5 Star Universal

I already made a Yahoo Question concerning this, but I'm going to post it here too so I can spread the word.

Hello I "won" a trip from a company named Five Star Universal. Then after some researching I found out about all the complaints and that the company is a scam. So now I'm going to spend my time and efforts to fight these people in order to get my money back. However I can't do it alone. I heard this company scams their employees too, so if you've worked for this company or know someone who does, and wouldn't mind helping one of their many victims, contact me at [email protected].

The company has branches in other states that goes by other names, but they're all similar names with similar trip packages and similar sales tactics. Among these names are Universal Fun Pass, Universal Adventures Inc./USA, Universal Explorations, Universal Online Promotions, etc.

If you're unsure if the company you've worked for are the same people, see if these stories fits your experience.

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1955&start=0
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Universal.Online.Promotions.212-947-3201/review/list
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/universal-explorations-c191719.html

If you believe they're the same company contact me.Your inside knowledge of the company would be most helpful. If I have any success I promise I'll share as much tips as possible if you're trying to file somebody against these people. If I don't get my $600 back, then the lost money will pose as a reminder. No not as a lessen. Instead as a motivator to make sure I do everything possible to see companies like these get buried. I heard the owner already lost his business license once in the past. Together we can make it a second time. Again my email is [email protected].

I'm quite amazed at how widespread this scam is, and I'm beginning to wonder if trying to squash a few if these 'bugs' is worth the effort as it will only take out a few that will quickly be replaced by others.

Saying that there is a defence - the usual tool that we like to employ and that is warning and alerting consumers and educating them on how to deal with them.

The first rule is not to fall for it and secondly how to get your money back.

I've looked at UK consumer law and I'm going to frame a process for reclaiming money, and interestingly I have found this link that miight interest you, though I'm not sure whether or not it's too late in your case. My annoyance is that any bank should provide support for what are nothing more than scams.

Look at this

http://www.havenport.com/Law/dsmlm.htm

Canadian direct selling and consumer protection legislation can permit lengthy return periods, sometimes enforceable via mandatory credit card charge backs, if paper and online ordering contracts and other procedures are not correctly prepared and executed.

If consumers all make 'chargebacks' these scammers will soon get dropped by their banks, and then the problem is over. The second part of their confidence trick is to make people believe that their money is lost.

It appears that if you know your rights, you don't have to let them get away with it. People just need to be informed.

I'll dig deeper and see what details I can put together.

i am another victim of five star universal (texas). has anyone actually had their money back from either credit card companies or the company itself?

Welcome to Scamwarners starnie. I am sorry to note you have been scammed.

We have a thread here with more information and comments about this scam here;

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1955

If you have any questions or concerns - we will do all we can to help you.

I fell for this scam yesterday. A couple hours later, after thinking that giving my info was incredibly stupid, I googled five star universal and found all these posts about what a scam it is. I only wish i'd had the computer turned on while I was still on the phone! I called my cc company right away and they told me they couldn't see that the transaction had gone through yet, and canceled my card right away. They did tell me that it's not impossible that the payment could still be pushed through even though the card is no longer active, and if it does I can call them back and try to dispute the charge which I will certainly do if I must. Just wanted to let everyone know that if you call your cc company RIGHT AWAY and cancel the card there is a chance that these con artists will not be able to access your money. Thanks to everyone for your helpful posts and advice : )

Welcome to Scamwarners Jade. Thank you for posting this information and advice. Well Done

To better alert others I will copy your post into another thread on this forum that is dealing with the same scam.

I'm very glad that you have managed to avoid this 'scam' Jade and thanks for posting this news.

I hate all scams and scammers and this is a particularly nasty one, that needs to be stamped on. This is quite a common, and I have done a lot of research on it.

I won't bore you with my findings, though I have found it all fascinating. I have a perfect answer for UK people who get caught by this, as long as they react promptly. I suspect that you may be Canadian as they are putting their focus on Canadian citizens, mainly having faced many lawsuits in the USA.

One thing I would advise, Jade is that you send an e-mail to this company stating to them quite clearly that you have cancelled and tell them that you have instructed your card company to block any attempt to pass a charge to your account. For technical reasons, do not specify what it is you are cancelling. Just refer to it as the matter referred to in your call.

I will look at Canadian law but I am going to provide a course of action that defeats this fraud for UK victims and I hope the same thing will work for Canadians too.

I thought I had avoided it but I was wrong, they took $550.00 Canadian from me, it just didn't go through for days after I canceled the card. There is now a charge pending for $535.00 that hasn't gone through yet, so my cc company can't even tell me who the merchant is. Until I find out the merchant name I can't dispute it or anything. I talked to a woman at five star universal who told me that the first charge of $550. is non refundable and they have a recording of me agreeing to that, from what I hear they doctor their tapes. I understand that I gave them my card info for that charge even though I shouldn't have, so I'm pretty much responsible for it, but this new charge is totally unauthorized, so I have at least a chance of having it refunded. As I said on a different thread, I will post again when I know who it is this time who's taking my money and what results from that.

I got scammed by these pondscum last night - talk about bullsh*t baffles brains! Got the fullspeed sales pitch with that infuriating perky girly voice, courtesy of Chelsea, followed by Jessica. My partner felt it was too good to be true, but then they started off by saying that they were calling from Disney and how we`d won their annual promotion,blahdiblahdiblah....got to the stage where I actually (unbelievably when I think back on it) gave my CC details over the phone. Soon after which they revealed that they were with 5 Star Universal - I was online at the time, googled it, and was aghast to see pages of scam warnings. I called my banks customer service, they suspended the card but it seems that the transaction went through. I'll be speaking to the fraud dept on Monday, and will have to wait over a week for a new card - and all during a postal strike!

These people are scum, pure and simple. And they aint gonna get away with it.

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately I was scammed by the same company, however when they were on the phone talking to me they said they were from another company - United Travel US - so when I was double checking about scams they never came up!! However, when i received the so called 'confirmation email' today, the confirmation email is from travel services @ fivestaruniversal.com.

So please look out for this company their web page is www.unitedtravelus.com, clearly they are using another alias (and there are probably so many more out there) as five star universal has been recorded as a scam.

Unfortunately i was scammed for the amount of $550 canadian, but it is a lesson well learnt - do not give your credit card details over the phone, and it is definitely a case of bull sh#t baffles brains.

If there is anybody who knows how you can get your money back from these scams, please let me know.
Many thanks

Hi Roxy

Welcome to Scamwarners

Sorry to hear your were scammed but happy to know that you are now much more careful.

Thank you very much for posting this additional information, it will help to alert and save others.

If you haven't already done so, alert your bank and have the details changed or these people will continue to fleece money from your account.

Be mindful also of other scams that they may target you with.

If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask

That's very valuable information RoxyJ1

Below I reproduce the WHOIS report on the website and the part I've highlighted in red is a clear indication that it's associated with this scam.

As you point out, a problem is that during the phone call they don't make clear who they are. In fact, they attempt to misrepresent themselves as well known reputable companies and it's only later that you're likely to find out who they are really.

There are two steps to this scam - collecting your details and then tele-scamming you. Beware of any competitions you enter that require you to provide personal details and your phone number.

Interestingly when I did a search on this company I came to a page that requested those details from me with the chance of a prize. I can't resist.

unitedtravelus.com = [ 67.210.120.180 ]

(Asked whois.godaddy.com:43 about unitedtravelus.com)

Registrant:
Universal fun pass
Registered through: GoDaddy.com Inc. http://www.godaddy.com
Domain Name: UNITEDTRAVELUS.COM
Domain servers in listed order:
NS5.LUNARPAGES.COM
NS4.LUNARPAGES.COM
For complete domain details go to:

(Asked whois.crsnic.net:43 about =unitedtravelus.com) (show)

Whois Server Version 2.0
Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.
Domain Name: UNITEDTRAVELUS.COM
Registrar: GODADDY.COM INC.
Whois Server: whois.godaddy.com
Referral URL: http://registrar.godaddy.com
Name Server: NS4.LUNARPAGES.COM
Name Server: NS5.LUNARPAGES.COM
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientRenewProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 31-aug-2009
Creation Date: 28-aug-2009
Expiration Date: 28-aug-2014

Im very glad I found this thread. It's too bad I was a little too late. I received a phone call today, and yes, I thought I was lucky! But, I know everything is too good to be true, and because I was on the road, I couldnt do much but write everything down. The one thing I made sure I asked was after I see this package that Im receiving via email, if I change my mind, do I get my money back. And they said "yes, customer satisfaction is gauranteed". So I confirmed my card number. When I got back to the office, still no email. So I checked my credit card, and sure enough I was charged. When I went online to do some digging, I found this site, and many others warning about UnitedTravelClubUS.com. This is where they told me to go, and log in. They gave me a password and username over the phone. After logging in, Im sure we all get the same username and password, as there's nothing really in the website once you log in. I called my CC company and wanted to dispute a charge, and they told me I would have to try to call them first. So I called UnitedTravel, and they got their back up on me as soon as I used the word "WIN". They went down my throat with legal mumbo jumbo. I apologized and said, Im just worried Im not going to see my trip. If I was guaranteed to go on this big $3500 vacation for $500, then sure, Ill pay. She promised that they were legit, and what not. Which is even more BS the more I find out. I noticed someone mentioned talking to happy and friendly girls on the phone. It was Jessica that called me, and she sounded excited for me! So, I fell for it! They got me! I lose. I still havent seen my email package.. i think they are waiting for all my payments to come out. LOL.

These guys at Five Star Universal, from Texas are the same folks form Universal Adventures Online from Georgia. They even used the same testimonials on their website, mispelling the city of "Carignan".. as "Caridnan, Quebec"

The old owner was :

Name: Universal Adventure U S A
Phone: (912) 267-0911
Fax: (912) 466-8912
Address: 3365 Cypress Mill Rd Ste 2

Brunswick, GA 31520-2867
Website: www.universaladventureonline.com
Original Business Start Date: August 2007
Principal: Ms. Dayna Kolacki, Owner
Customer Contact: Ms. Dayna Kolacki, Owner - (912) 267-6829

The current one is:


Name: FIVE STAR UNIVERSAL LLC
Phone: (800) 441-6791
Address: 3030 MATLOCK RD, STE 107, ARLINGTON, TX 76015
Google map Mapquest map Yahoo map
Business Category: Vacation Certificates & Vouchers
eMail: [email protected]
BBB file opened: June 08, 2009
Business started: September 2008
Business started locally: September 2008
Primary Contact: JANET GONZALEZ (OWNER)
Complaint Contact: TRISH MARIA ROJAS (MANAGER-CUSTOMER CARE)

And janet's personal email address is : [email protected]

Please don't fall for these guys as I got scammed in Setpember 2008, right about the time they moved their scam to Five Star in Texas...

BE CAREFUL IT'S A SCAM

Hi, last year I had been hit with this same scam ( 5 star universal) they had told me i would get a trip and needed a deposit and everything they also told me nothing would be charged to my account right away ( altho i could not understand them half the time as they put me through to so many people to talk to). I was told by my bank they could not do anything about it and as dumb as i am i just faced the fats theres nothing i could do about it. And today I thought about looking it up some more and not only have i realised there website ( 5staruniversal.com) is no longer existing but its a scam. I want to thank you all for letting me know about this a little more and possibly if any of you have found a way of getting your money back to let me know that would be great. heres as much information as i have from them ... 3030 maclock rd 107 Arlinton? texas ... phone number 1-800 441-6791 . i spoke with Jessica # 2808 and i have a conf # .