MVI - Mini Vacations, Inc. RIPOFF deceptive scam travel Tampa Florida *UPDATE ..Mini Vacations contacts Rip-off Report! they will give everyone full Refund or replacement certificates ..Even though Mini Vacations is not responsible for another company's actions and misrepresentations. FULL refunds given.

In 2002, my wife and I spent a saturday at a timeshare presentation, which we had to drive 4 hours round trip to get to. We were promised the "reward" of a trip to Las Vegas for two, airfare and hotel included.

We didn't end up buying the timeshare, but we got our certificate and sent in our $100 deposit. We requested our dates and were told that they were subject to availablity with the airline. We were also told that we need to send in our date request more than 90 days in advance. (we did). We were sent our FIRST rejection letter 3 weeks from our anticipated dates, saying that we didn't send the letter in more than 90 days in advance. On calling the company they said that even if it had been 90 days, the dates requested were unavailable.

So we did it all over again. Requested dates again more than 90 days in advance, once again subject to availablity. For the SECOND time we were rejected, due to the dates being "unavailable. Keep in mind, the dates requested were mid january the first time and the first week in MAY the second time around -- not exactly travel blackouts or anything. So I called up -- this time I told them that if availability is such a problem, why don't they just give me some dates. I am pretty flexible -- just tell me when I can travel and I will. But I was informed "that isn't how it works".

I smelled a scam... Here is how it works. They offer "vacations" subject to the availablity of tickets from their airlines. They make bids on airline tickets much the same way we do with a service like "priceline". You make a lowball offer and hope it gets accepted. That is how their "airline contract" system seems to work

There in lies the rub -- if they make ridiculously low offers to the airlines that will never be accepted, they never have to send anyone on vacations and honor their committments. There is no guaranty that airline tickets will EVER be available, and therefore they needn't spend any money sending anybody anywhere.

Well, I guess I am not going on vacation. It is said that a happy customer tells 2-3 people about their good experience, but an unhappy customer tells 20. I am going to make sure that I tell 20 people, and I am going to make sure it is 20 CEO's of companies that are handing out these "Certificates" -- that is who MVI's true customers are. I also suggest filing complaints with the Florida Attorney Generals Office, (http://myfloridalegal.com/), Nevada board of Tourism, my own state Attorney Generals office, and any other agency / tourism board that would deal with this deceptive company. I am going to turn complaining about this company into a religion to which my fanatic devotion will be unmatched in the world.

Eric
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
U.S.A.