that time. I just wish people would stop being so ignorant and actually read terms and conditions on these things before they complain and eventually make themsleves look like idiots.

And lady, if you haven't booked you get a full refund. This is not near anything like fraud.