Worldwide Destination Services WDS doesn't honor their own contract Tampa, Florida

My wife and I joined WORLDWIDE DESTINATION SERVICES on 1 Feb 2010.  We took our "$199 offered cruise 3 - 8 May 2010 and even had WWDS upgrade it for us which they did, but at our expense.  Additionally, they provided us with a nice bottle of wine and a fruit basket in our stateroom.

We took our 7-day condo stay 31 Jul - 7 Aug 2010 at the Via Roma Beach Resort on Bradenton Beach, Fl.  This was arranged by WWDS and all monies were paid directly to them.  They also provided all conformations.  Via Roma Resort only provided us the physical accommodations.

My wife lost her job, which included health coverage and I had 4 intracoronary stents put into my heart.  Due to our financial situation and current medical issues, it was not prudent for us to remain a member of WWDS.

Since we had met ALL WWDS requirements for a refund of our license fee minus processing fee and finance interest, we prepared all the documentation and sent it as directed by WWDS personnell and according to their written guidlines;  Certified Mail, Receipt Requested.  My postal receipt indicates our documentation was received by WWDS on 11 Sep 2010.

On 21 Sep, we were contacted by a WWDS agent who had a question regarding our request.  She indicated we had not provided any documentation indicationg our stay at Via Roma Beach Resort.  The reason for that was fully explained in the report and I called her attention to it.  She said OK, and I told her to please call the resort and verify and gave her the number which they already had since they provided the initial reservation and confirmations along with receiving all monies for the stay.

WWDW has had our documentation for almost 2 months and it's been over 6 weeks since we were contacted by them with a question.  STILL NO REFUND.

I called today on the WWDS number and reached the same building, but different people doing the same business.  On 1 Oct 2010, LEISURE SERVICES took over all the business for WORLDWIDE DESTINATIONS SERVICES.  The customer service lady told me that any action with WWDS prior to 1 Oct 2010 would have to be handled by WWDS.  I then asked for there new business information.  Leisure Ser vices agent told me they only had an email address and a P.O. box.

After hearing that, I did not feel too confident about ever receiving my "PROMPT" REFUND!  I have sent an email, but have had no response.

I went to the internet and was to Goggle WWDS and when I did, I found the Ripoff Report and read it along with the response from WWDS.  That scared me worse, because after having to deal with them, I fully believe and support the complaint of the individual trying to opt out during the 10 day period.

My personal concern is now what?  Was this a SHAM or are they going out of business or bankrupt or what is the status?  I have no other information and need assistance getting my refund which we dearly are needing.  WWDS has had our paperwork in their hands for almost 2 months and still we have no refund. 

WE NEED HELP!!

As the Manager of Worldwide Destination Services I am VERY aware of this customer's complaint. Before I respond directly to his complaint I would like to detail that we have TWO guarantees. We have an unconditional, money back guarantee that is 10 days from the date of purchase with NO questions asked.  The State of Florida requires a 3 Day right to rescind and we provide 10 days, so we are VERY fair. We also have a 365 Day, Conditional Guarantee that requires a customer to stay in one of our resorts for a week. If the customer feels that they did not get a good value, they can write us a letter stating why they feel they did not get a good value and again, no questions asked, and we refund their purchase price in full. This couple is unwilling to do that and that is not our fault. In case anyone is wondering we rent condos all over the world starting at $199 per week, so we are NOT seeking to make any more money with our Guarantee. We simply want people to use our services, be happy with our services and experience the value that we provide before we arbitrarily refund their purchase price.

This couple purchased on May 3rd, 2009 and received full access to our website and program that night. 30 days later Ms. Elford requested a refund and that request was not honored based on the timeline. She was instructed as to our 365 Day Guarantee and to date has not chosen to take advantage of that. 30 days later, 60 days from the date of purchase, Mr. Roberts coyly requested a refund, acting as though he was unaware of Ms. Elford's previous request. His request was not honored either and he too was instructed as to our 365 Day Guarantee. To date he has chosen not to take us up on that offer either.

Lastly, we have had in excess of 15,000 couples come into our offices and we vacation thousands of families each and every year. This is only our 2nd complaint on this site so we must be doing something right.

Scott Carey - Project Director