Vacation Strategy

[haPevraftr]

OP-
Sorry about this. What a horrible thing to have happened so close to the start of your trip. Please take this up with your cc company so that they will investigate. If someone in fact is misusing VS's name, the only way they will be caught is if someone investigates.

Please double check your contact info for VS. Where did you get the name and number? From their website or from the person that contacted you? Whenever I have had a question for VS, I have sent an email and within minutes, I have received a phone call from them so that we could talk in person. VS has always been truly helpful. I worry that you may have been dealing with someone other than the real VS. If in fact, you have contacted the true VS than what they did is not okay, but I want to help you make sure that you are pursuing the right people.

 

[manhattanman]

I've never booked through VS. The OP said she contacted BBB and was told there are many complaints about VS. BBB rates the company A- and shows ZERO COMPLAINTS in the last 3 years. That's why I question the accuracy of the OP. I'll defend VS since the OP is the first negative comment I've read about VS and the OPs BBB comments are fallacious.

I don't even know if VS hung up on her.

The BBB thing is fair enough. But if you make a complaint with the BBB do they record it immediately ? I thought they had a responsibility to contact the vendor and confirm the specifics of the complaint. If not the BBB is nothing more than a vehicle for people to bad mouth their competitors.

That being said what could she possibly have to gain by making this up ? If she was scammed by a third party and VS was blameless then you think that VS would want to get to the bottom of this as well instead of hanging up on her ? I know that companies can treat people very differently, I've had great experiences with some companies that others ( that I would never question their integrity) had horrible experiences with ? Why is the default position that because I was treated well that if someone says they were not they are lying ? Can a company treat 99% of its customers well and screw over the other one percent because if they make their complaints public they will be denounced as a liar ?

I'm still a little foggy as to what precisely transpired so I'll hold off passing judgement. whether she was scammed by VS or some third party pretending to be VS is secondary to the fact that it appears the trip she had planned for looks like it will not happen.

 

[vacationStrategyllc]

they took my monies and did not hold up to their end of the deal. I contacted BBB they have many complaints.

First I just want to say thank you to those that have responded to this thread in our favor, we appreciate the honesty, testimonials and business. I am sure many of you are trying to figure out what transpired here and what steps you need to take in booking a vacation with us. Amy was looking for accommodations at Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fl. We sent her availability along with a 4 quotes as she changed her check in date 2 times and villa size 1 time. Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

 

[Teacher03]

First I just want to say thank you to those that have responded to this thread in our favor, we appreciate the honesty, testimonials and business. I am sure many of you are trying to figure out what transpired here and what steps you need to take in booking a vacation with us. Amy was looking for accommodations at Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fl. We sent her availability along with a 4 quotes as she changed her check in date 2 times and villa size 1 time. Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

Thanks for responding and telling your side of the story. The OP's version just didn't make sense to me. Hopefully the refund will show up soon in her account, and she can make other plans. There are many, many places to stay in the area.

 

[Lewisc]

Lewis,
everything I have posted is accurate if you would I can't show post my receit that it was paid in full and the monies never made it to Bonnett Creek like they should have. I really don't appreciate your posts again and again that what I am saying is not correct. This is our first trip to Disney my girls are 8 and 9 they are very excited i had a reservation all in place but this company contacted me and wanted my business so I cancelled my other reservation that we have had for over a year now and went with them now I am back to square one. They took my monies and now still not paid back as of today. The gentleman with the company VS hung up on me wont return my calls. So now I have to come up wiith another 2000.00 dollars to find another hotel room...... At this point I am going to have to tell my girls we can't go. I have been saving for this trip for over a year. So really at this point the last thing i need right now is you telling me assuming what you are saying is true IM TELLING YOU THIS COMPANY TOOK MY MONIES AND NOW WE HAVE TO CANCELL OUR TRIP DO WITH IT WHAT YOU WANT I DON'T GIVE A RATS *** WHAT THE BBB SAYS. I have done nothing but cried all night long... its going to break their hearts. not to mention mine. so than ou for all the great support

VS books timeshare reservations using points they own, and possibly points they borrow from other Wyndham owners. Those reservations are basically made by the owner and used by guests.

Wyndham also rents, retail, directly to guests. I don't think the Wyndham retail reservations system even has a record of owner reservations. Are you sure you called the correct phone numbers?

AFAIK you're the only person to have an issue with VS. Why don't you first send a PM to a couple of the posters who rented with VS. Ask how you can verify a reservation with Wyndham.

You might have a reservation. If not send VS a nice and calm email. Ask them to verify your reservation.

 

[Fundytrail]

Thanks for the other side of the story! Looking forward to our trip April 11th to 25th

First I just want to say thank you to those that have responded to this thread in our favor, we appreciate the honesty, testimonials and business. I am sure many of you are trying to figure out what transpired here and what steps you need to take in booking a vacation with us. Amy was looking for accommodations at Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fl. We sent her availability along with a 4 quotes as she changed her check in date 2 times and villa size 1 time. Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

I had my concerns when the BBB statement did not check out as stated.

they took my monies and did not hold up to their end of the deal. I contacted BBB they have many complaints.

 

[vacationStrategyllc]

First I just want to say thank you to those that have responded to this thread in our favor, we appreciate the honesty, testimonials and business. I am sure many of you are trying to figure out what transpired here and what steps you need to take in booking a vacation with us. Amy was looking for accommodations at Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fl. We sent her availability along with a 4 quotes as she changed her check in date 2 times and villa size 1 time. Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

..

 

[Lewisc]

Some lessons to be learned:

1. Don't cancel a reservation until your replacement reservation is confirmed.
2. Don't post half truths and hope people won't take the time to research your BBB claims.
3. Don't post half truths when there is a shot the company you're slandering might respond.
4. Don't burn your bridges. Maybe if you told VS you already cancelled your FW reservations they could have found something for you. Maybe at a different property, different unit or slightly different date. I suspect you burned that bridge when you started this thread.

Suggestion: Orlando is overbuilt. You should be able to get suitable accommodations if you look. How many people in your group? How are you getting to Orlando?

edited to add I'll give the OP (very little) benefit of the doubt. I guess she thought VS was able to put some kind of courtesy hold pending receipt of her deposit. Still no excuse for the accusations she made.

 

[haPevraftr]

I would just like to add that I really appreciate all of the time that people on the DIS invest in helping one another research and plan trips. Because of this, it makes it possible for everyone to trust the majority of feedback provided here. Often the degree of questioning is presumed to be ill intentioned, but these questions make it possible for all of us to know the accurate information.

VS, I applaud you for responding and recognizing the power of the DIS and thank you for planning our upcoming NYE trip. You have been great to work with.

OP, please do not blame VS for causing you to miss out on wdw resort deals. Based on your questions on other posts, it appears that you had to change your plans after the deals for Dec. had expired. I am sorry that there was no availability at WBC. Check out the Mousesavers website to find some deals for the DTD hotels. Maybe one of those could work. Another option might be Buena Vista Suites or Caribe Royale. Both have deals linked through Mousesavers, as well. Hope this helps you in some way.

 

[shalom]

The BBB thing is fair enough. But if you make a complaint with the BBB do they record it immediately ? I thought they had a responsibility to contact the vendor and confirm the specifics of the complaint. If not the BBB is nothing more than a vehicle for people to bad mouth their competitors.

From what I can tell, BBB is supposed to research complaints before changing the grade/recording them/whatever. How well and how fairly this is actually done seems to vary considerable from place to place and even time to time.

I don't think most people here thought the OP was lying in saying she'd had a bad experience with VS. Saying, "That wasn't my experience" is not the same as "you couldn't have experienced that", even though it can feel that way (and some people who don't like confrontation may mean it that way ).

OTOH, some people did question specific details -- I did myself. I've never used Vacation Strategy and probably never will, but I'm a Timeshare owner and I've rented TSs elsewhere, and with that background some elements of the OPs statements just seemed off to me. I suspected that the OP didn't really understand how rentals through VS work, which had led to considerable confusion and outrage, and that seems to be the case. But if she had actually been scammed, getting the credit card company involved usually improves the odds of the scammed person at least getting their money back.

 

[nilseks]

I have no affiliation with VS but i'm a small business owner and I don't like seeing another business dragged through the mud, particularly when unclear details are provided. I used Vacation Strategies and we just checked into Wyndham Bonnet Creek today. I just have to say that start to finish, I have been thrilled with VS. their communication was timely, everything went just as they said it would on their web site--the whole process was seamless and painless.

Contrary to some other posts of late, WBC gave us the exact view/tower/high floor that I requested. Our room is wonderful, everything is great.

I say kudos to VS for giving my family an affordable, easy to book vacation. I would use them again in a heartbeat.

OP, I'm sorry for your problems but it seems as though there was definitely some confusion on your part, and you have never really given specific details. Just because your reservation with VS didn't work out, doesn't mean you are 'out' $2k. You're counting your ticket money in that figure, but those tickets do not constitute 'lost money'. They can be used any time.

 

[wishing4PA]

Just because your reservation with VS didn't work out, doesn't mean you are 'out' $2k. You're counting your ticket money in that figure, but those tickets do not constitute 'lost money'. They can be used any time.

Ah, thank you. For some reason I have read this entire thread and I was afraid OP had truly lost $2,000 that she might never get back. If that includes the tickets, she just needs to hang onto them for a trip whenever she can work out the details. Even if she decides to book a resort with Disney itself she can use those tickets whenever she gets down there! I feel better. I hope the OP does too.

 

[southbound]

I booked with VS after reading about them on this forum and we had a deluxe 2 bedroom suite for 15 nights. I paid our $300 deposit ($150/wk) and when it came time to pay the balance, I didn't even hesitate, nor did I check with WBC. I have heard nothing but positive things about this company, and my own dealings with them gave me such confidence, that I never gave it another thought. We checked in without a hitch, and were given the exact preference for room that we wanted. VS was always quick to respond to my questions and I hate to see someone miss out on a fantastic company because someone has sour grapes. Sorry, OP but it did seem a little fishy to me what you were posting. I am not affiliated with VS in any way, and I would use them again without a second thought. I hate to see people's plans not panning out, but it doesn't sound like VS did anything wrong, nor did they fleece someone for $2000.

 

[aubriee]

I booked with VS after reading about them on this forum We checked in without a hitch, and were given the exact preference for room that we wanted. VS was always quick to respond to my questions and I hate to see someone miss out on a fantastic company because someone has sour grapes. Sorry, OP but it did seem a little fishy to me what you were posting. I am not affiliated with VS in any way, and I would use them again without a second thought. I hate to see people's plans not panning out, but it doesn't sound like VS did anything wrong, nor did they fleece someone for $2000.

Thanks everyone for the VS positive reviews. I'm booked for a one bedroom May 10th-20th. It will be my first time using VS (or even staying at Bonnet Creek for that matter). I agree the OP sounded really fishy. Her story about complaints with the BBB didn't check out true and I know from my experience that I was told not to make final payment until you get the comfirmation. I would never cancel my original booking, until I knew my new one was available. Heck, I've still got a room booked with Disney for my dates, because I was nervous about my ressie with VS. I'm going to have to figure out when I'm going to cancel it. lol Because I've never used VS, her post still made me a little nervous. I feel better reading the positive reviews. Thanks!

Off Topic--- two questions if you don't mind:
1. Where are most of the Deluxe one bedrooms located? I'd really prefer a room on a higher floor, overlooking one of the lazy rivers. Any one bedrooms that would fit that criteria?

2. What exactly is the difference between a one bedroom deluxe and a one bedroom Presidential? What is the price difference and is it worth it? better chance of a better view? I'm more interested in a lake/river view than the firework views.

 

[haPevraftr]

Thanks everyone for the VS positive reviews. I'm booked for a one bedroom May 10th-20th. It will be my first time using VS (or even staying at Bonnet Creek for that matter). I agree the OP sounded really fishy. Her story about complaints with the BBB didn't check out true and I know from my experience that I was told not to make final payment until you get the comfirmation. I would never cancel my original booking, until I knew my new one was available. Heck, I've still got a room booked with Disney for my dates, because I was nervous about my ressie with VS. I'm going to have to figure out when I'm going to cancel it. lol However, because I've never used VS, her post still made me a little nervous. I feel better reading the positive reviews. Thanks!

Off Topic: two questions if you don't mind:
1. Where are most of the Deluxe one bedrooms located? I'd really prefer a room on a higher floor, overlooking one of the lazy rivers. Any one bedrooms that would fit that criteria.

2. What exactly is the difference between a one bedroom deluxe and a one bedroom Presidential? What is the price difference and is it worth it? better chance of a better view ) I'm more interested in a lake/river view than the firework views.

The decor is different between the deluxe and presidential. In appearance, the presidential is a "fancier" looking with leather furniture, etc. You can find photos of the presidential units on the wbC photo thread. All of the 1, 2, and 3 bedroom presidential untis are on the high floors (I think 8 and up) in tower 6. The 4 bedroom presidentials and deluxe units are spread throughout all towers. You could guarantee yourself a high floor in tower 6 if you booked a 1 bedroom presidential rather than a deluxe. Can't guarantee the view that you would get though.

 

[hsmamato2]

Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

...I am confused....why is OP claiming she lost 2000.00?

 

[Mariep26]

...I am confused....why is OP claiming she lost 2000.00?

Not sure... Some folks think that she may be including her airfare but that would not be accurate since she could recoup the cost of her airline tickets by rescheduling her trip with the airline.

 

[goofyfigment]

So basically (correct me if I'm wrong) the only thing she doesnt have is a hotel room. This seems like an easy enough remedy. She may not get a discount but im sure she can still get a room and go on her trip. I just booked at POP for December 30-January 1st. Sure its not discounted but it was available. It also wasnt my first choice in hotels either, but im going to Disney and that's all that matters. Life is too short to get all bent out of sorts over little things. Find a new hotel, take your flight and use your park tickets. I dont think your daughters will care where you stay as long as you are going

 

[aubriee]

...I am confused....why is OP claiming she lost 2000.00?

My understanding is she's saying that she lost what she paid VS, because they didn't have a room for her, so now she is going to have to cancel the entire trip, because it's too late to get a discount elsewhere on property and she can't afford to stay without one, so will lose the price of her park tickets and airfare also. She's also saying that VS kept her money (still not sure why she had paid the full amount prior to getting a confirmation number though).

oops, no, in post #40 she says she she's going to have to come up with 'another $2000.00 for a room' and that she has a receipt showing she paid VS 'in full'. Then in another post she said she will also be losing the price of their park tickets, air fare, and I think maybe MVMCP tickets. According the VS post though, they say she only paid the $150.00 deposit, which they refunded the day after she paid it, because the villa she wanted was no longer available. She had apparently asked for several quotes, changing her mind some, then when she finally booked online, it was after hours. When VS found the ressie the next morning during regular working hours, they found the villa was no longer available for her dates, so tried repeatedly to call her to tell her they were refunding her deposit. She then got mad, because they could not provide her with the villa she wanted and she had already canceled her previous ressie at Ft Wilderness, so is saying they are a scam and ruined her kids vacation.

I think she may have burned her bridges with VS, but there are still other reasonable options for lodging down there. Oct 27th-Nov 4th, we stayed in a one bedroom villa at Westgate Town Center, just one mile outside Disney property for $400.00 (plus a $50.00 transfer in fee) for seven nights. I already had a room booked at CBR, but a coworker was going to lose some weeks in Dec and offered me a deal too good to pass up. Since then, I've checked into renting there again and have found some pretty good prices (cheaper than even a value resort on property). My coworker has already offered it to me again for our trip next fall. I'm not sure if I'm going to take her up on it or if I might book through VS again, to be closer on property.

 

[andysomma1]

First I just want to say thank you to those that have responded to this thread in our favor, we appreciate the honesty, testimonials and business. I am sure many of you are trying to figure out what transpired here and what steps you need to take in booking a vacation with us. Amy was looking for accommodations at Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Fl. We sent her availability along with a 4 quotes as she changed her check in date 2 times and villa size 1 time. Finally she paid her 150 dollar deposit at 6:25 pm on Wednesday, 25 minutes after our standard business hours. At this point, next morning the unit was no longer available. We called her multiple times on Thursday and informed her the unit was not available and that we would refund the deposit immediately, which we did. This is our standard procedure as availability is always changing.

I personally have all kinds of problems with OP's story and thought from the beginning that it was mostly exaggeration. I must ask this however, not wanting to start another huge debate, but how do we know this is actually Vacation Strategy LLC? This is after all an anonymous message board, and anyone could create a profile using their name.