Help! Please Guys!? Have I Been Scammed?

I don't know what to do.. normally I run from these people I just hang up the phone... But this time for some odd reason LACK of my BETTER JUDGEMENT..

I gave them my DEBIT card # JUST To pay the federal taxes on a "FREE" CRUISE, that I would of had to pay anyway...(LIKE AN IDIOT)..

But I found out the hard way that like I said b4 "If it Sounds TOO GOOD to BE TRUE then, IT Probably IS. Now I don't know what to do should I cancel my CARD? OR SHOULD I TRY on Monday to make the RESERVATION? as I plan on doing it to begin with. I'm not 100% positive this is a complete scam. But the fact that I'm NOT EVEN SURE YET Worries the Heck Out of ME[emoji29] ? I Have 3 Children.. NOT 1 NOT 2.. BUT 3 & I'm engaged I'm scared.. I Have an 8, a 6 & a Baby 2 year-old I have to provide for.. NOW I WOULD NOT HAVE PAID the TAXES on SOME FREAKIN CRUISE THAT (my Husband & I both Need &(in My Opinion Disserve) WE're NOT EVEN GOING TO GET!!!???😓

Question, has anyone even heard of not being able to book your promotional free 3 day cruise right away? Is they're normally some type of 30- 60 day Wait ?

I thought if you got a free Cruise you can go whenever you want I could book it tonight and go on Wednesday, kind of thing! But they are saying when I call all 3 numbers that there is in fact I suggested 60-day reservation wait I have to get the cruise line 60 days to reserve my Royal Seas Cruise Room on the ship..

Now as you can tell by the way I'm reading I'm not a usual Travelers I don't have the money to get around..

Soo I Actually thought that maybe I actually got lucky for once in my life and then when I looked it up at the time everything was legit.

I Googled it while I was on the phone. And then looked it up later and it was a completely different cruise lines I'm freaking out someone please give me some helpful advice..

I did get the advice from that one person which I appreciate run don't walk but run from these people these scamming people. I usually always always do exactly that .. but this one time I don't know I did the wrong thing and now I'm BEAT out of $130..

The " MS GRAND CELEBRATION CRUISE SHIP " IS WHAT THEY SAID I'DE BE TAKING.. LOL and then I looked it up online I Googled it while I was on the phone with the representative giving me the promotion and about an hour after I got off the phone and gave them my debit card and got my confirmation number my reservation number, and all that and it didn't exist anymore?

That's Nuts right?

What do I do? Should I cancel my card now and be screwed either way how to make my reservation on Monday once everything is set in the system they say promotions take 24 to 48 hours in the system to come up so I can LOG-IN, RESERVE MY ROOM, MY STAY, OUR TRAVELS & SHIP OUT DATE.. IS THAT NORMAL? AT ALL? EVEN FOR A PROMOTION?

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I'm sorry but this sounds very sketchy. I would call and cancel my card ASAP, before they use your number to make other purchases and drain your account. You can get your money back, but it might take a little time.

I don't know if this is a scam, a timeshare sale, or what, but Grand Celebration is now operated by Bahamas Paradise Cruise line, out of West Palm Beach. They only sail 2 night cruises, so I don't know how they can promote a 3 night one, unless them calling it a "3 DAY cruise" would be what they are doing, with the first and last days being partial days.

I would go on the Bahamas Paradise Cruise website and see how much money it would really cost to see if it's worth going through this third party. Or call them and see what their experiences have been with this company, and if the cruise line requires additional fees.

And Royal Seas could require you to attend a timeshare presentation to get that price.

By the way, you can get a 3 or 4 night cruise on Carnival for not much more than you would be spending here, depending on the ship and choice of week. You might want to research them if you can get away from this easily.

Good luck with it, and I hope you can cancel if you need to.

This is about the company that operates the MS Grand Celebration. http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2015/01/articles/fraud/caribbean-cruise-line-scam/

And this http://www.cruiserschoice.com/news/royal-seas-cruises-scam-tried-to-lure-more-victims-for-bahamas-retreat-r1401/

Don't ever give out your debit card especially if they call you. I would closed asap.

You may want to read the several existing threads about this "scam" that are on the Bahamas Paradise Cruise lines board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2343273

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2337711

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2353152

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2405942

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2254970

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2438678

The cruise line is perfectly legit. But the reseller agents that operate under numerous ever-changing names that tout the "free" cruise are, as you suspect, a timeshare company. You will get a real reservation when you call them but to pick up your boarding pass you will first have to go to a "welcome center" which will be quite a distance from the Port of Palm Beach. Reports of how long you will have to listen their crapola before you finally get your pass are quire varied. But some people do post here that they felt if was worth the mess to get their "free" cruise.

I am a little confused. There are a couple of questions I have.

Not that it matters to your problem, (and I am sorry if this is a true story and you are going through this)....There are a couple of contradictions in your story. First you said you were engaged and then you said your "husband"...again....not important, but strange to me. You joined CC in the middle of the night and this is your first post. You also posted this story 5 times, on 5 different categories. In the amount of time that you spent doing all of this (signing up, posting, etc.) you could have called your credit card company and had it taken care of. They do have a 1-800 number 24/7.

Not sure what you want us to tell you, other than "call" your credit card company. You already admitted to thinking it was a scam. :confused:

In the amount of time that you spent doing all of this (signing up, posting, etc.) you could have called your credit card company and had it taken care of. They do have a 1-800 number 24/7.

 

Not sure what you want us to tell you, other than "call" your credit card company. You already admitted to thinking it was a scam. :confused:

You seemed to have missed the fact that the OP used a debit card, not a credit card. Debit cards have almost none of the protections against fraud that credit cards do. The bank will not automatically suspend a charge while it is in dispute, nor can they block the merchant from making additional charges. Only thing that can be done is to suspend all debits until a replacement card is issued, limiting her to withdrawals in a branch or writing checks (if she even has any).

But as has been already pointed out, she will eventually be able to make a reservation and jump though all the hoops to get her "free" cruise.

You seemed to have missed the fact that the OP used a debit card, not a credit card. Debit cards have almost none of the protections against fraud that credit cards do. The bank will not automatically suspend a charge while it is in dispute, nor can they block the merchant from making additional charges. Only thing that can be done is to suspend all debits until a replacement card is issued, limiting her to withdrawals in a branch or writing checks (if she even has any).

 

But as has been already pointed out, she will eventually be able to make a reservation and jump though all the hoops to get her "free" cruise.

Yes, I know this. I did not say anything that you have stated :confused: I simply said "call". I would want it "closed" to be safe.

Your post makes absolutely no sense at all.

DON

Honestly, I would call your bank/credit card company and cancel this....and never ever say yes again to any high pressure sales pitch. In fact, you should never say "yes" if any company gets you on a call (there's actually a scam that is being talked about this week -- if somebody you don't know gets you on the phone and asks you if you "can hear me now?" hang up right away. they will be recording your "yes" and will use the recording to scam you.

We rarely have the bell on our landline on as most of the time, any calls we get are sales calls. Any legitimate caller will leave a message for us. So unless we are expecting a call, we don't have the bell on.

During some time that I was expecting a call back from a doctor, some caller said I won a cruise. Nope, didn't enter a contest for that cruiseline. I did ask which cruise line and I think it was for that line mentioned above. Just for fun, after I hanged up, I checked the cruise line's website and then checked the BBB and the ship is some old rust bucket that was previously used by Carnival, I think. It was for one of those cruise around Bahamas and then you are put up at some flea hotel.

Some years ago, 60 Minutes did a story about a cruise scam (can't remember which cruise line, but not one that would is considered mass market or premium). If you fall for the scam, the way to get your "free tickets" is to pay COD for a Fed X package....or any air travel you need to book would have to be done through their agency.

So if there's any newbies here, who decided to go on the cheapest cruise possible, or call that number on the postcard that promises a free cruise.....DON'T. Save yourself a bad experience. Save up for a legitimate cruise....you should be able to find a decent price on a starter cruise by going to a legitimate travel agency. You won't be paying extra for the service, but a good TA will match you up with the right line, ship, itinerary.

Your post makes absolutely no sense at all.

 

DON

Ditto! I was thinking the exact same thing.

Ditto! I was thinking the exact same thing.

...and of course the OP's come back to their thread to thank everyone for the advise they so desperately seek......:rolleyes:

If this charge has cleared your account, and the company provides what you paid for, you have no valid dispute. I don't understand how you could get your money back, as you agreed to this purchase.

I would probably give it a try and ask for a refund as it can't hurt.

...and of course the OP's come back to their thread to thank everyone for the advise they so desperately seek......:rolleyes:

This thread or any of the other 4 threads started on the subject.

This thread or any of the other 4 threads started on the subject.

Not unlike most first post rant threads....;)

Scammers exist because some people will fall for the scams.

I love my '' block this number '' option on my cell phone !!

Your an idiot, it must have taken 15 minutes to type this post on your phone (then post it up onto 3 other threads), you could have cancelled your card in less than 5 minutes. No sympathy, plus your information is as dodgy as the complaint about the dodgy "FREE" Cruise in the first place.

Any time a sales person states that you must reserve now, it is a scam.