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I have been in the timeshare business in Hawaii for 15 years. This company, Pacific Dreams in Maui, gives all timeshare a very bad name.
It is a 100% scam. Do not buy, run and I mean run fast from this company.
The timeshare adminisrator in Hawaii is working fast and furious to shut them down.
What you are paying for is access to a website that costs Pacific Dreams zero, nothing!
That is why when you start the presentataion the cost is $7, 995 and when you end the presenatation the cost is $2, 995
When you product cost you nothing and you pay your salespeople 20% commission ( $600 on $2995), the profit level is still very high.
This company is a 100% scam
DO NOT BUY
What you are buying is worthless, it does not work. I work with a publically traded company that has been is business for over 40 years. Timeshare is a good thing. It brings families lifetimes of memories.
It upsets me that a bad company like this gives the whole timeshre indusrty a bad name .
They changed their name from Destanation Paradise Hawaii to Paradise Blue and now its Pacific Dreams.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
EXCUSE THE CAPS AS I AM NOT SCREAMING...JUST TYPING WITH ONE FINGER RIGHT NOW...
FOR THOSE WHO QUESTION WHY SOME PEOPLE FEEL DESTINATION PARADISE IS A SCAM AND WANT PROOF AND SCENARIOS OF SUCH AND ACCUSE AN EMPLOYEE OF POSTING SUCH INFORMATION, PLEASE ANSWER ME THESE QUESTIONS...
WHY WOULD A COMPANY WHO FEELS ITS PRODUCT IS SO GREAT CHANGE THEIR NAME FROM VALUED GUESTS LLC TO DESTINATION PARADISE TO PARADISE BLUE AND NOW PACIFIC DREAMS MAUI?
WHY WOULD YOU OFFER A PRODUCT THAT YOU CANNOT VIEW UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY GET YOUR PASSWORD TWO WEEKS LATER AND BASICALLY 12 DAYS AFTER YOUR CANCELLATION PERIOD HAS EXPIRED?
WHY GIVE CUSTOMERS A HARD TIME IF THEY DON'T WANT TO SIGN UP AND CHANGE THE PRICE FROM AS HIGH AS $9995 TO JUST THE ANNUAL FEE OF $189?
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DID BUY INTO IT, DID YOU LOOK AT THE BINDER YOU RECEIVED AND HOW GENERIC IT IS? DID YOU NOTICE THAT DESTINATION PARADISE IS NOT MENTIONED ANYWHERE IN THE LAMINATED PAGES JUST ON THE BINDER ITSELF?
I BOUGHT INTO DESTINATION PARADISE IN 2008 AND THERE WAS NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY ON THE INTERNET. THE ONLY WEBSITE THAT EXISTED WAS THE ONE YOU WOULD LOG INTO TO VIEW THEIR SO-CALLED DISCOUNTS THAT WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER TRAVEL WEBSITES WERE HIGHER PRICED. DESTINATION PARADISE, VALUED GUESTS LLC, PARADISE BLUE AND THE ACTIVITY STORE ARE ALL THE SAME COMPANY. THE ACTIVITY STORE SUPPLIES THE "FREE" TOURIST ATTRACTION TICKETS THAT ARE OFFERED ON THE STREET TO ENTICE THE BUYER TO ATTEND THE PRESENTATION OF OVER TWO HOURS IF YOU DON'T BUY INTO IT RIGHT AWAY AND THE TICKETS ARE NOT FREE BECAUSE THE PERSON THAT APPROACHES YOU ON THE STREET ASKS FOR A $20 DEPOSIT.
FOR THOSE WBO HAVE USED THE SOFTWARE AND RAVE ABOOUT IT, PLEASE LIST THE NAMES OF THE HOTELS/RESORTS/CONDOS YOU STAYED IN?
SO ANNIE, EXPLAIN HOW A PERSON SAVES MONEY OVER TIME INVESTING $2K TO 10K PLUS INTEREST IF FINANCED PLUS THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE OF ALMOST $200 BOOKING 1-4 WEEK SAT A CONDO AT #700/WEEK AND IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL THE TRIP FOR WHATEVER REASON, YOU CANNOT GET YOUR MONEY BACK? WHERE'S THE SAVINGS? PLEASE EXPLAIN...OR PERHAPS YOU OR YOUR FRIEND ACTUALLY WORK FOR THESE PEOPLE?
I BOUGHT INTO THIS. I CAN PROVE IT AND I CAN ALSO TELL YOU THAT A FEW OF US THAT BOUGHT INTO THIS BETWEEN 2008 AND 2009 ACTUALLY GOT ALL OF OUR MONIES BACK BECAUSE WE BOMBARDED THE DCCA IN HAWAII AND THE BBB WITH OUR FORMAL COMPLAINTS AND EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT OUR CLAIMS WERE TRUTHFUL. AFTER THE INVESTIGATION, WE PREVAILED SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO BOUGHT INTO PARADISE BLUE, DON'T LOSE HOPE. DON'T STOP YOUR COMPLAINTS BECAUSE MONEY IS NOT EASY TO COME BY THESE DAYS.
With the cost of travel skyrocketing, consumers are increasingly susceptible to fraudulent offers for special deals on vacations, and Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning vacationers to be wary of joining 'travel clubs.' Complaints to BBB show that many travel clubs promise huge discounts on condos, hotels, airfare, and cruises but fail to deliver for members despite the high cost of joining.
Clubbed On The Head
You get reduce tour packages encouraging you to attend a sales presentation for a travel club membership. You are promised "guaranteed lowest price" travel along with large savings and rebates on travel arrangements if you purchase a membership. Membership in the club is said to also include access to vacation condos at a reduced rate and special packaged trips and/or cruises.
To get you to buy a membership, costing $1995 to $7995, plus annual dues of up to $200, they promise exaggerated savings, and state that the Attorney General controls their sales methods by (1) requiring them to sell only a limited number of memberships, (2) offering for sale only certain packages for certain prices, and (3) requiring "one day only" prices.
Even though they say the sales presentation will last only about sixty minutes yours exceeds three hours in length during which time they state;
the travel club membership can be canceled at any time even though the contract states it is non-cancelable and non-refundable;
that it's in your best interest to sign an excessively one-sided contract giving them the option to cancel, create or change conditions without your approval or a corresponding right to cancel;
you are to get a five percent rebate on all travel booked through Vacations Outlet, when in fact, the rebates only apply to certain types of travel;
you are to get free airline tickets for attending the presentation but fail to say they require a seven to ten night hotel stay at your expense; and
that they are a member of various tour operator and travel agency associations, when, in fact, they are not.
They fail to: make requested travel arrangements; obtain the lowest price; honor their cancellation policy; deliver on promises that you would save thousands of dollars in airfare and other travel expenses; or disclose that flights will be canceled unless 50% of each charter flight is booked in advance.
In addition to making false promises, they use "free prize" offers to lure people to attend the sales presentations and fail to give refunds within the required cancellation period. To take advantage of these so-called savings, you would have to constantly be on the go as your membership fees are more than what you would spend in a year for travel.
This sounds like Paradise Blue that operates in Waikiki. They are affiliated with the Activity Stores that give free or discounted activity tickets at booths throughout Waikiki. The presentation is similar to that of a timeshare, but they are not a timeshare company. During the presentation, they claim to have access to countless weeks of unused timeshare units that timeshare companies allow them rent around the world for as little as $200 per week. I attended one of their presentations last month and it is definitely a scam. I can go into more details if anyone would like me to, because I learned about this company the hard way.
i'm hoping someone can help me. I'm in HI with my mom and she and I went to this show you guys are posting about, or presentation thing in maui. its a bout this program - everybody was really friendly there and there were some other people who came that we met here. it was kinda fun - i have my question is for the original poster. My mom is really excited about this thing she bought and we only have a few days to cancel. they showed it to us and we really liked it i'm just trying to figure out what to do?
Can somebody tell me whats going on here? I don't understand these posts just wanna to make sure were doing the right thing and that mom is going to be happy and its not just some body who got laid off whos posting i have a business too and this site attracts all kinds of people some who are honest and some who are. the program seemed really great but now...i'm not sure but i think my mom is really just into it.
i know its probably not going to happen but hey out there original poster - can you help a girl out? Can you tell me how you know these people and the program? my mom has to decide soon so pls help.
Google Destination Paradise and Paradise Blue in Waikiki they are the same company.
ok but this doesn't really help me. they told my mom that she might see some bad press and mentioned something about a competting busness. listen no offense but i read your posts here and elsewhere, but you gotta undestand i run my own salon and once i fired an employee for stealing fro mt he cash register and she ended up putting up all kinds of stuff on websites likes this one and psots a lot liek yours. it took me forever to get my ladies back to do their nails. my mom knows I went thru all that and shes' buying into the whole disgruntled employee or competing business story and is already planning her first trip with the program. she's done the timeshare thing before and thinks this is going to work out way better - she's stubborn like me (lol). although thats probably why she's made it thru cancer - thats why were in Maui - celebrating her 1 yr healthy.
look I only have like two days left. if whoever the original poster is can pls e mail me at gabbysocute24@gmail.com i'd appreciate it. if you really do have 15 years in business like you sayat top maybe you convince my mom.
Check the BBB reports under Destination Paradise Hawaii and Paradise Blue.Pacific Dreams is just another name for the same same "software program".Also check with DCCA of Hawaii here is their link http://hawaii.gov/dcca/.Good luck and God Bless.
i'm trying one more time here before i got to seleep. HawaiiJack i appreciate the info, but my mom' s pretty web savvy, more than me with some stuff and told me to look at the dates that all the users that were created on this forum and others. it almost looks like you are all one person so now she's doubting the whole thing - she told me it looks like somebody with ax to grind. i don't know if i agree with her but now i'm really confused - in a way i understand her caus elike i said b4 somebody used forsum like this against me and my salon. nee d someone to email so maybe i can get my mom to call and talk to somebody else with some realy knowledge of this. hopefully while we are still in hawaii.
look i'm just desparate here to make sure that after going through all the bills and hospital and everything with chemo that my mom is doing seomthing good and if she not maybe i can get her to tlk to seombody b4 we leave and is too late. pls email, gabbysocute24@gmail.com - desparate her for some real answers pls emal and i'll convince my mom somehow to setup a phone call.
I am reading a lot about a company which has been selling vacation packages to tourists in Waikiki for the past year or so. The name of the company is Destination Paradise, Paradise Blue, and Pacific Dreams. In short, I am told that they bring visitors to a storefront on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki and give them an hour and a half or so presentation on their services. These services are much like a timeshare but with no direct affiliation to any known timeshare company. They charge between $7000-$10, 000 for their services, financed over a period of time plus annual fees.
Destination Paradise and Paradise Blue has been the subject of an extensive discussion in our Hawaii Forum, but I have closed the discussion for reasons which I explained in the last post, but I welcome you to read the experience of people who have attended one of their presentations.
If you wish to share your opinion about this company, good or bad, please email me directly at gohawaii.guide@about.com. Be as specific as you can in outlining your experience with Destination Paradise.
As for those of you who have not heard of this company, my personal opinion is that you should read as much as possible about them online before making any decision. I also understand that they may be soon be operating on Maui.
Pacific Dreams
Looks like they are opening in Maui under a different name.With the crew from Texas where the Attorney General shut them down.
this is interesting http://www.travelcompanyreview.org/reviews.php?category=co&co_ID=5234890123456
Wow! I met an idividual recently that was supposedly building a sales center in Lahaina Maui for this same company or a branch affiliated with them. Never has the term "Caveat Emptor" ever been more applicable. Thanks for the info.
This company(PACIFIC DREAMS) has suck in my parents. For these people to be praying on old people is just sick. When they got home we looked up condos and hotels and found out they couldnt stay in anything thing they wanted.We found them way cheaper on the net.We are going to try everything we can to get them out of it.
Paradise Blue has opened another office in Maui. Paradise Blue has changed its name to Pacific Dreams on Maui. It has opened in Old Lahaina Center, a Harry and Jannette Weinberg Foundadtion property.
Any questions or problems concerning getting out of your contract with Destination paradise Hawaii (Paradise Blue and Pacific Dreams) please contact:
Mr. Jeff D'Amato- Sales Manager in Maui [protected]
Mike Balicki- Sales Manager in Honolulu 808.222.4085
Seyi Faodu - Sales Manager in Honolulu 612.310.6484
Chuck Roubalard - Owner of the product and Leader of the entire scam. 763.772.6535
I've done a lot of research on both Destination Paradise Hawaii (DPH) and Global Escapes in Texas and these are the same people. Once they got shut down by the Attorney General in Texas, they came to Hawaii. These companies exist to scam unwitting tourists. The owners and employees left San Antonio and started working in Hawaii. I'd like to see them shut down as a service to past, current and future victims. Here are links to the steps the Texas Attorney General took to shut them down. Just like they keep changing their name in Hawaii (Destination Paradise, paradise blue and now Paradise Dreams all within 18 months!), they used many names in Texas also: Escapes Austin, Global Escapes, Blue water, Escapes Midwest, Sun Tree Escapes, Escapes Midwest. Etc...
IT IS THE EXACT SAME SCAM JUST A DIFFERENT DESTINATION - INSTEAD OF RIPPING OFF PEOPLE IN TEXAS THEY ARE RIPPING OFF PEOPLE IN HAWAII
Please, please, please read the injuctions websites below:
INJUNCTION: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2009/040109globalescapes_pop.pdf
BANK ACCOUNT SEIZURE: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2009/040109globalescapes_tro.pdf
Here is what an article in a Texas newspaper said about them:
A family of Florida-based travel companies doing business in Austin and San Antonio are facing charges of deceptive trade practices and other business and commerce code violations from the Texas Attorney General’s office.
The defendants, Escapes Austin LLC and Escapes Midwest LLC, which do business under the names Global Escapes, Blue Water, Sun Tree and others, are accused of using false gift giveaways to entice customers to attend sales seminars that marketed worthless travel-related software programs, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.
Attorney General Greg Abbott said his office is seeking restitution for some 5, 000 Texas consumers who may have been deceived into purchasing the software. In response to the attorney general’s actions, the 73rd District Court of Bexar County issued an order freezing the defendants’ assets.
Court documents filed by the state also name chief executive officer James Carey III and managing member Gwendolyn Carey. According to the state’s lawsuit, the defendants used direct mail and telemarketing calls to inform potential customers that they “won” free cruises, hotel stays, vehicles, flights or expensive watches. However, recipients were told that they must set up an appointment to attend a sales presentation in order to receive their prize.
Those chosen also were told they only needed to pay taxes due on the gifts. Recipients were not informed about restrictions, hidden costs, the prizes’ overall value or the prizes’ limited availability. According to state investigators, prizes were difficult to redeem, expensive to redeem, or unavailable during certain dates.
During the mandatory sales seminars, the defendants touted their “proprietary software search engine technology, ” which they claimed would allow purchasers to locate and reserve bargain travel deals online. “The defendants then used high-pressure sales tactics to convince customers that their ‘software license’ opportunity surpassed all others in the industry, ” the release states. “The defendants’ sales representatives often purported to ‘negotiate down’ from the software’s $12, 000 retail price to $7, 000, $4, 000, or to a ‘one-time price reduction’ of $2, 200.”
Customers who could not afford the purchase price were offered financing. Rather than retain the purchaser’s outstanding debt, the defendants frequently sold it to third-party debt collection or finance companies.
According to the documents, after purchasing the product, many customers were unable to log on to the Web site for at least two weeks. “When the defendants finally provided the necessary user IDs and passwords, many customers encountered technical problems. Customers who were able to fully access the system discovered that the bargain travel deals they were promised did not actually exist.”
During the sales negotiations, customers were told they could return the product for a refund if they were dissatisfied with their purchase. However, when customers attempted to cancel their contracts, the defendants claimed the sales contract was binding. Concerned that the debt collection agencies could ruin their credit ratings, many customers also paid annual support “software upgrade” fees, even when they could not or did not use the system.
Under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the defendants face civil penalties of up to $20, 000 per violation, as well as a $250, 000 penalty if the conduct was designed to harm a person aged 65 or older.
________________________________________
Complaints To The Dcca Of Hawaii - HERE IS FURTHER PROOF THE SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO BEEN SCAMMED BY DESTINATION PARADISE LLC IN HAWAII. LISTED ARE COMPLAINTS, TO THE DCCA OF HAWAII, THAT HAVE GONE UNRESOLVED.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1213N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1197N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1196N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1195N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1194N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1184N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1173N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1164N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1143N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1134N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1096N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1085N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1077N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1060N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1044N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1028N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1018N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1017N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1001N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1000N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0974N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0947N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0919N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0918N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0878N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0845N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0815N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0809N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0732N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0730N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0568N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0565N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0489N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0470N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0468N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0458N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0345N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2008- 1243N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2008- 1212N
Here is the Better Business Bureau Rating iof this company:
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F.
Reasons for this rating include:
• 73 complaints filed against business
• Failure to respond to 14 complaints filed against business.
• 13 complaints filed against business that was not resolved.
• BBB Accreditation was revoked because business failed to comply with agreed BBB standards.
• Business has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints.
Here is the company Business Contact and Profile:
Business Contact and Profile
Name: Destination Paradise LLC
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]
Address: 2250 Kalakaua Ave Ste 301
Honolulu, HI [protected]
Website: http://www.destinationparadisehawaii.com
New Owner Date: March 2008
Principal: Mr. Michael A. Balicki, Manager
Customer Contact: Mr. Michael A. Balicki, Manager - [protected]
Entity: Limited Liability Company
Incorporated: March 2008, HI
Type of Business: Travel Clubs
BBB Accreditation: This company is not a BBB Accredited business. Paradise Blue is opening another office in Maui. Paradise Blue has changed to Pacific Dreams on Maui.
Any questions or problems concerning getting out of your contract with Destination paradise Hawaii(Paradise Blue and Pacific Dreams) please contact:
Mr. Jeff D'Amato- Sales Manager in Maui [protected]
Mike Balicki- Sales Manager in Honolulu 808.222.4085
Seyi Faodu - Sales Manager in Honolulu 612.310.6484
Chuck Roubalard - Owner of the product and Leader of the entire scam. 763.772.6535
________________________________________
This Company is not a BBB Accredited business.
Business Management
Additional company management personnel include:
Mr. Harold (Sunny) Lewis - Marketing Manager [protected]. This is the guy that heads up all of the people on the street in Honolulu to get you to go to the presentation
Mr. Moa Mahe
Ms. Pearl Helsham - Office Manager
Mr. William M Campbell, IV
Mr. Kenneth D Stafford
Mr. Oluseyi Famodu - Sales Manager in Honolulu 612.310.6484
Mr. Chuck Robillard - Mastermind and OWNER of this scam! 763.772.6535
Mr. Mike Balicki 808.222.4085
Mr. Jeff D'Amato- Sales Manager in Maui [protected]
They have opened on Maui as of Dec. 1st 2009 and they are using a marketing company called Tickets on the Rock owned and operated by Mr. Pete Carroll. They have Activity booths all over Maui, Mainly on Front Street, Maui. This is the company that gives you discounts on your activities to attend the presentation on Maui.
If you see any of these locations on Maui or Honolulu:
Destination Paradise Showroom
Pacific Dreams Showroom
Paradise Blue Showroom
Preview Center Showroom
Activity Store Kiosks
Valued Guests Kiosks
Tickets on the Rock Kiosks
PLEASE DONT BUY A THING----YOU WILL JUST GET RIPPED OFF!
My experience with Pacific Dreams in Lahaina, was very similar. My wife and I attended the seminar, of course we were both sceptical but stayed for the whole presentation, and were told that if we couldn't afford the $9995.00 well how about 7995.00 for three weeks a year and so on down to 2995.00 which sounded okay if the program worked like they said. We proposed that if they could get us a week on the big island, or other surrounding islands in the next week at the (so-called) short notice deal of $399.00 for one week using one of the weeks they had available to them, that it would prove to us that the program worked but if they couldn't then no deal. They were reluctant at first, and said give them a couple days because no one had asked such a thing before, but as we were discussing this one of the sales reps came over, and said there was such an opening on two of the properties, one on the big island Hawaii, and one on Kawai. Convieniently for them this would take possibly three days to make it happen, we however stuck to our guns and challenged them to book it in two that way we could still cancel our 250.00 deposit before the so-called three day time limit on cancelation. We left that day giving them a credit card swipe on a maxed out card which they agreed not to run, for the $ 250.00 deposit sealing this one time incredible offer for three days... The next day we contacted John (the sales rep) who said that he had been trying to contact us, bla bla bla. He had apparently been in contact with a developer (imagine that a sales rep in direct contact with the developer) but this person (the developer) didn't want to release the condo for that $399.00 per week but would be willing to let it rent out for a discounted rate of $799.00 if we booked right now, so I said give me 10 minutes to think about it. After ten minutes walked into the seminar building and said yes go ahead, and book. At that point began the paper work AND THE CONTRACT which I made him put a future date on of two more business days thus post dating the contract in case this (GREAT DEAL) fell through
before my grace period ended. After signing this postdated contract we were told it would just be another day to book this because of the time change, and the florida office was closed. At that point we gave them the benefit of the doubt and came back the next day once again John met us with cell phone up to his ear explaining how busy he had been and needed a credit card number to book this week, needless to say he had it the previous day, so seeing through this time wasting scam, we brought back the book he had given us, and saw that our file was sitting on the table we grabbed it which had our personal information, and walked out of the seminar building. By this time we were met by John in the parking lot, threatening us that he would call the police if we didnt give this file back, my wife held it in her hand and said it wasn't theirs to have, but John insisted that the state of Hawaii needed the information to insure that they maintained good business practice, and that the contract was their property. At this point we dug the papers out of the file and tore our iformation off the papers, and handed back the papers. Any legitimate company after not making a sale, should not be insulting people in a public place and insisted that the keep personal information like drivers licence, social security #, credit card information, or signed contracts that are no longer agreed apon. I am not sure about any Laws in Hawaii stating that these businesses need to hold any information on people attending these seminars who don't buy... correct me if I'm wrong. THANKS
My husband and I went through a presentation and found it to be the typical "hollywood smile" presentation that lacked real solid "class" and justifying someone dropping 7 to 10, 000 on the table. We were guaranteed "no pressure" but had to fight our way out the door. We were told 90 minutes of presentation and were taking advantage of a ticket discount. People should be wary when they want to make sure you have nothing booked for 90 minutes after the initial 90 minutes. I've been through a lot of time share presentations and own the Worldmark timeshare which has been a blessing to our family. This company feeds off the backs of timeshare companies and I find it a "red flag" when a company has to undermine others to give themselves credability.
EVERYONE READING THIS: IF YOU FEEL THIS IS A SCAM, YOU NEED TO FILE WITH THE DCCA AND THE BBB, OTHERWISE, IF ANYONE DECIDES TO CONTACT YOU, THEY WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THOUSANDS OF FILES TO SEE WHO BOUGHT INTO THIS PROGRAM AND THAT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME. THEY WILL CONTACT THOSE THAT FILE WITH THE DCCA FIRST.
Q : why when i read this do i feel like im being sold an idea?
A : I AM! from a distressed individual... half of the complaint posts are from the same portal, which means its the same person making a number of different complaints. NONE of which being validated. This post starts out defending timeshare which happens to be one of the most controversial marketing and sales gigs around! want examples? google Diamond International, Wyndham (worldmark), WestGate, Fairfield, hyatt, marriott, Blue Green etc... the list goes on, google any one of these timeshare companies and i Guarantee you will have enough posts to keep you busy for 3+ days as with 98% of companies WORLD WIDE
As a person who was considering doing business with Pacific-Dreams I called the DCCA in Hawaii at [protected] and talked with their representative. As of 04-07-10 there have been 81 complaints against this company. One complaint in 2008, 33 are from last year and 47 (2010) are pending at this time. The complaints from last year are considered resolved whether they have been settled or not. The 47 for this year include legal action.
The "new" registered name of the company is Pacific-Dreams, Just Escape, located at 878 Front Street in Lahaina on Maui and is represented by Dan Lopez at [protected]. Dan has two assistants, Pablo Lopez and a woman named Susan at [protected] and [protected] respectively.
There are two other partners in this business and one of them is named in the Texas complaints. Doing business with this company means that you accept the risk especially after reading this page. Unfortunately most people find out about the risk when it's too late.
I attended their presentation 6-8-10 and I knew before the thing ended it was a scam. The presenter was the ultimate slick salesman. He had it down to a science. They even had a plant in the audience to help get the juices flowing. I will say this, when I said I was not interested they let us go pretty quick. The last timeshare I attended I felt like I had been kidnapped.
There are plenty of timeshare rentals on the internet, keep your $8k and do it yourself.
I have been a VIP Platnium owner with Pacific Dreams for 8 months now. When I first bought I read some of these blogs I went back to cancel and I have to say you guys are full of crap. When I went back to cancel the staff explained that all of this was posted by timeshare as a smear campaign. I have already used my program in Vermont and absolutely loved it. To all of you reading this, do not believe a single word. The people at Pacific Dreams are great people who truely believe in what they do. (and so do I!)
Phylis-
Teaneck, New Jersey
I attended their presentation in April and felt a little apprehensive to join on the same day. One of the managers explained the reason was because of the marketing and that since they are on an island the likelihood of anyone coming back was slim to none. I went ahead and join the program and let the sales guy know that I would be going back and doing research on Pacific Dreams. He said I would fine the basic “Scam Blogs” online that was posted by a guy that worked for Wyndham’s Marketing company. I asked if it was something that would make me cancel and the manager said why not just look at it while I was there. I said no that I wanted to do it on my own and my own computer and he kinda laughed and said ok. My wife and I wrote a check for the $9245 for a 5 week program and got a free week out of it which made us feel a little better. The Manager did show us the first part of the blogs to show us what we were going to find and I have to say seeing the word SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM followed by Pacific Dreams made my stomach sink. I started reading and just like they said at Pacific Dreams it was mostly one person and he was a competitor. I called the BBB.org and the DCCA to find out just why Pacific Dreams had so many complaints and it was very clear to me that this guy PacificDreamsScam is full of it. The BBB.org and the DCCA had no complaints at all on Pacific Dreams which made me feel much better about doing business with them. I asked why there were not many good things about them on line and they simply said when things work and people expect them to work most people will not go online and talk about it. I told them that once I used the software to book my vacation and actually take it I would write a review about my experience. We just got back Sunday from our trip to Belize. We actually stayed on one of the Trade Winds Cruise Club Yachts. We paid $399 for the entire week plus food. (We used our free week so we are getting a check for $399 back from Pacific Dreams.) It was the most incredible vacation my wife and I have ever taken. We never would have known a vacation like this was possible without our new membership. The people that worked for Trade Winds were professionals and made our trip a truly memorable one. The catamaran itself was huge and the diving was even better than Hawaii. We called the 888 number and the staff there was always there to answer and book our airfare which we compared to Expedia to make sure it was a good deal. Everything was seamless and made our trip that much better. We paid about $800.00 each for our airline tickets so that mean our entire trip was about $2000.00 with food. We figured we saved about $3000.00 total. For anyone worried about Pacific Dreams being a scam I will personally vouch for them, THEY ARE NOT. Good luck guys and like I said when I was there. I am a man of my word.
Alex and Jessica from Portland
My experience with Pacific Dreams has been well so far. I joined the company in May while on my family holiday in Maui. We were staying in a condo we found online and were not very happy with it. This is one reason we decided to join the Pacific Dreams. From what we could tell it was a very good company and the location in Lahaina made us feel comfortable. We looked at the website and found many locations we would like to see and the prices were better than what we were use to paying. They even had many condos in India where we go every year to visit out families. We bought the program and a few days after we returned from our trip we logged onto the site. We decided to use the program right away to make sure it worked. We went to Las Vegas last weekend and stayed at the Trump Tower. It was a very nice room near the top and has two bedrooms. We paid about half the price it would have cost us on Expedia. We Googled Pacific Dreams to post a review of our trip on their site but did not find any place to do it. When reading all of these posts that say scam I feel like someone has something against Pacific Dreams. While we were on our trip in Maui the sales person Karen told us that timeshare would try to talk us out of our program with Pacific Dreams to get me to buy a timeshare. I would never buy another timeshare because I use to own one in Park City and it did not work the way the sales person said. I told Karen not to worry about that. I would recommend this program to my friends.
Santosh Kumar
Providence UT
My family vacation in Maui was awesome. I visited Pacific Dreams for their software presentation June 28 and got my user id and password July 5th and have taken a few days to look at the locations and prices and they are really good just like they promised. Have not had a chance to book anything or even look into the Hotel portion but am looking forward to it. Thanks Todd and Jeff for introducing us to a great program. We look forward to using our program and will be sure to get on your site and leave a testimonial.
Jim and Tammy
Tampa Florida
All you knuckleheads who paid $7 grand to buy a software license, you can get the same deal for free on the internet. I highly suspect the positive posters are Pacific Dreams employees. My wife and I spent 9 days in Maui June 2010 for $2100. That's airfare from Alabama, condo, and rental car. There are a ton of internet resources to get better deals than Pacific Dreams for FREE! Don't waste your money! Don't believe me, do the the research for yourself and you will see I'm right.
If I had been snucker into dropping a huge wad of cash on a software license I did not need, I would also probably be talking it up just to feel a little better about my bad investment.
pacific dreams has been a great gift for me and my family. i was able to take my mom on her dream vacation. we have been with the program for 6 months now and we love it. the employees are nice and honest about what they do. they showed us the bbb report and it was a b-. it is so much better than any timeshare companies like wyndham which has an f. we saw the negative feedback. you can see that when you look at any company. its just mostly old employees writing bad stuff about the company they used to work for. we will be going on a cruise in 2 months. hope everyone has a good experience just like i am having. thank you.
Sounds like a true scam just like time share offers!
Just Dreams...
Complaints for this company allege that the company lures consumers to attend its sales presentation by offering discounted or free activities tickets on the street. The company uses high pressure sales tactics to sell software licensing for a program that promises discounted prices for vacation accommodations. The licensing cost ranges anywhere from $2, 000 to $9, 000. Consumers were given 3-day cancellation period, however, the company did not give program access information to consumers for 1 week or longer. Upon accessing the actual program, consumers found that the discounts promised were not available in the type of accommodations and in the amount referred in sales presentation, and that prices offered through the company's program were comparable to prices found at travel discount web sites that do not require fees to use
Does anyone know what is offered at $2000? I have bought into Pacific Dreams and would very much like a refund. Any advice out there, please let me know. They are very nice at the presentation but I know that I should have kept my money. There are so many travel tools out there now that I didn't need this one for sure. The comment about pricing and accommodations and the very short cancellation period are true. Just use the free tools that are out there on the web.
Paradise Blue, Global Escapes, etc.. changed to PACIFIC DREAMS Just Escape!According to BBB Report
Licensing
This company is in an industry that may REQUIRE LICENSING, bonding or registration in order to lawfully do business. BBB encourages you to check with the appropriate agency to be certain any requirements are currently being met.
These agencies may include:
BBB records show a license number of W53561950-01 for this company, issued by State of Hawaii Department of Taxation. Their web address is http://pahoehoe.ehawaii.gov/tls/app.
Type: General Excise Tax. I RESEARCHED THE License number to be NOT FOUND.
BBB RATING: B
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of B on a scale from A+ to F.
Reasons for this rating include:
* Length of time business has been operating. OPEN ON NOVEMBER 2009 SEE BELOW: under ORIGINAL BUSINESS START DATE
* BBB does not have a clear understanding of this business.
Business Contact and Profile
Name: Pacific Dreams Just Escape
Phone: [protected] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting [protected] end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: [protected]
Address: 878 Front St Ste B2
Lahaina, HI [protected]
Website: www.pacific-dreams.net
Original Business Start Date: November 2009
Principal: Mr Daniel Lopez, Chief Executive Manager
Customer Contact: Mr Daniel Lopez, Chief Executive Manager - [protected]
Entity: Limited Liability Company
Incorporated: HI
Type of Business: Travel Clubs, Computers Software & Services
BBB Accreditation: This company is not a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names: Pacific Dreams
Pacific Networks International, LLC
Business Management
Additional company management personnel include:
Mr. JOHN MOUL - Public Relations Manager (Leader of SCAM!)
Entity: Limited Liability Company Incorporated: HI Type of Business: Travel Clubs, Computers Software & Services BBB Accreditation: This company is not a BBB Accredited business. Additional DBA Names: Pacific Dreams
Pacific Networks International, LLC
Here are links to the steps the Texas Attorney General took to shut them down. Just like they keep changing their name in Hawaii (Destination Paradise, Paradise Blue and now Paradise Dreams a ll within 18 months!), they used many names in Texas also: Escapes Austin, Global Escapes, Blue water, Escapes Midwest, Sun Tree Escapes, Escapes Midwest. Etc...now PACIFIC DREAMS JUST ESCAPE IN LAHAINA HAWAII.
IT IS THE EXACT SAME SCAM JUST A DIFFERENT DESTINATION - INSTEAD OF RIPPING OFF PEOPLE IN TEXAS THEY ARE RIPPING OFF PEOPLE IN HAWAII
PLEASE DON'T BUY A THING----YOU WILL JUST GET RIPPED OFF!
While on our honeymoon to Oahu, we were approached by a man asking if we'd like tickets to a free dinner cruise for a half hour of our time and a continental breakfast. "Not a time share and no pressure to purchase anything...it's an internet thing." We had been getting up really early and nothing opens early anyways so we said yes.
Here's how it went...
The next morning we show up and of course there is no breakfast. We meet the age, marriage and income requirements so they bring us into another room along with 6 other couples and ask us about our traveling habits. They have us turn off our cell phones and tell us that to go to the restroom as they don't want us to leave during the presentation. About 30 mins after our start time the actual presentation begins. They give you an up front cost, and run through their program which is about half information and half trying to get you excited about traveling. (Just to give you an idea there is one employee for every couple and they clap, hoot, and cheer for the wonderful "Deals" they can get you in on) Overall they are trying to get you to buy "Ownership" writes to a website that only members can access. They also claim that this access gets you deals that far exceed that of the free sites. At the end of the presentation they tell you that you can get an even better deal if you sign up "Today." The sales pitch ended about an hour and 45 mins after our start time...and we were starving! ...But all-in-all the deal didn't seem too bad. As we asked questions (which they always had an answer for or simply just asked you a different question) different people came over and offered us better and better deals, starting at $10, 000 and ending around $2, 200. There were zero down offers with financing and so on and so forth. We weren't saying no, we just wanted to go to breakfast, talk it over, and maybe google the company name to see what came up. We asked if we could get the best deal if we came back "TODAY" and signed up. At that point...2 and half hours after we arrived, they simply told us to get our gift and go.
We went to breakfast and my husband looked up the "Just Dreams" company name and the above postings and many other complaints and warnings of a scam were found within seconds. We did not buy and do not recommend this unless you are willing to spend two and a half hours, and have no problem saying no. My Husband and I are smart and I can argue with the best of them so this wasn't that much of an issue for us... though I am sorry to hear it is all a scam. If some one could offer what they are offering for real, it would be cool but just as always if it seems just too good to be true...IT IS!
We have no yet taken our dinner cruise but we did call the company and they had our reservation and is fully confirmed and paid for. Hope this helps! Blessings to you.
Just Dreams Scam
Complaints To The Dcca Of Hawaii - HERE IS FURTHER PROOF THE SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO BEEN SCAMMED BY DESTINATION PARADISE LLC IN HAWAII. LISTED ARE COMPLAINTS, TO THE DCCA OF HAWAII, THAT HAVE GONE UNRESOLVED.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1213N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1197N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1196N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1195N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1194N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1184N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1173N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1164N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1143N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1134N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1096N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1085N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1077N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1060N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1044N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1028N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1018N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1017N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1001N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 1000N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0974N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0947N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0919N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0918N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0878N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0845N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0815N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0809N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0732N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0730N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0568N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0565N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0489N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0470N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0468N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0458N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2009- 0345N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2008- 1243N
OUTCOME: THIS IS A PENDING COMPLAINT. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
Complaint No: OCP- 2008- 1212N
Here is the Better Business Bureau Rating iof this company:
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F.
Reasons for this rating include:
• 73 complaints filed against business
• Failure to respond to 14 complaints filed against business.
• 13 complaints filed against business that was not resolved.
• BBB Accreditation was revoked because business failed to comply with agreed BBB standards.
• Business has failed to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints.
Here is the company Business Contact and Profile:
Business Contact and Profile
Name: Destination Paradise LLC
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]
Address: 2250 Kalakaua Ave Ste 301
Honolulu, HI [protected]
Website: http://www.destinationparadisehawaii.com
New Owner Date: March 2008
Principal: Mr. Michael A. Balicki, Manager
Customer Contact: Mr. Michael A. Balicki, Manager - [protected]
Entity: Limited Liability Company
Incorporated: March 2008, HI
Type of Business: Travel Clubs
BBB Accreditation: This company is not a BBB Accredited business. Paradise Blue is opening another office in Maui. Paradise Blue has changed to Pacific Dreams on Maui.
Any questions or problems concerning getting out of your contract with Destination paradise Hawaii(Paradise Blue and Pacific Dreams) please contact:
Mr. Jeff D'Amato- Sales Manager in Maui [protected]
Mike Balicki- Sales Manager in Honolulu 808.222.4085
Seyi Faodu - Sales Manager in Honolulu 612.310.6484
Chuck Roubalard - Owner of the product and Leader of the entire scam. 763.772.6535
JUST DREAMS IS A COMPLETE SCAM!
NOTHING THEY SAID IN THE PRESENTATION WAS TRUE
A FRIEND AND I WERE ON VACATION IN HAWAII & WE WERE LURED INTO THE JUST DREAMS PRESENTATION- WE BOUGHT INTO THE PACKAGE THINKING THIS WAS A GREAT OFFER AND THAT ALL MENTIONED IN PRESENTATION...
For what it's worth...My wife and I bought into the Pacific Dreams program two weeks ago in Maui. We were skeptical but it seemed to make sense. I've read all the posts and decided to call the B.B.B. and D.C.A. regarding this company. The complaints mentioned in previous posts, according to the B.B.B., are for Paradise Blue and Destination Paradise. The person I spoke to, assured me that they have found no connection to Pacific Dreams and the above mentioned companies. This doesn't mean they're not one in the same but the B.B.B. says they're not connected. Pacific Dreams has had 3 or 4 complaints since 10/09 and all have been resolved. As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out and I'm not entirely convinced that this program is for me. All of the companies mentioned in this post are using the same software. How they differ, I'm not sure. Hopefully I will get answers to my questions and then I'll know which way to jump.
My husband and I bought into the hype at the presentation... We aren't usually that type of people... But we gave them 6 grand in a flash...
They all seemed like nice people of course... We came home from the pacific dreams presentation and started to reasearch it online... We felt sick... How could we have fallen for a software program ... That everyone else is pedaling under different names... Of course we weren't allowed to get access/login info for 7-10 days... Hello... That should have been a red flag... We went back the next morning... We were totally blown off by Teddy... Ignored our request for cancellation...we demanded our credit card be debit the amount... They refused... As contract states they can keep the money for 10 days... Yeh, right, so that most vacationers are off the island by then!... We made a bit of a fuss... The next group would be arriving soon...next group of suckers... The manager Jeff approached us, trying to smooth it over... Said he would get our money back to us... But technically didn't have too, according to contract...he blew us off, told us to come back at closing time... Anything to get us out... Meanwhile we had called BBB, and police . we arrived back as that last good of suckers were leaving... Jeff decided he would give us a cheque to cash for the 6 grand.
We got it and, wasn't sure if it was good... But it cashed... Thank god...
we will never fall for this again... When it is tool good to be true... It isn't.
Ruined almost 3 days of our vacation !
On behalf of Pacific Dreams, I would like to reach out to anybody that has ever had an issue with our company in the past. Pacific Dreams is a good company that prides itself in customer service.
We have a commitment to our customers, and to our reputation, to make sure that we do whatever we can to make things right, GUARANTEED or your money back!
Unfortunately we have discovered that some of these reviews found on this site, have been written by the competing companies in our industry as a way to deter people from joining our club. Our software solution has allowed our customers for years to access all of the excess inventory within Time Share resorts. Our customers can access the time share weeks any time, anywhere, without ever going through the Time Share company itself. We have leveraged the power of the internet to build a website that allows you to book these weeks with ease and pay an average of $500 per week in a 1 bedroom condo. Time share sales people are all known to be high pressuring, and unreliable in servicing their customers. They will do anything to deter you from ever hearing about us and our more economical travel solution.
We encourage you to contact us if you have a legitimate complaint, so that we may fix the problem for you. We are dedicated to our company, and we want to keep a good relationship with all people, members or not.
We encourage our members to get on reviews sites they may not normally use and post positive feedback for us, to combat the very deceitful people working in the timeshare industry that like to slander our company. Please note the only way to truly know if our services will work for you is to come check us out yourself! Call us anytime to set up an appointment at our office (gift or not)
Understand that we have the right to investigate, and legally pursue anybody that has put any negative content about our company or employees, and if found to be an unjust cause, we have the right to press charges for libel (internet graffiti). This is a very serious matter, and is heavily regulated by the Federal government, as a lot of hackers, and bloggers have been able to extort money from good companies and people by committing libel.
Thanks for you fair consideration, and we hope to be of service to you anytime.
If you have a legitimate issue that needs immediately addressed, or you would like to set up a free appointment, please email us immediately-
I am an authorized agent for Pacific Dreams, and monitor all internet complaints. Please allow me to assist you in anyway.
Michael C.
pacificdreamscustomerservice@gmail.com
What steps do I need to take action regarding this? I know the answer is probably here in all of these somewhere. Is there a class action law suit pending or what needs to be done? huyserj@gmail.com
I am so disappointed with Pacific Dreams and wish there was a way for me to get out of this. I have been trying for 2 weeks to book a place and am still waiting for a call back. It can't be this hard. This is unacceptable. Also, the properties are not places that we would normally stay at. I find it interesting that your id and pin come AFTER the cancellation deadline. Had I been able to see the quality of properties, I would have cancelled right away. DON'T sign up. This is not worth your money.
I am posting on every site I can find because we had a HORRIBLE experience with "tickets on the rock"/"pacific dreams." Let me preface with: I have nothing against timeshare presentations—including this one, I’ve done 4 and never had an issue until now. Depending on the “award”, it’s been well worth the 90-120 minutes! Also, we didn't buy into the program...our horrible experience didn't even get that far but to me, it was a sign as to what kind of operation they're running. Considering the way they treated us in the presentation, I can ONLY imagine how infuriating being a member would be.
Okay so, during our vacation to Maui a couple of weeks ago, we decided to do the presentation in order to get our snorkeling trip for $80 (in lieu of $235). When we signed up for it with "Nick the Greek" at the booth near the Banyan tree on Front St. in Lahina, he insisted children were welcome. Speaking directly to our 4 year old, he emphasized there would be games and refreshments available to the kids while we were going through our presentation. My husband and I have done presentations before so we asked again…“are you sure it’s ok because most presentations have a ‘no children allowed’ policy?” Nick insisted it would be ok.
Presentation day comes so my husband, the 4 year old and I arrived at what they call “the preview theater” which is right next door to an actual movie theater. Immediately upon walking in, I told my husband the place didn’t seem right. There was artwork for sale all over the walls but this wasn’t an art gallery and the place looked very generic like they set up shop that morning. Moreover, there was a sign beneath the receptionist’s desk stating “Please turn off cell phones. A ringing cell phone could be reason for dismissal from presentation”. The fact that “Nick the Greek” kept emphasizing how important it was for us to attend the presentation or we’d have to pay full retail for our trip (he even called my cell phone the morning of to ensure I’d be present) coupled with that sign stating we could be dismissed if our cell phone rang, immediately stood out to me that it’s probably how they make their money back. They lure people in with cheap deals and then for people like my husband and I, who were very clear from the beginning that we wouldn’t buy anything that day; they put them in a position to where they can’t fulfill the time commitment.
This is getting longer than I wanted but in thinking back to what happened, I feel like you need to hear the details just in case the other reviews don’t hit home for you. Stay with me because it’s worth it…..
We meet with our representative and she’s some woman who just moved there from out of state. She made this connection with my husband (who’s from the same state) and started writing down specific details. Which high school he went to, street he grew up on, where his extended family lives, etc. AGAIN, this wasn’t my first rodeo so it was strange to me that she honed in on such specific details when she really only needed to get a sense of how much money we could spend. Before we are given a timed “restroom break”, the representative asked us what we knew about the presentation. We didn’t know anything because “Nick the Greek” was such a fast talker, we couldn’t keep up! Her reply was “good because sometimes the salesmen on the street tell people it’s an art show….we sell art but it has nothing to do with an art show”. Another red flag to me….in my mind, I’m thinking what kind of lying, hustling, con artist people do you have working on the street?
During this entire time, my 4yr old was in a room diagonal to the room we were in. It may seem silly but my husband and I are protective of our 4yr old. We aren’t quick to leave our child alone anywhere or with just anyone. So it wasn’t comfortable for us to even be in different rooms but we were able to keep an eye on the room and my husband and I both kept getting up to check on things. Literally, one of us always had an eye on our child.
Fast forwarding a bit…..after the restroom break, I was going to take my 4yr old back to the pseudo kid room when I noticed they closed one of the doors to the main room my husband and I were in. I told my baby, to come in the big room with me for the next part and just then, one of the salespeople walk by and says…”I know how it is, I have a 10 yr old son…it’s hard to separate.” He’s clearly trying to make a connection with me so I say “it looks like you’re getting ready to close the doors?” He says “yes and kids can’t come in.” I explained to him that my husband and I are a bit overprotective and there’s no way we’ll be leaving our 4yr in a room alone in a place we are unfamiliar with and with people we don’t know. He kept trying to reassure me that he and the receptionist would be walking by checking in and everything would be fine. He said they do this all the time and kids are always safe with them. As I was explaining to him once again that I would not leave my child, another representative comes out of the main room YELLING at me “are you coming in or are you leaving….you need to make up your mind, we’re starting the presentation.” I told the man to calm down and give me a moment. Just then my husband walks up and I explain the situation and my husband said the same thing I said….we will not be leaving our child. He even suggests that one of us stay in the kid room during the presentation. Of course the representative tells us we both had to be in the presentation and I respected that. There was a bit of a window in the door of the main room so I asked if I could at least stand by the door and peek in on the kid room from time to time and just then, the same representative came out yelling again….“In or out…we’re getting started.” Obviously, they were trying to pressure us into caving and just leaving my child in their care. At that point, I told them all, “this is creepy….the fact that you want to separate us from our 4 year old child, is strange and completely creepy.” At that point, they asked us to leave.
We left and ended up having to pay $57 more for a total of $136 so we still came out cheaper and only spent ½ hour there instead of the full 90 minutes—the extra $57 was worth not having to spend another moment with those people.
Just a note, if for some reason you don’t heed the reviews and you STILL want to try these people: If you end up in our situation, know that you don’t have to pay the first number they tell you. They tried to get us to pay an additional $123 but my husband was so angry and reminded the woman processing us out that it was all really “Nick the Greek’s” fault because he didn’t give us the proper information. She had customers standing there and in order to shut us up, she said she’s split some other amount between us and Nick so we’d only owe $57. I’m sure we could have gotten it for free but we wanted to pay what was fair.
Sorry for the length and there are SO many other details I could give you but I hope what I’ve shared helps someone else! By nature, I’m not very paranoid but nothing seemed right about that place and it sincerely got to the point where I was concerned that my child would come up missing the moment I went into the main room let them close the doors behind me.
I am CERTAIN that either it's an anomaly or individual from the actual company posting positive reviews. Do more research on "tickets on the rock" which appears to be one of their new names.