Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Reporter David Eckert
Rick Hogue said he was surprised when he received a package in
the mail for a free, all-expenses paid trip to Florida. He was
even more surprised when he learned the trip was not as free as
it was advertised.
The organizers of the trip, Ramada Plaza Resorts, invited those
who had received the vouchers for $1,300 to a presentation to
advertise the benefits of the vacation company's travel
options.
The presentation was supposed to last two hours, Hogue said. In
reality, the presenters kept participants there for more than
six hours. Hogue, a downtown Sudbury resident, said he and
other people invited to the presentation were "held hostage,"
as the presenters aggressively tried to sell more and more of
their services.
"I didn't mind the fact that we were invited to the
presentation," Hogue said. "But the aggressive sales tactics
were too much."
Despite the aggressive tactics, Hogue and his fiancée still
went on the trip. He noted there were a lot little things they
were charged for that they didn't expect - such as an extra
charge for the orange juice in the morning or an extra few
dollars for the use of a security safe in their room.
What he was most displeased about was the vouchers he received.
There were vouchers for free meals at restaurants that closed
after 2 p.m. However, the hotel check-in times were 3 p.m.,
causing the vouchers to expire before they could be used.
Hogue said he was disappointed with the wait times required for
getting onto the cruise ships. And there were weight
restrictions on the provided bunks.
"There were bunk beds set up in the cabins, with the top bunks
having posted weight restrictions of 145 pounds," Hogue said.
"It seemed like they were coaxing us into paying for an extra
room."
Hogue said that, in the end, it was nice to go on vacation, but
that he would "never use Ramada Plaza Resorts again."
Northern Life tried to contact Ramada Plaza Resorts. After a
series of redirections, Northern Life was forwarded to Joe
Gallant, the senior travel co-ordinator for Caribbean Cruise
Lines, the firm that transports the Ramada vacationers. He said
he regretted hearing about Mr. Hogue's experience, and that
Caribbean Cruise Lines always tries to use professional manners
with customers and tries to provide them with as much
information as they need.
Glenn Thibeault, MP for Sudbury, currently serves as the
consumer protection critic for the New Democratic Party in the
House of Commons. He released a statement about the matter.
"People should always be careful when any business, including
travel agencies, call them with offers of something free.
It is not uncommon for certain companies to use tactics of
persuasion to get people to purchase their products or
services. It is not right that they use these tactics, and that
is why people need to use caution when dealing with them.
I am certainly concerned about this matter, and urge anyone who
is approached by companies like this to do their research
before accepting any offers."
