Rip-off Report Investigation: Grand Incentives Grand Getaways opened their doors in a "crisis mode," trying to salvage clients who were under duress. Rip-off Report says there's nothing wrong with being entrepreneurial and making a buck, especially if it evolves from "rescuing" people who thought they had been ripped off. Rip-off Report knows this first hand because of all of those consumers they assisted when Mini Vacations went out of business, Jose' Martinez proved himself to be a man of his word and integrity. This Report is like no other because of the unique situation. Grand Incentives Grand Getaways adheres to Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. Sarasota Florida

Grand Incentives /Grand Getaways joins Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program

ALL COMPANIES GET COMPLAINTS, BUT HOW THE COMPANY HANDLES THOSE COMPLAINTS SEPARATES GOOD BUSINESSES FROM BAD BUSINESSES.

Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program requires EVERY Member business to agree to satisfy all complaints past, present and in the future when applicable. Rip-off Report is always working harder for you, the consumer, so you can feel confident about what to look for when dealing with a company or individual. Remember, just because a company or individual is reported on Rip-off Report does not mean you should not do business with them. Use Rip-off Report information as a tool to your advantage, so you know what to look out for when dealing with that company or individual. No company is perfect, that is why political activists, and consumer advocacy groups are needed to instigate public action for the betterment of our society.
Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program,..A program that benefits the consumer, assures them of complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business. ED Magedson, Founder of Rip-off Report explains how this program works to benefit both the consumer and the reported business on Rip-off Report.com

Rip-off Report Investigation after 5 long months of this company only doing right by past clients of a company that went out of business...

As is often the case when matters are not fully considered, the smattering of complaints about Grand Incentives is a result of assumed guilt by association, rather than actual action or non-action. Jose Martinez, the President of Grand Incentives, was employed by Mini Vacations, Inc. as Vice President of Development. As an expert in the travel industry, Martinez had developed numerous relationships with clients all over the country, clients who came with him when he joined Mini Vacations. When Mini Vacations closed its doors in 2006, it was as much a surprise to Martinez as it was to his clients. As someone who had a stellar reputation to protect, his first action was to try and do everything possible to make sure that the clients whom he personally brought in, as well as the thousands of new clients he helped develop for Mini Vacations, were take care of . In forming Grand Incentives, Martinez and his team created an opportunity for Mini Vacations' clients to redeem their travel certificates. And at the same time, Grand Incentives became a viable business model to move forward with new travel accounts. Sure, ultimately the goal is to be a financially successful business venture. And certainly the Mini Vacations clients that are being "rescued" by Grand Incentives will be a strong conduit to Grand Incentives becoming a respected force in the industry. But, what's wrong with success? The point to clarify is that, after thorough investigation, it is clear that Grand Incentives is not a "clone" of Mini Vacations, as one complainant surmised.

As thousands of clients were left with unredeemed Mini Vacations certificates, it is taking time to answer them all. But Martinez assures us that they are handling as many calls as possible and working hard toward favorable outcomes for all. Rip-off Report is monitoring emails, both positive and negative, and have discovered that there is a clear trend in the negative reports - in that the persons making the reports often did not have all the details, were frustrated by a phone call not being returned immediately, and most important, assumed guilt by association when there truly was none. Grand Incentives is in no way connected to Mini Vacations.

Excerpts from a few samples of verified emails confirm that Grand Incentives is on the right track to customer satisfaction. Given that they are taking on problems not of their own creation, Rip-off Reports admires their patience. For example this letter from a customer in Greenville North Carolina:

"I must start out with an apology for not only jumping to conclusions about Grand Incentives, but also for not following up once clarification was provided by you. Please see below email sent to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services further detailing my apologies. I sincerely apologize for failing to follow up and state that Grand Incentives not only resolved a wrong doing by Mini Vacations, but also that you promptly clarified any questions I had pertaining to my quotation. You not only promptly answered my questions, but you also saw to it that my reservations were booked quickly which resulted in me receiving confirmation from your company. Please accept my apologies and if I need to write any further letters to resolve my inaction of notifying the State of Florida that you had resolved my issues, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Once again, I apologize. Thank you for setting up my cruise as I definitely look forward to my long needed vacation."

Now, Rip-off Reports realizes that few consumers who have jumped the gun to complain about a rip-off before getting all the facts are nearly as forthcoming as the gentleman from Greenville North Carolina. The human tendency in situations like this would be to remain quiet, happy to get the matter resolved, and get on with daily life. So, for the handful of complaints that Rip-off did receive about Grand Incentives, it is assumed that others may have already been resolved as well.

Grand Incentives had made a commitment, not only to consumers affected by Mini Vacations, but to corporate accounts as well, and Martinez says they are making every effort to re-instate these companies' confidence in the travel incentive business. That too, Rip-off Report discovered, seems to be working as indicated in this sample letter from a major incentive company in Colorado that says in part:

"I would like to take this opportunity to commend your staff for resolving the scenario that MVI Marketing put my company in. As you are aware, we have over 100 clients who rely on incentive products on a regular basis to promote their business. Your effort and commitment in handling the daunting task of fulfilling these travel requests has been nothing short of phenomenal".

"In today's business climate, it is rare to find a group like Grand Incentives that takes it upon themselves to ensure my clients' well-being. Your effort has been outstanding, and we will naturally continue purchasing all of our incentive needs from you."

"We look forward to furthering our relationship with you and send our sincere "thank you" for helping us out when the going got tough. You really came through when we needed it most"

YOU REALLY CAME THROUGH WHEN WE NEEDED IT MOST.. this seemed to be the recurring sentiment in the letters and emails waded through by Rip-off Report. Clearly, Grand Incentives opened their doors in a "crisis mode," trying to salvage clients who were under duress. The relief is almost palpable in the words that thankful clients expressed. Another example:

"I just wanted to thank you and Grand Incentives for everything. For taking away my headache and making it yours instead, for the generosity, and for going the extra distance to get me compensated even though it really wasn't your job to do so in the first place.. I appreciate your being patient with me and being so responsive. I will forever be your advocate. Thank you for your good faith."

And then.. "We really appreciate your help and patience with us. You're worth your weight in gold.." writes a Hartford, Connecticut couple.

When a situation such as the Mini Vacations one arises, patience is, indeed a virtue. Grand Incentives has taken on some headaches, for sure. But, as Martinez pointed out, in the long run, they will be remembered for going the extra mile, and the effort will come back to them tenfold in repeat business. Well, Rip-off Report says there's nothing wrong with being entrepreneurial and making a buck, especially if it evolves from "rescuing" people who thought they had been ripped off. As stated at the very top of this page, Rip-off Report knows this first hand because of all of those consumers they assisted when Mini Vacations went out of business.

There is no company, to our knowledge, that has a zero complaint record. But, the true test of a good company is how they handle the complaints that do come their way. Rip-off Report is satisfied that Grand Incentives is making every effort to take care of as many clients as possible, given the volume of transactions that were left hanging from Mini Vacations. They have expressed their eagerness to get through the business at hand so that they can begin building new relationships with "zero baggage" to carry over.

Grand Incentives, Inc. also fulfills and distributes the Grand Getaway Vacation Travel Club.

If anyone has a problem with Grand Incentives and or any products they handle, please contact them at this special email address... specialassistance@grandincentives.com

you can always contact me, EDitor@ripoffreport.com

Be sure to visit their website www.grandincentives.com

See special note below.

ED Magedson
EDitor@RipoffReport.com
badbusinessbureau.com
www.ripoffreport.com

We are not lawyers.
We are not a collection agency.

We are Consumer Advocates.
...the victims' advocate

WE are Civil and Human Rights Activists

We are a Nationwide Consumer Reporting News Agency
...by consumers, for consumers

RIP-OFF REPORT SPECIAL NOTE:
We rely on loyal readers like you! "by consumers, for consumers" ...to tell us what we need to know about any business or individual. NO editor will change your words and to misquote you..

With thousands of postings a week to Rip-off Report it would be impossible to investigate the details of the situation behind every posting. We rely on loyal readers to bring anything and everything to our attention regarding the postings of our Investigations; that is what has made this site so successful, consumer input.

The fact of the matter is that while Rip-off Report gets a lot of postings and traffic, our operation and resources are limited. We are really a consumer watchdog forum and not an investigation entity. We simply do not have the resources and funding to investigate the background on every report posted here, and under the laws of the state of Arizona and the United States of America, we have no obligation to do so.

Fortunately, when companies like Grand Incentives gets involved in our Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program, it allows us to investigate further and in greater depth and obtain the resources to keep Rip-off Report alive..