by scammee
Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:07 pm
Hello everyone,
I was saddened to read how many others were scammed by this company. All of your stories sound exactly like mine. Unfortunately in my case, I never got my money back since Mastercard told me that I had as good as signed my name when giving my CC # over the phone. They told me I need a written statement from the vacations company that they would give me a refund. Like that was ever going to happen!
This is what happened to me I received a phone call years ago. When I realised that I had just been manipulated into making a purchase I didn't want, I thought "scam", so I began my google search about this company. I learned they go by many names, Universal Vacations, 5 Star Universal, United Vacations, and such... I regret that I never found this site. I really wish I had at the time. I exhausted every resource I could think of.
My memory is foggy but maybe writing down my experience to the best of my ability will help someone else. It might have been sometime in January 2009. I was called by a very cheerful and excited guy or girl(can't remember anymore) telling me I had filled out a contest online a won a vacation. I told her I didn't recall filling out anything and she insisted that I had. The truth is, I often enter contests online, so I wasn't too sure that I hadn't, but I didn't recall this one in particular. I attributed that to my lack of attention to detail in this case and continued to listen. Looking back I know that they try to make you feel stupid if you don't know what they are talking about, they will ask things like "You don't remember where you fill your information?" They ask " On [this particular date] you don't remember filling out a Disney vacation getaway contest?" They make you question yourself, your memory and get the better of you that way. I still can't fathom how people can do this to others...
I continued to listen to the pitch and I was skeptical, I even said I was and they told me they understood, but this was the real and they had many happy contestants and bla bla bla. She talked about the vacations and details, trying to get me excited. I wasn't getting excited but I was thinking "let me see this through to the end, maybe it's not such a bad deal". In any case I never felt in danger because I felt in control. They really do talk so quickly and fill your ears with so much nonsensical chatter that you become disoriented. You also miss a lot of words; when you ask questions they act like they heard you differently and answer with something else, or ignore it completely and just continue with their spiel. I was eventually transferred to a girl who was super excited for me. Her name was Jessica or Amanda. She went through the same routine that others on here have been through. She repeated details of the vacation (in my mind I was actually thinking "bla bla bla" get to your point). She told me she can see in my information that I have a Mastercard or Visa and she wanted to make sure she had the right one so could she please have my expiration date to check? I was still in that dismissive attitude because I just wanted to get this over with. Here is where I get stupid. Actually it was stupid to even stay on the line in the first place, but human curiosity can get the best of you. So gave her the date for my Mastercard. She wanted me to "confirm" the rest of number. See? not asking me what it is. but asking to confirm , so I would think she already knows it anyway. So in my mind, if this was a scam, I was already at their mercy. I also thought there is no way I would get approved. So, I "confirmed" my number (IDIOT!). She then congratulations me on getting approved, "that's great isn't it?" she asks. So I tentatively say "yes". They want to get you recorded saying yes as much as they can.Then she tells me the details are on the way to my email. Now I was saying "HOLD ON A MINUTE, I didn't purchase this, you were just checking if I was approved right?" She answers "That's right, a charge of $298 US will show on your account and when you book your vacation you will be charged the remainder. bla bla bla." I told her I didn't approve of the purchase. She ignored my concerns and told me I could check the details online, that this was a non-refundable charge but I could cancel the vacation. I am sorry I can't remember many details at this point, but I remember calling the company back right away and asking for a refund and getting the same response. I told them I never agreed to be charged ad they said you gave your cc number, that's an agreement and it says on my account profile "no refunds" I complained that they only tell you it's non-refundable AFTER they put the charge on your card and that that is not a legitimate practice of a reputable company. They simply ignore that kind of remark and concern and tell you they have many satisfied customers.
I called Mastercard immediately but they were not of much help. They said the most they can do is cancel my card and issue me a new one with a new number. They told me that because I approved the charge (gave my cc number) it was like signing my name and it was irreversible. They also told me if I could a written agreement for refund from Universal they would be able to reverse the charge. I left a message with Universal saying I wish to speak to a manager to cancel my trip. I was left a message in return to call and ask to speak to [name] here immediately. I did so and was replayed an edited recording which they send they would send to Mastercard. It was so obviously edited and even then you could tell I was reluctant and never actually said yes about the charge, just yes to see I qualify.
Anyways, to conclude, I never got the $298 US, $330 CAD back, but the other charges never showed up. Then, last month, I got a call from them again!! The nerve! This time it was a young man. Well I let him have it, I told him what kind of company they were and said I wanted nothing to do with the vacation. He told me I have $500 credit with them, and he didn't want me to lose my money (by the way, I hadn't paid $500 since I cancelled my cc before they could make the second charge, apparently they don't keep detailed records???). He didn't even defend my accusation about them being scammers, mind you, he told me he is taking time of HIS LUCH BREAK because he didn't want me to lose my money. Oh my God, isn't he kind? I requested that he return my money to me because he is so concerned. He said he can't do that, but he could extend my vacation for $199, he just needed me to give him my new cc number. I told him I don't want a vacation. Again he baited me saying you want to lose your $500? I demanded that he either give my money back or extend my vacation for free if he cared so much. He said he can do something for me, he can extend it for $99. He just needed me to confirm my cc card. As if I was going to do that again. I let him know there was NO WAY I was giving him any cc information. I was not giving a penny more, if he wanted me to go on this vacation so bad, he could send me the details first by email where I could look them over and then decide. He acted so agreeable, saying of course I will do that, and now if I can just have the expiry date on your credit card. I wanted to scream, they really are relentless! There was no way he was getting any cc information form me and I told him that without mincing any words. Every time I thwarted his request he would still come back to it. After a bit I just hung up, it's like you are speaking a different language. They tried calling back but I didn't pick up.
I am not as shocked about the blatant theft as I am about the nerve of the people that work there. You speak and it's like they aren't even listening, just reading a script. I know it sounds dramatic but you really feel that they have lost their humanity. I lost a lot of sleep over this. I had always thought I was smart and careful and this really put a huge dent in my self esteem. I've received fraudulent phone calls before and been able to recognize them, how did I get myself in to this mess?? If there was one lesson to keep (a $300 lesson) it is that if people avoid answering a direct question, hang up on them immediately.
I think it's too late for me to get my money back, sadly. I had done all I could at the time. Contacting BBB, contacting organizations in Canada as well, but I was at a loss and felt I couldn't do any more. I hope that one day these people are caught, stopped and punished, but until then I am glad I had a soundboard here where I could vent and relate my experience to other people.
Good luck to others who fall for this scam!
