I posted this as a reply to another similar comment, but I thought it might get a quicker response from the company rep, Kim, who has posted in response to other comments about this "offer") if I started a new thread.
Hi Kim
It's nice to have a contact to respond to questions before we commit money in addition to the time we already invested. We have "certificates" for "free" airline tickets and a Celebrity cruise, advertised as " Gift #4: Cruise: Two adults over 21. Seven day cruise with air". The language is identical to that quoted by Greg above.
There are important questions before we part with the $174 in "refundable deposit":
1. How much will we have to pay to get this "gift"? How much is the "reservation processing fee" for both cruise and airline? $5 or $5, 000?
2. What are the "surcharges"? Who imposes them?
3. "We can not guarantee that you can combine this certificate (airline) with your cruise certificate". How is that a "7 day cruise with air"? Under what conditions might the certificates not be combinable? How often does that happen?
4. Under what conditions are the deposits refundable? How about if the cruise and air don’t match? If you can’t get a date that works for us or if the only option offered is to fly at 2am? What is the process for getting a refund?
5. "Certain departure ports such as New York, Baltimore, Seattle, ..." will incur an additional surcharge. What is the full list of surchargable ports? How much are the surcharges?
6. The certificates must be mailed (airline) "no later than 21 days from the Sponsor's issue date" (blank on the form) and (cruise) "within 21 days of the registration date shown on your registration form". What is the registration form? Again, there is no date under "issue date". Does the date refer to the date of the time share presentation? Hardly, because the first sheet selecting the gift had to be mailed with 30 days of attending the presentation. This is material because the certificates have a limited time period for which they are valid. The cruise is only good for September to December months, and we don't want to preclude traveling in any part of December 2011 by sending in the certificate before the end of December 2010.
7. There is no indication that the air tickets associated with the "seven day cruise with air" are round trip. Are they one way or round trip?
It seems that VIP Travel would have a much better name if you posted the answers to these and other questions on a traceable web site of your own. In the meantime, I look forward to your response here.
Many thanks!

My wife are nearing retirement and VIP Travel sounded wonderful. We paid them several thousand dollars for their services offered.
2 days after signing we wanted to cancil the contract as the web site they promoted was nothing as described. They offered us a $1, 000.00 travel credit to stay with them. Now I can't even find their web site to expore an option for our 25th anniversary and when I called their number I got a message saying their number was not available from my calling area.

Should have stayed with our insticts and canciled. Last thing I want is to get involved in a class action law suit and throw more good money after bad.

It sadens me to know these lowlifes are getting away with stealing 100s if not 1, 000s of hard working peoples money.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We attended a sales seminar and purchased a membership Sept. 14, 2007. We tried to use their services, but they were slow in responding, then offered accommodations which were 250 miles in the opposite direction of where we were headed. Finally, they promised financial consideration for their ineptness, but reneged on that also. We filed a complaint with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs in January 2008. In April 2008 we read where the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs had sued VIP Travel for VIP Travel's unfair and deceptive practices in its solicitations. Danny Collins, an attorney with the Department of Consumer Affairs said, "They promise quite a few things that they don't deliver on."

Then we went on the internet to complaint boards and found many complaints regarding VIP Travel. Since VIP Travel operates business in North Carolina we felt the citizens of North Carolina should be made aware of the suit filed against VIP Travel, and the numerous complaints filed on internet complaint boards.

I "joined in late 2007. I tried for about two months to schedule my week of vacation in June of 2008 by making numerous calls and sending numerous emails. Sometimes it would take a week or more to actually get a call back when I left messages. I could not get even a receipt for my prepaid week of vacation without threatening to call a lawyer. The week ended up not being discounted in any way. I tried to redeem some of the teaser offers they offered me for joining. It took them over a month of me requesting/faxing just to get around to sending me some info on how to even start trying to use the teaser offers. Everything ended up being almost impossible to use, much less save any money. I tried to schedule my second week that I had paid for the right to have. They had nothing available and I did not see any savings in what they did offer (mostly out of the country). I called several times on their HOT List openings. Every single time the listing was higher priced or not available. I had been assured that the company was able to secure substantial savings and a high percentage booking rate (over 92%) for the people who paid for the VIP membership. All of that information was an outright lie. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I found out that they had been restricted by a judge in September 2008 to not charge a North Carolina resident anymore. Yet, I was charged my yearly fee in November 2008.

Purchased a life-time membership in Travel Club. They have now gone out of business and have not provied any type of refund, prorated or not.

What remedies are available to us, or how can we recove some or all of our money.

Your can reach me via 803-349-0937 or by email:
[email protected]