Hi Alex, sorry i havent got back to you.. work has been very hectic atm and i havent had time to breathe.. I sent the following email to Chantel from the members services
"Dear Chantel,
My name isXXXXX'm referring to my case, complaint and complete disregard to solve my matter PHRC462648.
I have been making complaints, calling several members of the holiday club to rectify this issue.
It is now April and I have been very, very patient with your investigation. It seems to me your not going to do nothing about it.
Therefore I am writing to Consumer Affairs, the Ombudsmen and also to the Department of Fair Trading.
I shouldn't be treated this way as an Australian citizen. My rights have been violated and now you have ruined my life.
Richard Hazzaz"
and she in turn replied me with ( the black bold writing is what i wrote)
Dear XXXXX,
We are writing in response to your below points:
- We received two 2 for 1 cruise vouchers for any cruise, boat, ship we want at any time going anywhere as long as we called up and activated the tickets within 12 months of the holiday
Most members receive a 2 for 1 cruise voucher when they join, they are advised how and when to register (within 14 days from the issue date, NOT 12 months), they are also advised of the booking restrictions and that vouchers can only be used for certain cruises and to refer to the Terms & Conditions on the back of the voucher.
I understand that and I have registered within the 2 weeks however you must use the activated ticket within 12 months. Where we were not told that there are booking restrictions at the time of product purchase and that was not told to us and Anne and I were informed that we can use this vouchers when ever we want on any cruise. Your sales representatives mislead us.
- Cruise anywhere in the world anytime. We were told at the time of product purchase that we had full access to all cruise liners from across the world when ever there is a cruise available. After purchasing our honeymoon tickets to America I decided to use my 2 for 1 voucher for a western Caribbean cruise (the oasis of the seas leaving on the 21st of July). I called ICE Gallery and Anthony informed me in order for me to use the 2 for 1 voucher only selected cruise liners which are available on the ICE gallery website would be allowed otherwise I would have to pay full amount. Not all cruise liners are listed on the website.
ICE Gallery deal with all the major cruise companies, again the 2 for 1 vouchers are limited to certain cruises, see Terms & Conditions on the back of the voucher.
I agree. As stated previously your sales representative mislead us into believing that we can use these vouchers when ever we want on any cruise.
- Brigit Adams from RCI told me I have to make bookings over the phone because there isn’t any online system that would allow me to access my points and look at accommodation.
Did you advise the consultant you were a Holiday Club member? What number did you call?
yes I have and she had to call me back a day later to tell me how this works.
- Chantal from the Holiday Club Pacific Member Services also confirmed that there is website for us to access our points. However in order for us to make bookings and we had to call up reservations. What was told to us during product purchase was that we had access to a website to access points, availability of accommodation and to make bookings and that we did not have to call up to make bookings. What was not mentioned was that there are multiple websites to access accommodation and each of them are not linked to a central website therefore we must call up reservations. We specifically asked this at the time of product purchase.
To check your points balance, update your details and see past, current and future bookings you will need to log into the Holiday Club website:
www.holidayclubpacific.com
Username: PHRC462648
Password: ricvero
On this website you can check availability for Holiday Club properties and book online, however to view RCI properties in Australia and abroad, you will need to go to www.rci.com and click on ‘Resort Directory’ (you do not need to login).
I asked if there was a central website to view everything all the sites all over the world with points and hotel exchange at the time of product purchase. I was advised there was. Your website does not show this.
Whilst we recommend that you contact reservations by phone to check availability as they have access to live Holiday Club and RCI availability, this is currently the best way to book to avoid disappointment, if you do not wish to do this you have the option of sending through a booking request via email to: [email protected]m (these emails are monitored and responded to on a regular basis)
We were never told this information at the time of product purchase. I told them I want control and ownership and I want to book everything online. They said I don’t have to talk to anyone on the phone to book accommodation.
It was recommended that you make your first few bookings via phone in order to learn how to make the best use of your membership and all avenues of availability you have access to as a member of The Holiday Club
I specifically asked that I want to make any future bookings online can I do so and the sales representative confirmed saying yes.
- Sam Stone from the Holiday Club Pacific also confirmed that there is no website to show us points and when making a booking it does not deduct the points we own when making reservations online. However Sam Stone did explain over the phone that we had to sort through 3 textbooks in order for us to do this calculation.
Sam advised that he explained to you over the phone, how to work out the points required for different resorts, seasons, etc and that it was best to phone reservations the first few times in order to better understand the booking process and the reservations consultants can advise on the exact amount of points required for each booking at that time, he also advised that he did not mention that points are not shown on the website nor that the would not be deducted when booking online.
Yes I agree, Sam explained to me that I have to look through 3 books to find out how much I am spending on my points. He also stated that their will be a website and they are in the process of making one.
- On Thursday the 2nd of Febuary I called up Holiday club to talk to XXXXX receptionist said he wasnt in today until Friday. I wanted to speak to someone in charge. Having Anne-Marie on the phone I had spoken to Adam a sales consultant. I explained to him my disappointment and stress about booking flights and not be able to use our 2 for 1 cruise voucher and he referred to me on a leaflet I had signed (..at a glance) that what we could only use the voucher according to what cruise was available on the website. I was assured at the time of signing that all cruises from all over the world are available on the website and names of cruise liners were mentioned. I stated that not all cruises are on the website, Adam confirmed that it is rotational some cruises are available and others are not. He then argued that it was available. I had told him I had called ICE Gallery and explained to him I had spoken to Anthony and he also confirmed that it wasn’t available. Adam then stated that you couldn’t expect to have a 40day cruise or a 100 day cruise to be available on the website then I then stated then not all cruises are available and what was told to me at the time of sale in September was not true as Anne and I did base our purchase on the fact that all cruises are available to us anytime throughout the year.
Adam has advised that at no time during the conversation were flights mentioned and the conversation related to a cruise that was unavailable for a planned trip, he referred you to the ‘At A Glance’ form you completed to alleviate any misunderstandings (please see attached). He also advised that for any queries relating to cruises, that you contact ICE Gallery direct as they can advise availability and cost for all cruises. He also referred you to contact Member Services if you had any further queries regarding your membership
I advised Adam that I have already booked flights and when I went to book my cruise, my cruise was not available. He stated to Anne and I who were on the phone, that all cruises are on the website. However I explained to him it wasn’t true. He then referred me “on the at a glance”. And I stated that at the time of product purchase the sales representative told Anne and I that we can use those vouchers with any cruise anywhere in the world. Again your sales representatives mislead us into believing this was true and we made our product purchase based on this.
- Adam from the Holiday Club Pacific had spoken to us about accommodation across NSW in big named hotels and I am yet to find out where and what He is referring to. What we were told on the product sale and was shown to us was accommodation for no more than $225/wk across Sydney and Melbourne. We can not locate that anywhere. He also confirmed that there are accommodation in the western suburbs in Sydney.
I believe in this instance, Adam was referring to the Dial an Exchange website where you can access accommodation starting from $199 per week for domestic and $249 per week for international destinations (subject to availability), please see attached for information on how to register on this website.
As part of your membership, you also have access to Hotel Affiliate accommodation which is based on a nightly rate and is not subject to the same booking conditions as booking Holiday Club and RCI resorts. If you would like us to conduct a search for availability using this option, please advise where you wish to travel, your travel dates and how many people will be travelling and we will be happy to send you a no obligation quote for accommodation.
Yes I know now however we asked if the prices change and your sales representative said it was a set price on the website.
You have previously mentioned that your membership should be cancelled as you believed we were in breach of the Trade Practices Act. In order for us to look at this and address your issues, can you please advise which points of this act you believe we are in breach of..
Chantal, maybe you don’t understand. At the time of purchase these things have mislead me into believing your product does cater for my needs. However it was not mentioned at the time. And if it was mentioned then I would not have purchased this product. Now that you have explained to me and I had to find out myself all these things your company does provide, It is of no use to me. As stated before. I was unaware of these things on the day of product purchase. Your sales representatives have mislead me believing in what I mentioned to you. Therefore I have been mislead.
Regards
Chantel Munsie