Don't Go There!

Sri Lanka

James — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:39:37 +0000

If you like to have a calm vacation, then don’t go to Sri Lanka. The corruption will kill the joy of traveling around.You will be told how poor the country are. Hmm… i don’t think so if u look to what prices there are on everything, its cheaper in Europe and don’t forget, clean.

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It’s Not The Gas

James — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:32:40 +0000

Can anyone explain why it is so expensive to travel to West Africa with Air France. The price to USA from France cost les then 1/3 of the price to West Africa. The distance are similar. I can take an other company and get the ticket via an other country to the same destination for less than å¸ the price of Air France,and they dont have the high standard on the aircraft, compair to the price. Look arond befor you buy the ticket.

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Don’t Go To Alden Hotel (the old Sam Houston Hotel)

James — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:27:11 +0000

Alden Hotel (the old Sam Houston Hotel)-Downtown 1117 Prarie St. TX, 7700

I worked there for about half a year and can honestly say I have never smelled a palce worse than the Hotel Alden. The rates are about $259 per night and they advertise as a “boutique” hotel. Unfortunately for them, a

homeless outreach center was built less than a block away so there are homeless people walking around the building 24/7. I never did go into one of the rooms so I can’t describe the quality of the furniture, carpet, or the sheets. I know Houston isn’t a travel destination but to my fellow Houstonians who may want to spend a weekend in downtown in a classy hotel, please save your money and more importantly your sense of smell. Trust me, that place reeks of sewage.

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American Airlines

James — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:08:30 +0000

Do NOT travel with on AMERICAN AIRLINES! Picture this, the Friday before Christmas, I am flying to Miami from Milwaukee, with

my small son. We are going to Florida, because spending Christmas in Wisconsin would be too sad,as my mother had just passed away. Their plane was grounded for mechanical problems, we were put on a BUS to go to O’Hare. Naturally we were really late, and missed the flight to Miami. The counter agents were so RUDE to me, as I tried my best to reason with them. They blamed all of our inconvenience on “the other airlines” (their OWN!!!). And did not so much as give us a meal voucher. We had someone picking us up in Miami taking us to Key West, at a certain time. When I explained this fact to them, they could have cared less! We finally arrived in Miami at 1:30 AM. We were supposed to arrive around 6 pm. After the trip was over I wrote

A.A.corporate to complain about the WHOLE experience, got NOTHING, no apology, no refund, no nothing!!! That was a while back, I have never stepped foot on another American Airlines plane and never will.

-Ann

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The Youngstown Family

James — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:08:46 +0000

Youngstown, Ohio. I used to live there. Old Mafia town that is very corrupt! It even made the Sopranos. It used to be called “The car bomb murder capital of the world.”

-John

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New Bern NC Go There

James — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:47:46 +0000

I would like to know if Mr. Greenberg has ever visited New Bern NC or just used Mr. Dove’s comments about the Neuse River. Just a few short years ago Matt Lauer named New Bern as one of the three best retirement communities in America. You actually might want to visit a place or at least talk to more than one person.

Tom Ballance Resident who lives on the Neuse River. You should really come and visit.

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Belize: Don’t Go There

James — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:33:23 +0000

Belize, this small country in central America was one of the stops that our cruise ship made,I know they have good diving and fishing,but those are not family stuff. I was very disappointed that there was no beaches to relax at, we asked a cab driver to take us to a beach and we ended up at a mud-hole dug in the ground that the locals hang-out at, if it were not for the local brew it would have been a bust.

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International Falls Minnesota smells!

James — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:25:53 +0000

If you are basing this off of smelling bad, International Falls, MN is definitely the place to NOT go. The first time I arrived there it smelled terribly, but I believe there is a paper factory there. Other than that DO GO there. I’m not bashing International Falls like Peter basically bashed Fountain, MN. However, there are days where it smells terrible.

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El Cid Vacation Club in Mexico

James — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:14:54 +0000

Dear Sirs

I have an additional location for your book “Don’t go there”, travel website and radio program. I would like to offer my experience with El Cid Vacation Club in Mexico. El Cid is a Mexican resort company that seems to specialize in preying on suspecting and unsuspecting tourists and travelers in Mexico. My wife and I were on a trip to Cozumel. Upon entering the lobby of the Cozumel airport we were immediately engaged by what we thought were island recreation planners. It turned out they were shills for El Cid Vacation Club. With a high degree of skepticism we visited El Cid Vacation Club. After touring their facility which looked impressive and listening to their impressive options negating all our objections we bought a vacation package with them and left with a positive feeling.

That feeling only lasted until we actually tried to use our vacation package. I came to find out that almost all the claims they made by the sales people were either misleading or totally false. I have tried to work with them to correct the issue but, it has been a stone wall of no response or I am mistaken and it is only me how has had a problem. Their so called “help desk” and website only seem capable of asking for more money. After trying to work though the multiple layers within El Cid to no avail I contacted the Mexican organization PROFECO. PROFECO’s mission is to try and help travelers like myself who have been scammed by companies such as the El Cid chain. PROFECO has scheduled two hearings with El Cid, where El Cid has not even bothered to appear? Why would a reputable company no show two hearings? They are clearly stalling and now state they want to resolve the issue through PROFECO?

Unfortunately, it seems the Mexican government has little power in dealing with disreputable companies like El Cid Resorts. Additionally, they hide behind a foreign corporate curtain but, bill you from a US company? This neat trick is a way to shield the company from customers like myself who are trying to be heard. In further researching my problem I have now come to find many American travelers with the exact same story regarding El Cid Resorts. I thought I was an educated traveler who has traveled around the world for years. The old adage “buy beware and if it sounds to good to be true” is especially true in dealing with foreign companies such as this who know exactly how to hide behind layers of obstacles. I have had to work and ferret just to find people to try address my issues with. No one will tell you who they work for or give you additional information regarding the management chain?

In a recent conversation with the Manager of Customer Service, who’s contact information I received from another scammed client, insists their claims are true even when 1 El Cid employee and 2 reciprocating company employees told me that is not the way it works?

Please help me in exposing how El Cid and companies like them lures travelers to their dubious hotel chain and vacation club. I will be more than willing to give you details of my specific case and point you to other complainants. There are hundreds of thousands of American’s traveling to Mexico each year. I truly feel that you would be doing your viewers a service by warning them of the practices of the El Cid Resort chain and possibly others. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely

Bill Maxwell

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“All Suite” isn’t what it used to be

James — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:21:37 +0000

I booked a suite at the “All Suite” Tuscany Inn and Suites in Las Vegas for my husbands 50th birthday. When we arrived it looked like a very nice hotel, when we pulled up in front of the hotel they were washing the drive so we parked the car and walked in , the men that were cleaning continued to spray down the drive and in the process sprayed us down. When we got to the desk there was no one else waiting yet the staff had to finish talking and joking with each other before we could check in. When we finished checking in the young lady handed us a map with a square circled in red and said here is your building. When we visited there was construction going on at several of their buildings with construction equipment all over the place. After driving around the lot for 15 minutes we finally found our building. We parked our car and hauled our bags across the lot to the door. After five minutes of trying to open the door it finally opened. We got into the elevator and as the doors closed we thought the painted and carved graffiti on the doors was a nice touch along with all the torn corners of baggies on the floor. I looked at my husband’s face and was totaly embarrassed as this was supposed to be a very nice hotel based on Tuscany’s and Expedia’s web site. When we got to our room it was again another five minute battle with the key card to get the door open. Finally we are in the room and it smells like moth balls and is very dingy, everything is really old and its not a suite its a room with a bed and a couch with a 19 inch tv on a table by the window.I opened the drapes to see the wall of another building. I looked at the bed which looked like it just had the spead just thrown on it. I pulled it back and you could tell that the bed and been slept in and just remade the pillows even had indentations from the last people on them. The bathroom was supposed to have an oversized soaking tub but it was just a regular bathtub that was even smaller than the one we have at home, and it was dirty including bonus hairs from that last quests. The shower stall was the same but had the nice touch of mold and mildew every where. I called the front desk to inform them that I didn’t think our room had been cleaned and was informed that it had in fact been cleaned. I also explained that our room was supposed to have an over-sized soaking tub I was informed that is what we have. I asked to be moved to a diffent room and was told there were none available. I looked at my husband and said this is unacceptable.We went to the desk to check out and they were very rude,they didnt ask what the problem was they just threw our paperwork at us. When we got home there was a $13.00 charge on our credit card bill. When I called the hotel to ask what this was for they said “for their inconvenience”. Thankfully I called Expedia and they moved us to a real suite at the MGM which was wonderfull, except that the door to the mini-bar was hanging off. I called the desk and it was fixed in ten minutes.

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-Anna