Caribbean Cruise Line Lies and Steals?
A television station in Louisville, Kentucky reported on an interesting story today entitled "Woman Claims Cruise Company Promising Free Cruise Lied, Stole."
Amy Zetina, a hard working mother of three in Kentucky, responded to an ad which offered a "free cruise."
Ms. Zetina was taken for a ride, but it wasn't on a cruise ship.
It turns out that "Caribbean Cruise Line" offers “free” Caribbean cruise package, with some ads featuring Carmen Electra promoting a "free" cruise.
Ms. Zetina received a packet in the mail telling her that she was the lucky winner of a "free" cruise, including a $1,300 voucher. She agreed to pay only for port taxes and then gave her credit card number over the telephone. The cruise company then began sucking money out of her account.
Ms. Zetina did not know that 458 customers had lodged complaints against Caribbean Cruise Line. Nor did she know about it's "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau. An investigation by the television station revealed that the company made unauthorized charges against customers' credit cards.
After Ms. Zetina contacted the television station, she called the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office and the local police. Only then did she get her money back.
You can find complaints about this company on the Complaints Board and Ripoff Report and throughout the internet.
Moral of the story? There are no free cruises in life. And when someone rips you off, fight back.
Enjoy the official ad of Caribbean Cruise Line with Carmen Electra (in Spanish - Cruceros Gratis!)
PS: There have been criticism of marketing scams by "Caribbean Cruise Line" which is not a cruise line at all but a marketing company which also sells time shares in the Bahamas. We last mentioned this company two weeks ago in a story about an affiliated company, Celebration Cruise Line - Report of Rape on Bahamas Celebration Cruise Ship.
Photo Credit: Celebration Cruise Line website
Jim Walker practices admiralty and maritime personal injury law. He has been involved in maritime litigation since 1983. Based in
Caribbean Cruise Lines has at least 6 domains offering this scam which is a cover for timeshare sales, and other dubious "freebies".
www.caribbeanregistration.com/
www.bahamasfreecruise.com
www.bahamascruiseregistration.com
www.caribbeanregistration.com/
www.caribbeancruiseregistration.com
www.caribbeancl.com
Ramada Plaza Resorts is also in the middle of the scam. There is no such place, and those who buy into this usually end up at the Ramada near the cruise port in Ft Lauderdale - which is a 2 star dump.
I plan to post about this after I get more info, and will link back to your article.
I am scheduled to travel from Houston to Florida for this (scam) in December. I started reasearching after everytime i asked which hotel i would be lodged at, i was never given an answer just the lie that they had several hotels to choose from and upon booking i would be told which one... when i did find out and googled the hotel i was very displeased. When i called back to request a different hotel, i was put on hold for 30 minutes and given the run around. Finally after being very persistant James a so called Trip advisor gave me his personal line number 954-630-9449 ext 4320 said he would upgrade my hotel to the Marriot. When I called back to get confirmation he didn't remember the phone call(how conventient!!!!even though i had his personal line" ) James informed me that the cruise line owned the Ramada Plaza Resort hotel and that is the only one they have to offer..unlike i was told when i bought the package and for $45 a night I could upgrade at my expense to the Marriot or Westin. I expressed my concerns about the EXTREMELY negative reviews along with pictures of the Ramada Plaza since year 2006. that this hotel has not been renovated,better yet demolished. I am still fighting for a resolution... Maybe even a class action lawsuit.
Ms,. Broussasrd : I was reading your comment and I'm really interesting to know how the cruise was. I'm going in February with some family members and I would like to know if is worth it. Thanks in advanced.
I was just threatened by Mr. Robertson in expired accounts on an package I never used. He told me if I didn't upgrade for $800 that they would come after me for $900 for my unused vacation. He was very persuasive with his fraudulent tactics. Problem is that my fine print didn't match what he said at all. So after the call I called Corporate Headquarters and they apologized repeatedly for what happened and said it wasn't true that I would be charged against my will. They said he wouldn't be fired but would have money taken from his paycheck. (?) The more I think about how he tried to force me and wouldn't let me talk to mgmt (how many others did he swindle?) I think I should contact the AG.
Wow, these stories sound so similar to my situation! I'm trying to contact the cruise line now and I don't have a number? What number should I call? I think I spent over $1200 and I would be more than willing if anyone wanted to proceed with a class action lawsuit, only I don't have all my info (which is why I wanted to contact them). Thanks you and Good luck!
i just called this and it is a joke. thay were rude after i said i would not give the credit card number. i suggest that no one ever gets mix up in this stupped game.thay wiil drain your money dry.
i had my money stolen, lost my honeymoon and they are refusing to refund me. dont know what to do.
i booked the cruide plus extra features, staying in bahamas, free meals. i called 5 m ahead of time to book my dates, they booked them but refused to send me confirmation. i called again 2 weeks later to discover, it was wrong dates, i was very upset, had to change my tickets and everything, then they assured me they have the right dates. since it was my honeymoon, i called again because i didnt feel comfortable without written confirmation. they said they have reservation for a whole different month, no cruises in the month i wanted. that was after the guy had assured me reviously that evth wa set. they admitted theat maybe they committed 3 mistakes, booking wrong dates 3 times but they cant do anything about it, it is non refundable and there is nothing i can do. now i lost 1000$ and my honeymoon.
how can i get my money back and who is responsible of closing this buisness?
Thanks to.everyone who wrote. We just got a call and put Mr. James on hold while we "get our credit card" so we could look up this too good to be true offer. He wouldn't give us his phone number so we could call back so he said he would wait on hold for ten minutes while we "drive to get our card" instead, we Googled the company and only found websites about a scam. Thanks for your posts everyone! My husband and I really appreciate it. :)
Thanks for your information - I fell for this over three years ago and it still haunts me! I received a phone call approximately two weeks ago saying that my credit card was going to be charged for the additional amount owing on the trip (we never did go and thought that it had just expired after 18 months). The guy on the phone would not indicate how much was owed - I hung up and put a hold on my credit card. I get, on average, three phone calls per day - mostly hang ups, but today Mr. Alan Parker phoned. I "googled" his name and see that others have been victims of his phone calls as well. Beware everyone!
CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE is a SCAM!!!
I purchased a cruise deal on March 23, 2011 and tried to cancel May 6, 2011 and they told me that they could not refund my money.
I wanted to cancel for various reasons. First, because they did not tell me that I had to participate in a timeshare and I specifically asked this question and was told, no.
Secondly, when I would call to inquire about rates for adding kids I would receive different answers. The price was increasing rapidly.
Caribbean Cruise Lines is deceitful, and untrustworthy and the customer service is unbelievably horrible. I would never ever ever recommend this vacation to anyone.
I was told the owner's information was:
Robert Mitchell
2419 East Commercial Blvd. Ste 100
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308
and to write a letter to request a refund.
Hope this helps. I have submitted a claim to the BBB and the Florida Attorney General Office. I guess I have to wait and see what they will do. Any advice, please let me know.
Please someone in this world listen to the fact that this cruise line sucks
I bought this over a year ago...should I pick a date and go? or just consider this a loss? This is going to require us flying there...so I don't want to add to what I have already invested and end up not having a trip after I fly there! Does anyone have a phone #? Any info is appreciate.
I just fell victim to "Caribbean Cruise Lines" today. I had been searching for cruises for the past few days,and then I heard a commercial on the radio saying that the first 500 callers would receive a free cruise. Normally I would think it to be a scam, but being a strong believer in fate, I called anyway. I asked repeatedly if it was a scam, and was continually reassured that it was not; one of the reasons I was given was that the radio could not market a scam or else they would lose their license. (I believed that). They kept trying to sell me bigger packages, none of which I could afford (we had planned on saving money to take a cruise, not buying it right this second), and when I denied them the man would become increasingly angry and keep lowering the price. How can you lower the price that much? Then they did an "audio receipt" where it was obvious they only wanted yes or no answers. They also never said the amount my card was charged for in the audio receipt. When I came home, I tried to get on the website they gave me, and the login and password did not work. I never received a confirmation e-mail. I tried to search for them online and the website I found was obviously a fake and had no contact information at all. Luckily, my husband is a lot less gullible than I and advised me to check this out before things got ugly!
Hello to all. Just to like to confirm that this company (or whatever it is..) is in fact after your money and there are many many strings attached. I was outraged read see many pages like this and it is terrible.
For anyone researching this off of a "free cruise" please please see a certified travel agent.
I really need the cruise lines phone number. They took my money for the port taxes and fees and I want it refunded to my card. Can someone please give me their number???
CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE IS A SCAM. THEY CHEAT YOU, PUSH YOU HARD TO GET THE TICKET, OVER SELL THE TICKET AND WHEN YOU GO FOR CONFIRMATION, THERE IS NO SEAT AND SWEETLY TELL YOU THAT THERE IS A SUITE AVILABLE.BE CAREFUL ON THEIR PRICE. THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE IS DETERMINED BY THE SALE PERSON AT THAT TIME.NOTHING ON THE WEB. I BECAME A VICTIM OF THE OVERPRICED BOOKING FOR TS TO BAHAMAS FOR $945. FOR 2 PEOPLE WHILE THE BAHAMS CELEBRATION PRICE WAS ONLY $365.THEY WILL USE YOUR MONEY FOR HOTELS, CAR RENTALS ETC. THIS IS A CHEATING COMPANY/
For several months I've been getting an obnoxious computerized phone call about twice a week stating that I will be awarded a Bahamas cruise if I answer a short survey. I usually hang up but thought if I answered the survey, maybe the calls would stop. There were 10 generic questions (male/female, rent/own, age range, education level, etc.). Then I was put through to a rep to "collect my reward". I asked who was sponsoring the survey and she said the cruise was from Caribbean Cruise Lines. I asked again what company was actually calling and doing the survey, and she hung up on me. I've been trying to contact Caribbean Cruise Lines to ask them to stop phoning me but can not find a way to contact them. The calls come from (207) 493-2630 but you only get a busy signal if calling it. Does anyone know how to contact Caribbean Cruise Lines?
i called the number then hung up thinking it was a scam. then i re-thought and went through the process. only when i was put on hold to get the audio receipt did i realize this was really a scam. will my card still get charged??
The exact same thing just happened to us. Unfortunately, my husband and I were unable to go and now they told us they would charge our card for 2 passengers. Even after we told them we DID NOT go. They have no contract or recording that this ever even took place.After reading this article, I will be calling to get my money back.
I have had the same thing happening to me as Colleen Hough did. They tried to get my card info. after sweet talking me. I told them to email me their info. The first time I told them I didn't have my card with me, and they hung up on me. Two days later, they called back like nothing happened, and I told them the same as the first. She went on to explain to me that I may miss my chance in this great offer. I told them that I must have been very lucky to have had them pick me twice already. Again I asked for them to email me their info. and have yet to receive one. Your instinct is your BEST weapon. If its too good to be true. It MORE than LIKELY IS!
So, a couple months ago, I was asked to take a survey "promoting Diabetes awareness". They asked a few vague questions, then asked my name. Nothing too personal. I figured I was bored, so why not. Then, for the next two or three following months, I got 1 or 2 phone calls a day, saying "Hi, this is John. I've noticed you haven't registered for your FREE cruise to the Bahamas! Please give us a call back..." etc. It listed a cancel number, which I called a few times. Kept calling.
So, this morning, when they called, I called back and asked if they could prove this was legit. They dodged the question with "well, this is a call directly from the Corporate Offices of Carribean" and gave a brief description of the "free cruise", then asked for my credit card number. I told them I don't have it, I'll call them back, and asked for contact info that didn't involve automated bull. She said she had none. Then hung up. No goodbye, no "have a nice day"
So, then I came on here, to look for Carribean's Corporate phone number. Of course, I can't find one, and I find this site instead. Perfect. Just as I figured. Another scam. And I'm still going to get these phone calls...
Hi everyone so I of course am doing research on cruises and I so happen to come along to this page in which the funny part is I work as a customer service rep for this company I'm not sure about the people who you guys have spoken to first things first I have been with the company since 2009 as well I have had people send me post cards thanking me for their great vacation. Okay so lets understand the partner companies transfer clients over after "asking" if they would like to recieve a FREE cruise in fact it is free some people dont under stand by law another person cannot lagally pay taxes for any body so by law if you take the FREE cruise which is FREE you have to pay your OWN GOVERNMENTAL PORT TAXES yes the company cannot pay them for you now its your choice to accept or decline the offer now of course when your travling from CA or NY your not going to just fly down an fly back so of course they OFFER you people a Discounted hotel stays which again you can accept or decline I have never once lied or stole information to a customer if that was the case wouldnt you think the company would have been shut down an their merchant privledges taken away from them! Now when you were asked if your under stand what is being processed to your card than yes your going to be charged if you answered yes now for you people I read the script everyday I understand how things work in the company in fact if an employee gets caught lying to anyone at all your fined and your black listed from the company which includes alot of affilated companies now keep the above in mind and understand what your reciveing the next time people dont understand what free is and you make false statements about a good company Oh an one last thing yes if you are not interessted in time sharing than you understand you do not have to buy you simply say no and you go forth with your cruise as well if you live in CA or IL you cannot particapatie in time shares so seems pretty normal and realistic to me...
I was talked into buying this last night. Fortunately for me, I did not fall for any of the aggressive selling of hotels packages etc. I only paid for the port taxes and room upgrade, costing 217. After I read all the reviews, called them to cancel it. Had to be on the phone for an hour and go thru 3 people trying to convince me that the posts on internet are from unknown people and I should not beleive it and ll crap. They then threatened me with the contract terms etc, but when I said I dont care and I will dispute this with my Credi Card company anyways, he put me on hold and then came back and said he wants to have satisfied customers, so he would refund. I think he budged because the amount was small and was not worth for them. Inspite of this, I put a hold on the payment with my credit card, and also am replacing the card. They initially asked me if I was setup on a monthly payment plan, which makes me think they would even try to credit money every month. The indication of Fraud is the way they try to sell you stuff .. that tells it.
Stay Away, not worth the pain.