Pay only taxes?

[Elijahsmom]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm new here but I have a question! I received a phone call on Saturday from a company called Travel Services US, the offered me a cruise package for $98 per person. They said we would be paying taxes only. I have until 12/4 to decide if I want to participate and then 18 months to pick a date. Has anyone heard of this company? I'm assuming it's a scam and would like any advice you can give.

 

Thanks,

Kristen

[riffatsea]

I have learned that you NEVER do business with someone who calls you and offers you a deal/"opportunity" /charity/ etc. over the phone.

IF you have not asked for info from this organization then you do not want to do business with them!

[Essiesmom]

There appear to be a number of these 'deals' out there, and they wind up being more money than they are worth. They become so restrictive that you can't find a workable cruise. They promise you one departure port, then insist you have to use another. It is no deal. EM

[paul929207]

With most (all?) of these "deals" you wind up paying more than you would have just booking thru the cruise line.

[sjcruiser]

I would be leery of this. They may get you onboard, and charge you for everything, or nickle and dime you.

[GRAMMYTAN]

Just curious, have you cruised before? If so, what cruise line? Is the "deal" for a cruise on the same cruise line? I am asking because a friend who took 1 Carnival cruise this summer got the same phone call about 3 or 4 weeks ago saying he would receive info in the mail and he had to respond in a certain time and would be sailing Carnival Triumph out of NOLA. He sailed Carnival Conquest out of Galveston,

It definately sounded like a scam to me, but I could not convince him of that, even though I googled the company and found a lot of negative responses.

If I were you, I would google them and read some of the responses from people just like you who got scammed.

[timh111]

I can guarantee you 99.9% that is a SCAM. They will try to sell you a vacation timeshare and send you on a cruise that was probably transformed from a barge!! REMEMBER: "If it sounds too god to be true, It probably is" !! Research them online. Or continue this post here with the company, ship etc. and let us look into it!!

 

I just looked into it...Like I said, they are going to try to get you to buy a timeshare. Here's the link...http://travelservicesus.com/

[kitty9]

Anything via an unsolicited phone call is something I ALWAYS either hang up or ignore. Things like this are a scam. And regardless of how they make up their website, even those things can be made up to look good, but to be a scam.

[jewopaho]

... would someone call you out of the clear blue sky, and offer you something free??? As you can see from the posts above, it's a come-on aimed at your purchasing a timeshare. If you're gullible enough to fall for the "tax-only" cruise, you're likely to end up with a $15,000 week in God-knows-where! I suggest that you, (1) totally disregard this offer; (2) place your phone numbers on the National Do Not Call List, and (3) if you're already on it, report the organization. I'm glad you checked before committing ... we just saved you a bundle!

[Bonnie J.]

I ask callers like yours to EMAIL or MAIL me the info. Then I have it in writing but I'd still forget it!

[firefly333]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm new here but I have a question! I received a phone call on Saturday from a company called Travel Services US, the offered me a cruise package for $98 per person. They said we would be paying taxes only. I have until 12/4 to decide if I want to participate and then 18 months to pick a date. Has anyone heard of this company? I'm assuming it's a scam and would like any advice you can give.

 

Thanks,

Kristen

 

The thing that would make me most leery is .. WHICH CRUISELINE?

 

Some are selling 2 day cruises on older ships that most of us have never heard of.

 

Even if its legit .. and its on a normal cruiseline (I doubt it or they would have said so) .. the problem is getting it booked. I got a free cruise for listening to a sales pitch and for $179 per person for a 4 day, sure, ok since it said out of galveston. One year later, they still couldnt book me out of galveston, and after a year were ready to refund my money when I went to the BBB. Finally they gave me a cruise on Triumph next month, but I had to to fight with them thru the BBB to get that. And it never was the cruise promised out of Galveston. My taxes and fees are so much more than what they told you, Im skeptical its even a major cruiseline though.

[mamasue]

You'll end up paying more in 'taxes' than you would for the whole cruise from a good TA.

If you need a good deal.... book one, there are plenty around right now.:)

[Mike981]

I would wonder how they got your phone number.

[GlendaleCruiser]

With most (all?) of these "deals" you wind up paying more than you would have just booking thru the cruise line.

 

They tell you that the charges they promised don't include this, don't include that, until you are up to the original price of the cruise.

 

Got sucked into this once not because I fell for it, but because my friend did and then she wanted me to go with her. We paid the money, chose two cruises, didn't get them, got another one later and then they tacked on "fees" and comparing to website I would have/could have gotten the cruise for that price any day of the week and chosen the time I wanted to go.

 

Never again--even for a friend.

[Nanny B]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm new here but I have a question! I received a phone call on Saturday from a company called Travel Services US, the offered me a cruise package for $98 per person. They said we would be paying taxes only. I have until 12/4 to decide if I want to participate and then 18 months to pick a date. Has anyone heard of this company? I'm assuming it's a scam and would like any advice you can give.

 

Thanks,

Kristen

 

 

 

Momma always said "If it sounds too good to be true - its not"!

[Lard Greystoke]

I would wonder how they got your phone number.

 

Telemarketers can purchase lists of phone numbers. Many times sweepstakes and "free offers" require you to include your phone number in the response. If the form does not contain wording to the effect of "we will not provide this info to a third party", they can sell the information to a third party. That may be the whole point of the survey/free offer.

 

Regarding whether or not this is a "scam", that's a harsh word. It definitely is a for-profit enterprise which involves covering the overhead of a telemarketing unit. It is unlikely to be a true bargain.

[navybankerteacher]

Do you ever wonder what it means when someone offers you a deal that is too good to be true?

[cruiseco]

I ask callers like yours to EMAIL or MAIL me the info. Then I have it in writing but I'd still forget it!

 

But now they've got your email address and/or your mailing address. The less contact info strangers have the better.

[griffy116]

While you will actually get an opportunity to go on a cruise, you are signing up to look at a vacation "presentation" that you are required to attend. For one thing, they don't tell you the cruiseline. I did actually have them send me the information in writing and it included the name of the ship. I looked it up (only out of curiosity) and the ship is like a floating disaster. If you are serious about wanting to go on a cruise, find a TA and get the prices. This is not a deal at ALL!! Run away from it quickly.

[Arzeena]

While you will actually get an opportunity to go on a cruise, you are signing up to look at a vacation "presentation" that you are required to attend. For one thing, they don't tell you the cruiseline. I did actually have them send me the information in writing and it included the name of the ship. I looked it up (only out of curiosity) and the ship is like a floating disaster. If you are serious about wanting to go on a cruise, find a TA and get the prices. This is not a deal at ALL!! Run away from it quickly.

 

IF they even send you on a SHIP that is......likely they will give you a dolphin or whale floatee from the dollar store!

[Toto2Kansas]

Run don't walk away from these types of offers. :eek: