Carnival Free Cruise SCAM

[spacewoman]

Heads up to everyone.

Postcard being circulated around saying you WON a free Carnival Cruise up to 8 day voyage. Nice pretty picture of a Carnival ship on it as well.

Come home Saturday Hubby says "you got a card from Carnival saying you won a free cruise." I look at it and tell him, can't be from Carnival no return address from Corporate in Miami. For that matter no return address, period. Says "we've been trying to contact you, this is a free cruise celebrating the opening of our business in your area." If it was in my area I would have seen a big TO DO in the papers.

I tried to look up the number on the internet, just kept saying toll free, no further available. I call the number from my cell phone and get someone saying "hello could you please give me your offer number." Not, Hi, I'm so and so from such and such company. I hang up. I then GOOGLE it. I pick up another cruise message board where I then see a picture of the exact same card we got. I also read about people falling for this garbage. One was into this company for $400 and still hadn't received a confirmation on a cruise date they chose.

IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE --------- IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!

I still have the postcard and can scan it and upload if anyone wants to see it.

Kathy

[SkyMaster]

Yep, that's been going on for quite some time now. When I received mine, a close look at the card revealed that it wasn't associated with Carnival, and when I researched it further, I found that it was a "Vacation Club". I "googled" the club to find a large number of people who had sued the "club", and others who had paid their money, but hadn't received anything of value yet. Bottom line,,,I trashed the card.
As you stated,,if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! As a matter of fact, in this case "IT ABSOLUTELY IS!

"SKY"

[spacewoman]

It's very scary out there SKY

Back in the day maybe late 1990's we contacted a travel agency in Florida who offered cruise discounts out of Florida. These jokers wound up being sued by the Attorney General's office in Florida for their business practices. We lost a very small amount of money to them and when all was said and done the owner of the travel agency had all his personal assets in his wife's name and the courts had nothing to seize to pay back those who were ripped off. This is why I've always done face to face with a TA for our travel plans. (one nightmare through our bank as well unfortunately).

This year we're booked through one of the advertisers here because they gave us such a great price, but I'll tell you I'm still a bit nervous even though they have never given me a reason to be. Just those past experiences roaring their ugly heads

[rockabutzer]

My DW received the same card in the mail a few months ago. It was for a vacation club. If attended their little presentation that they were having to celebrate the arrival of their business in your area, you would get a free 7-day cruise PLUS airfare.

I knew it was a gimmick, but scheduled a time to attend the presentation. Well, after they get you involved by giving you points for providing interesting answers to their questions, they spring it on you that the points add up to dollars off their premium membership. My DW and I ended up being the couple with the most points and were quickly whisked away by one of their reps for the hard sell.

After playing around with them for about 15 minutes we told them we weren't interested in their membership and would you please give us the certificates for the cruise and airfare.

Now here is where they get you. You have to pay a deposit to be able to use the certificates. For the cruise it was $75.00 and for the airfare, it was $50.00. Then to make it even more interesting, there was no guarantee that you could use both together OR get the cruise or flight you request.

To summarize, the coupons they give really are not worth the paper they are printed on! And don't waste your time attending their presentation!

[SkyMaster]

Right again Kathy. I've always done business with a local T.A., that I KNEW had been around a long time. Later, we started doing business with a T.A. that I found through one of the advertisers here on this site. I do, occasionally, book with a Carnival PVP, but more often than not I use my trusty T.A.
Have a good one!

"SKY"

[richstowe]

Couple of week back there was a thread on the same subject. The OPer wanted to know if the offer was legit.
When wise CCers said no, OPer kept coming back with comments on how maybe it was legit.
After a few more responses, OPer said "we" were being rude. I suggested they take up the offer and find out for themselves.

Some people are determined to be taken.

[arush5268d]

Yup, nothing new. There is no such thing as a free lunch - yet people keep falling for it.

[AWCHIEF]

Nothing new here, not a week goes by that someone does not post about this scam. They get enough takers from gulible people that it makes it worth while for them to continue the scam.

[golfadj]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Nothing new here, not a week goes by that someone does not post about this scam. They get enough takers from gulible people that it makes it worth while for them to continue the scam.

Sad but true.

Mine was leaving from Seattle for 7 day cruise stopping at ST Thomas.

Was kind of wondering how they would pull that off.

[genegri]

There should be a sticky about this type of "free" cruise offers. Not a week goes by that someone does not come and report of receiving the same scam.

Hopefully most people are wise to it. But I can't help but think there must be some who took up the offer.

[richstowe]

Originally Posted by genegri

There should be a sticky about this type of "free" cruise offers. Not a week goes by that someone does not come and ask the same question.

Probably wouldn't make a difference. People always believe that "their" offer is legit.

[VegasCrossfire]

Originally Posted by golfadj

Sad but true.

Mine was leaving from Seattle for 7 day cruise stopping at ST Thomas.

Was kind of wondering how they would pull that off.

Funny - I got the same postcard only ours was leaving San Diego, CA with Freeport Bahamas as the Port of Call #2 and St. Thomas as the Port of Call #3.

Luckily, I figured it was too good to be true so I never called. But I have the postcard sitting in front of my computer just in case someone wrote about it and it was a legit deal. Now I can throw it away and get back to looking for a "real" cruise.

[golfadj]

Originally Posted by VegasCrossfire

Funny - I got the same postcard only ours was leaving San Diego, CA with Freeport Bahamas as the Port of Call #2 and St. Thomas as the Port of Call #3.

Luckily, I figured it was too good to be true so I never called. But I have the postcard sitting in front of my computer just in case someone wrote about it and it was a legit deal. Now I can throw it away and get back to looking for a "real" cruise.

Well from San Diego it makes more sense. You take the northwest passage and make a right turn at the Susquehanna hat company.

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

I remember a recent thread where a High School's senior trip got ripped off by the TA after they had used the same TA the previous year. Bottom line your TA can go out of business. That's just the tip of the iceberg as to the many reasons I personally book my own travel everytime.

Of course, there are no FREE cruises.
Back in the 80's and early 90's you could actually get something valuable for sitting through a sales presentation. It was a relatively new kind of business back then. Today, there are those like me who sat there, decided not to buy and now we see that timeshares/vacation clubs are for the most part worthless. I almost bought the first time in 1981. That was Orange Lake in Orlando. I drive by it occaisionally when we visit there. It looks kinda run down, but more importantly I can buy a week there for the same amount it was in the eighties! Meanwhile, you can always get a decent room for under a $100 a night. Oh, and they tell you that you can trade your week...Yeah right. Most of the people I know can never get what they want/where they want/when they want. They regret buying timeshares/vacation clubs.

[redlef]

Originally Posted by SkyMaster

Yep, that's been going on for quite some time now. When I received mine, a close look at the card revealed that it wasn't associated with Carnival, and when I researched it further, I found that it was a "Vacation Club". I "googled" the club to find a large number of people who had sued the "club", and others who had paid their money, but hadn't received anything of value yet. Bottom line,,,I trashed the card.
As you stated,,if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! As a matter of fact, in this case "IT ABSOLUTELY IS!

"SKY"

I throw those out regularly, nobody's giving you a free cruise. Maybe a free trip on the ferry between NY & NJ if you're really lucky.

Even the "real mailers" from travel agents and the cruise lines are misleading at best. "Book today and get a 5 category upgrade." Yes, it's true, but it just means you're on deck 8 instead of deck 5.

I like that 7 day trip someone mentioned from San Diego to St. Thomas. I wonder if they go through the canal or around the Cape?

[Thestapels]

A guy I work with brought his in for me because he knows I cruise. When he gave it to me, I filed it.

[Nanaimobound]

Ditto. I have received 3 of these and threw them away immediately.
I had a friend contact me about one she got and I said it has to be a scam throw it out!

[MagSeven1413]

I was in a really good mood when we got our postcard. Yes it says 'we have been trying to contact you'. Really?? So for the fun of it, I called the number and was told that there is a new vacation planning agency opening in our area and that they are running this promotion to get new clients. All I had to do was travel an hour and 15 minutes to sit through a 90 minute sales presentation in some hotel's conference center.

Then I began the questions.... "What is the name of the agency so I can research it?" "How have you been trying to contact me since this is the first mailing and we have not had any phone messages?" "Why can't we have the sales presentation at the agency's office?" "Why isn't the agency's name anywhere on the postcard?" "So I can come to this presentation without a checkbook or credit cards and I'll still get the free trip?" When she couldn't answer any of them, I just said no thanks.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Originally Posted by redlef

I throw those out regularly, nobody's giving you a free cruise. Maybe a free trip on the ferry between NY & NJ if you're really lucky.

Even the "real mailers" from travel agents and the cruise lines are misleading at best. "Book today and get a 5 category upgrade." Yes, it's true, but it just means you're on deck 8 instead of deck 5.

I like that 7 day trip someone mentioned from San Diego to St. Thomas. I wonder if they go through the canal or around the Cape?

It's on one of these



Drive from San Diego to Miami, then in the water to the Bahamas!

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Nothing new here, not a week goes by that someone does not post about this scam. They get enough takers from gulible people that it makes it worth while for them to continue the scam.

lol Im starting to feel like its daily someone starts a new thread on this.

They must be sending out those postcards by the millions.