FCV reneged on a British Isles cruise they supposedly booked for me two years ago. After promising to make good on the cruise they didn't follow through. After filling out a form to receive my $4600 back two years ago I am still waiting for the money. Jeff Nahom, the CEO, promised to return the money this past February. He lied. I am still waiting. FCV won't return my emails nor phone calls.
I have reported them to BBB and to the agency in the Florida government that handles illegitimate businesses. Needless to say, this travel company, headed up by Jeff Nahom, is a scam. Do not use them. Let me say it again, Do not use them. You will be ripped off like I was. Mr Nahom has no integrity as well as the people who are employed by FCV. I wonder they sleep at night??
My mother bought us a cruise through First Class Vacations (FCV). The cruise had a "use by" date in the near term. Since I didn't want her to lose the fees, I called FCV to see about selecting a date for the cruise. And that's when the fight started.... since the cruise was purchased by my mother, technically, the cruise was still in her name. They would not even talk to me until I obtained a notarized letter from my mother addressed to FCV, to transfer ownership to us. This company is definitely out to trip-up the naive, vulnerable, unsuspecting consumer. I consider myself intelligent and reasonable, however, reasonable is not a word I would use to describe the agents at FCV. They are very hard to reach by phone and even if you do reach somebody your question(s) cannot be answered by that individual. They are always transferring you to someone else. I believe the idea is to get consumers so frustrated that they just drop the whole thing and let FCV eat their booking fees. Total scam. I went ahead and booked the cruise with them because my mother would have lost her initial $599. The cruise is March 2013 to the Western Caribbean. After spending more than $7,000, I still have nothing tangible that I can hold onto to confirm the cruise. I don't know how my mother got bamboozled in the first place by this unprofessional company. All I can tell you is, if you have a choice, do not use FCV to book a cruise. They are scumbags. I will try to report back after the cruise (if there really is a cruise) to let you know how it all turned out.
I have read all the other reports and the same thing happened to me. They called using my husbands past cruise account and I figured it was Carnival trying to drum up business after their many issues this past year. Well I am good with numbers and when they sent the information on the taxes fees and unclear upgrades I was mad at myself. Since we were going to take a cruise anyway I went through with booking. I did not have time to chase this down as full time working mom. I told them i wanted a refund or to choose my own booking and they refused. They also transferred me all over the place. The place is a total scam. Unfortunately, unless someone has the resources to go after them they will make an interesting living. This should be on 20/20.
I was hirerd by First Class Vacations to sell cruise pkgs. I was there about 2 1/2 days and saw that they mis lead the client by telling them they were partners with the top 20 cruise line in the world . That was a lie! what ended up happening was they all were pushed on carnival unless the paid big money to move. Also said they were partners with Hilton and other major resort chains which is not ture. the cruise line may of had one, But there made it sound like it was theres.
(first class vacation) also hires employees at 10hr plus comm. plus bounuses and they do not pay anything at all per. hr. and with the comm. they just tell you they canceled. this needs to stop. People work hard for the company and in the end all they do is keep rolling the room over so not only do they mislead the client they ripoff the workers as well. Please see that this stopped and the 100 or so people that have worked for week to 2 weeks at least get ther 10$ per hr. It might stop the problem. they have 33 complaints in the last year. this will also go to the F.T.C.
Contacted agency for quote on cruise - when did not book immediatly salesperson called me repeatedly at home and work several times a week for SEVERAL weeks. Both the salesperson and the promotion manager spoke to me about booking the trip when I delayed the then offered me the "Triple Crown Package" which was by the package which would entitle me to an 7 night cruise -oceanview cabin at $798 for the first two, $298 for the next two. Was told that only had to pay taxes of approx $85. pp and could up grade to balcony for only $198. pp. I could go any at any time during the year except Dec 19th-first of Jan. ALSO, was suppose to get $100.00 on board credit AND a "free cruise 7 night cruise for 2 inside cabin ..again only had to pay taxes. Had my choice of Carnival, Royal Carribean or Norwegian (which I do not recommend -poor customer service). I confirmed all this via e-mail and as they were "recording" deal prior to processing the payment. When I tried to book that same cruise I was quoted at the very beginning the booking department claimed that they could not book that trip at that rate...new nothing about the offer and said the promotion manager (Andrew Smith) would have to contact me. After 3 WEEKS of trying to book ANY cruise with our primary desired distinations...I finally requested a refund. I was offered different trips on different ships - at a higher price of course, told that my sales person made a mistake, double talk about charges and "surcharges" that was never disclosed...failed to return phone calls, told that "did not know what to do so didn't call"...it goes on and on. The call to book the trip was 2/3/2010. Was FINALLY told via e-mail almost 2 weeks ago that my mother and I would recieve a refund but that has yet to happen. They are fully aware the I am a single parent - getting NO child support and my mother is on a fixed income...I have repeatedly called and e-mailed with NO RESPONSE and they KNOW that due to them my mother, daughter, aunt, grand niece (10yr) will not be able to take a vaction this summer until we get our money back from them....they apparently do not care ..only want YOUR $$$$$$ Just another little FYI - Since I bought the package in Dec their BBB rating has already dropped...Book you vacation with someone else...
First Class Vacations cold calls people to trap them into deals. They managed to get my mother - a senior - to cough up $698 via credit card when they called her with all sorts of promises for a free trip if she booked a cruise with them. They took her credit card info before they ever sent anything out in writing.
I could have lived with the hard sell if they actually offered a reasonable price on the trip. First Class Vacations wants $847 per person for a Carnival cruise that I can book directly with Carnival for $587 per person. (Initially, they wanted $99 more per person for a balcony cabin "upgrade" fee.) Both prices include all taxes and port fees and are for exactly the same cabin. I'm all for companies making a profit, but $260 per person (original $359pp) seems a little exorbitant to put it politely.
So, the warning is...once they have your money be prepared to forfeit it or be ready to pay 45% - 60% more to buy a ticket with First Class Vacations.
First Class Vacations promised me a great package for $698. I was to get a 7 night Carnival Cruise, 4 night Carnival Cruise and a Air & Hotel weekend trip in the US. When I tried to book my first cruise, I was told I had to port in San Juan, PR and the port fees and taxes were horrible.
I checked Carnival port fees and taxed and they were $90 at the most where First Class was charging over $300. In the end it was costing me another $500 and I couldn't get the cruise I wanted.
The fees First Class is charging I could book my own cruise thru Carnival for half the price. Shari, the reservationist is rude and never returns calls.
This company sucks you in with the "Great Deal"!
I have since found out they are approved by the Better Business Bureau and have a lot of bad reviews and complaints. I am a senior citizen on a fixed income and I have lost $700 because I cannot afford to give them the fees and taxes, etc they require now.
In November of 2010, I was contacted by a representative from First Class Vacations, who said she was calling Texas nurses with a great cruise offer. A deposit of $500.00 dollars was required the same day and the agreed upon balance for one person in a balcony stateroom was . $1096.00 plus port charges and processing. This amount would be due at time of booking any time prior to November 2013.
Between April and June of 2012, I made several attempts to book a cruise and was told I would have to pay port charges and processing for two and the charges were grossly inflated. Each time the balance was up to double the original balance.
I eventually spoke to Richard Nahom, Vice-President/Treasurer, about the situation and he stated he would get back to me. So far I have not heard from him.
I received a call a little over a year ago from FCV stating tthey were offeringg a promotional crruise package to nurses (I'm a registered nurse). The woman on the phone said if I booked a cruise with them I would be entitled to a free 2 day, 3 night vacation from a list of destinations for me and a travel companion. All I would have to do is pay a few fees for the airline taxes which they made sound minimal.
She asked for a deposit of around $300 which she said would pay for my cruise ticket and when I was ready to book my cruise all I would need to pay for was the price of my other ticket. When I booked my cruise this was not the case. I paid full price and then some for the 2 tickets (over $700).
After the cruise I went to see about my free trip. It was a long tedious process which the alleged "airline taxes" was about $400. When I was finally able to book the trip it cost another $500. At this point I didn't want to lose the $400 so I booked the trip.
This company scammed me out of maybe $400 total (I figured the 2 trips would have cost me about $1500 all together). The ironic part was I saw the rip off report before all of this and I told FCV about it. They assured me they were a legitimate company and it was wrong (I know, very naive). I don't know why I followed through with them. I guess I felt as though if I didn't, I would lose money and in the end I just kept spending more. As a nurse, I thought there was a company that wanted to do something nice for over-worked, under-paid health care professionals but like every other scam, I guess they don't care who they take advantage of. Hopefully this helps some poor unsuspecting person
They phone solicit and say they represent the cruise line who is running a promotion for nurses. They sold me a package for a cruise which I could book at a later date. they called back later to tell me that dus to the illnesses on cruise lines in the news and the sinking of a cruise ship recently that cruise travel has decreased dramatically. They told me the cruise line wanted to give me free upgrades and I gave them a total of 2500 dollars for the cruise but didnt book a date. When I went to book the cruise I found out they had sold me 4 additional travel packages and the cruise I paid for originally still had a balance owed.......What a scan to get additional comissions.
I called to get my money refunded and they said thats impossible. They too 2500 from me and I hadent even booked a trip or signed anything that said my deposits were non-refundable. This is a scam...The social media is full of comlaint and victems of this company. BEWARE...I wish I had researched First Class vacations before I gave them any money.
They are now trying to sell me another bag of goods and I cant trust what they say anymore. They refuse to refund my monies. 3 weeks , 20 phone calls and 8 employes later I still cant get this issue resolved. They are masters of passing the buck, putting you on infinite hold, disconnecting the call and telling you they will call back but never do.
Hope my experience with First Class Vacations in Boca Raton will help other stay clear of doing business with them.
I have a coupon book with an advertisement from First Class Vacations.
The coupon clearly states Carnival Cruise 2 for 1. I thought this would mean two people cruise for the price of one. When I contacted them, I was told this was buy one cruise and get the second cruise free. (2 for 1). I inquired if this was an even exchange 2 for 1 offer. In other words do I receive the same cruise type equal to my purchase. I was told the second cruise was equivalent to the first cruise. So I booked a Carnival seven day Eastern ,balcony room, cruise departing from Port Canaveral. Total cost for two people, including all fees and taxes was $1974.90.
I have made several attempts to get the second free cruise as promoted by the 2 for 1 advertisement. Now they tell me the second cruise is a "Bonus" cruise, interior stateroom and departing from Miami only. A balcony room is an upgrade. Including any upgrade to balcony and applicable fees and taxes, the price of the "Bonus" cruise for two people is $2184.90. This is $211.00 higher that the original cruise I purchased. They call this a "BONUS"? Where is the bonus? Clearly this does not meet a 2 for 1 cruise deal as advertised. They lure you in with a great offer, only to change the terms later. This is false advertising and any company that pulls this type of "Bait and Switch" is not worth doing any business with.
After I was informed that I would receive a 7 day Mexican Rivera cruise for only $599.00, I was sold. Then the travel consultant I would also receive 2 bonus trips after I take the cruise. I had to put the $599.00 on my credit card. Then it was mentioned that I would have to pay the typical taxes and port fees, which I understood.
I made a call to the cruise line and asked what the going cruise rate was, they told me $479.00. Then I called First Class Vacations back and asked I was being charged $599.00, they said it was for the other two bonus trips.
Then the bad news came when I received the financial breakdown. I was being charged over $300.00 in port charges and $127.00 in taxes. I decided that was excessive and wanted to cancel my trip, but there are No Refunds allowed. I would loose my $599.00 I already paid.
When we were on our cruise, I talked the other couples on our dinner table and they mentioned what they paid in taxes and port charges, which was almost $400.00 less then what I paid.
When I called back to the the Bonus trips, I was informed I had to pay for money up front. I am outraged. What started as a $599.00 trip deal, ended up costing me $2100.00.
CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS BY UNLICENSED SCAMSTER JEFFERY NAHOM.
firstclassvacations.com
cruisefirefly.com
mycruisepackage.com
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS
CRUISE FIREFLY
Suite 212
1515 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY
BOCA RATON FLORIDA 33432
(800) 650-5124
Officers, Board Members, Directors, Vice Presidents, Business Partners and Consultants:
Richard Nahom
Jeffrey Nahom
Andrew Smith
Wayne Wiggins
Jeffery Vanderpol
Christina Rosario
Brent Snipes
HAVE YOU BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNTED CRUISE FROM CRUISE FIREFLY?
HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERED 75% OFF YOUR NEXT CRUISE?
GET ONE FREE PROMOTION?
IN THE CASE OF CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS THE SCAM IS REASONABLY SIMPLE; JEFF NAHOM CHARGES $698.
00 BUT NONE OF THE COST OF A CRUISE IS IN THIS CHARGE. THIS CHARGE IS JUST THE CUSTOMERS FRONT END COST. $698 OR ANY AMOUNT DEMANDED UPFRONT PAYS FOR ZERO TOWARDS YOUR CRUISE OR IN FACT ANY VACATION.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GET INTO JEFF NAHOM’S NEFARIOUS SCAM BUSINESS, LET’S BREIFLY LOOK INTO FLORIDA TELEMARKETING LAWS TO SEE IF CRUISE FIREFLY OR FIRST CLASS VACATIONS HAS EVER BEEN A LEGITIMATE TELEMARKETER IN ITS PRIOR TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS?
Florida's Division of Consumer Services manages all of the licenses for telemarketers. Businesses that wish to telemarket must apply for permission to do so, which includes disclosing criminal histories of all the applicants and copies of all sales scripts to be used in order to comply with licensing criteria. Salespeople for telemarketing businesses must also obtain individual licenses for a fee of $50.00 P/A per person. The business application carries a $1,500 P/A fee, and business applicants must also post a bond of $50,000.
Every licensed telemarketing organization has a valid license number and every sales person has a valid license number issued by FDACS.
Telemarketers may only call between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the time zone of the person being called. They may not block their name or number from showing up on the recipient's Caller ID system. Telemarketers can't tell you that you can only pay for their service by credit card or otherwise express any preference for payment method. From the moment you answer the call, the marketer has 30 seconds to state his or her real name, the company’s name, address and telephone number and the goods or services being offered.
Who do telemarketers that don’t have licenses answer to?
The Florida Telemarketing Act governs the actions of these businesses. All non-exempt telemarketing companies must be licensed with FDACS, and post a security bond of no less than $50,000 and have every salesperson licensed prior to soliciting a single potential customer.
This company and the so called reservationist took $500.00 of my mothers money, promising her a cruise vacation package plus a free gift of 3 nights 4 days of hotel stay either in Vegas or Orlando florida. Well when I finally called to talk to someone I left a message on the voicemail of Allison 2 weeks later still no call. I finally got ahold of a Rachel who blew me off everytime I called. Three days in a row, she first put me through to some womens voicemail and of course no call back. After calling again and getting Rachel she blew me off again, she couldn't talk one day because it was one minute to closing, give me a break. The third day once again Rachel, put me on hold said she was helping another client, when I knew she wasn't but heard another phone ringing in background. She didn't want to bother with me. Finally got ahold of Stephen, another rude individual. I told him how rude Rachel was he questioned me like I was crazy. I asked him about a refund for my mother will not be able to take this cruise due to her health. He would have cared less and said well she was told it was non-refundable. How unfair is that, they should have exceptions, i.e. health problems plus more. There is more to this story but it would take me too long. Please do not use these people for your vacations, it is a rip off. Read the other stories they are true for I have ran into the same problems!!
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS INC CRUISE FIREFLY CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS JEFFERY NAHOM BOCA RATON Florida
CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS BY UNLICENSED SCAMSTER JEFFERY NAHOM.
firstclassvacations.com
cruisefirefly.com
mycruisepackage.com
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS
CRUISE FIREFLY
Suite 212
1515 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY
BOCA RATON FLORIDA 33432
(800) 650-5124
Officers, Board Members, Directors, Vice Presidents, Business Partners and Consultants:
Richard Nahom
Jeffrey Nahom
Andrew Smith
Wayne Wiggins
Jeffery Vanderpol
Christina Rosario
Brent Snipes
HAVE YOU BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNTED CRUISE FROM CRUISE FIREFLY?
HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERED 75% OFF YOUR NEXT CRUISE?
GET ONE FREE PROMOTION?
IN THE CASE OF CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS THE SCAM IS REASONABLY SIMPLE; JEFF NAHOM CHARGES $698.00 BUT NONE OF THE COST OF A CRUISE IS IN THIS CHARGE. THIS CHARGE IS JUST THE CUSTOMERS FRONT END COST. $698 OR ANY AMOUNT DEMANDED UPFRONT PAYS FOR ZERO TOWARDS YOUR CRUISE OR IN FACT ANY VACATION.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GET INTO JEFF NAHOM’S NEFARIOUS SCAM BUSINESS, LET’S BREIFLY LOOK INTO FLORIDA TELEMARKETING LAWS TO SEE IF CRUISE FIREFLY OR FIRST CLASS VACATIONS HAS EVER BEEN A LEGITIMATE TELEMARKETER IN ITS PRIOR TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS?
Florida's Division of Consumer Services manages all of the licenses for telemarketers. Businesses that wish to telemarket must apply for permission to do so, which includes disclosing criminal histories of all the applicants and copies of all sales scripts to be used in order to comply with licensing criteria. Salespeople for telemarketing businesses must also obtain individual licenses for a fee of $50.00 P/A per person. The business application carries a $1,500 P/A fee, and business applicants must also post a bond of $50,000.
Every licensed telemarketing organization has a valid license number and every sales person has a valid license number issued by FDACS.
Telemarketers may only call between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the time zone of the person being called. They may not block their name or number from showing up on the recipient's Caller ID system. Telemarketers can't tell you that you can only pay for their service by credit card or otherwise express any preference for payment method. From the moment you answer the call, the marketer has 30 seconds to state his or her real name, the company’s name, address and telephone number and the goods or services being offered.
Who do telemarketers that don’t have licenses answer to?
The Florida Telemarketing Act governs the actions of these businesses. All non-exempt telemarketing companies must be licensed with FDACS, and post a security bond of no less than $50,000 and have every salesperson licensed prior to soliciting a single potential customer.
Background checks are conducted as part of this process, and individuals with suspicious and / or criminal histories involving fraud are denied licensure. With a continuing focus on protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices, the Department’s Division of Consumer Services partnered with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement to conduct a series of inspections on over 250 telemarketing businesses in Florida.
Cease and desist orders were issued to 170 of the businesses and over 1000 salespeople. More than 3000 violations of the Florida Telemarketing Act were cited, resulting in fines being collected and assets seized, frozen and forfeited.
The following are a few requirements set forth in the statute that consumers should be aware of;
Register for the Florida Do Not Call Program by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or
visiting 800helpfla.com.
Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number on your caller ID.
Instead, let it go to voicemail.
Don’t provide any personal or financial information over the phone and don’t be
pressured into making any immediate or impulsive decisions.
Don’t send cash by messenger or overnight mail. Using a credit card will allow you to dispute the charges if you don’t get what you were promised.
Report telemarketing scams!
Fraudulent telemarketers should be reported to both FDACS and
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Filing a consumer complaint with FDACS can be done online or by requesting a copy of the form from the Consumer Assistance Center.
Either visit 800helpfla.com or call 1-800- HELP-FLA (435-7352) from within Florida, 850-488-2221 from outside of Florida.
On the 18th of march, 1st class vacations called my wife and talked her into a cruse to the carrabians and wanted a downpayment of 598. Niether one of us want to cruse the carrabians. So i called and tried to get a refund---i was told that was not an option. My credit card company was no help so i thought that i would just have to lose this money.
In the meantime my wife was seeing doctors and she was diagnosed with dimensia. On october 2nd 1st class called again and talked her into an "upgrade" to an alaska cruse for another 898. I was furious and called the company and was told again that refunds are not given.
I have called and left numerous messages with a woman called jeanna, extension 313. I keep getting her voice mail and never get a call back. I'm sure that i'm being played.
In it they state that customer satisfaction is their number one goal. Bulls--t so far we have lost 1496.
First Class Vacations Reviews
FCV reneged on a British Isles cruise they supposedly booked for me two years ago. After promising to make good on the cruise they didn't follow through. After filling out a form to receive my $4600 back two years ago I am still waiting for the money. Jeff Nahom, the CEO, promised to return the money this past February. He lied. I am still waiting. FCV won't return my emails nor phone calls.
I have reported them to BBB and to the agency in the Florida government that handles illegitimate businesses. Needless to say, this travel company, headed up by Jeff Nahom, is a scam. Do not use them. Let me say it again, Do not use them. You will be ripped off like I was. Mr Nahom has no integrity as well as the people who are employed by FCV. I wonder they sleep at night??
After you pay a $500 deposit for a cruise, they inflate the purchase price to book the cruise and include a huge processing fee. Beware!
My mother bought us a cruise through First Class Vacations (FCV). The cruise had a "use by" date in the near term. Since I didn't want her to lose the fees, I called FCV to see about selecting a date for the cruise. And that's when the fight started.... since the cruise was purchased by my mother, technically, the cruise was still in her name. They would not even talk to me until I obtained a notarized letter from my mother addressed to FCV, to transfer ownership to us. This company is definitely out to trip-up the naive, vulnerable, unsuspecting consumer. I consider myself intelligent and reasonable, however, reasonable is not a word I would use to describe the agents at FCV. They are very hard to reach by phone and even if you do reach somebody your question(s) cannot be answered by that individual. They are always transferring you to someone else. I believe the idea is to get consumers so frustrated that they just drop the whole thing and let FCV eat their booking fees. Total scam. I went ahead and booked the cruise with them because my mother would have lost her initial $599. The cruise is March 2013 to the Western Caribbean. After spending more than $7,000, I still have nothing tangible that I can hold onto to confirm the cruise. I don't know how my mother got bamboozled in the first place by this unprofessional company. All I can tell you is, if you have a choice, do not use FCV to book a cruise. They are scumbags. I will try to report back after the cruise (if there really is a cruise) to let you know how it all turned out.
I have read all the other reports and the same thing happened to me. They called using my husbands past cruise account and I figured it was Carnival trying to drum up business after their many issues this past year. Well I am good with numbers and when they sent the information on the taxes fees and unclear upgrades I was mad at myself. Since we were going to take a cruise anyway I went through with booking. I did not have time to chase this down as full time working mom. I told them i wanted a refund or to choose my own booking and they refused. They also transferred me all over the place. The place is a total scam. Unfortunately, unless someone has the resources to go after them they will make an interesting living. This should be on 20/20.
I was hirerd by First Class Vacations to sell cruise pkgs. I was there about 2 1/2 days and saw that they mis lead the client by telling them they were partners with the top 20 cruise line in the world . That was a lie! what ended up happening was they all were pushed on carnival unless the paid big money to move. Also said they were partners with Hilton and other major resort chains which is not ture. the cruise line may of had one, But there made it sound like it was theres.
(first class vacation) also hires employees at 10hr plus comm. plus bounuses and they do not pay anything at all per. hr. and with the comm. they just tell you they canceled. this needs to stop. People work hard for the company and in the end all they do is keep rolling the room over so not only do they mislead the client they ripoff the workers as well. Please see that this stopped and the 100 or so people that have worked for week to 2 weeks at least get ther 10$ per hr. It might stop the problem. they have 33 complaints in the last year. this will also go to the F.T.C.
Contacted agency for quote on cruise - when did not book immediatly salesperson called me repeatedly at home and work several times a week for SEVERAL weeks. Both the salesperson and the promotion manager spoke to me about booking the trip when I delayed the then offered me the "Triple Crown Package" which was by the package which would entitle me to an 7 night cruise -oceanview cabin at $798 for the first two, $298 for the next two. Was told that only had to pay taxes of approx $85. pp and could up grade to balcony for only $198. pp. I could go any at any time during the year except Dec 19th-first of Jan. ALSO, was suppose to get $100.00 on board credit AND a "free cruise 7 night cruise for 2 inside cabin ..again only had to pay taxes. Had my choice of Carnival, Royal Carribean or Norwegian (which I do not recommend -poor customer service). I confirmed all this via e-mail and as they were "recording" deal prior to processing the payment. When I tried to book that same cruise I was quoted at the very beginning the booking department claimed that they could not book that trip at that rate...new nothing about the offer and said the promotion manager (Andrew Smith) would have to contact me. After 3 WEEKS of trying to book ANY cruise with our primary desired distinations...I finally requested a refund. I was offered different trips on different ships - at a higher price of course, told that my sales person made a mistake, double talk about charges and "surcharges" that was never disclosed...failed to return phone calls, told that "did not know what to do so didn't call"...it goes on and on. The call to book the trip was 2/3/2010. Was FINALLY told via e-mail almost 2 weeks ago that my mother and I would recieve a refund but that has yet to happen. They are fully aware the I am a single parent - getting NO child support and my mother is on a fixed income...I have repeatedly called and e-mailed with NO RESPONSE and they KNOW that due to them my mother, daughter, aunt, grand niece (10yr) will not be able to take a vaction this summer until we get our money back from them....they apparently do not care ..only want YOUR $$$$$$ Just another little FYI - Since I bought the package in Dec their BBB rating has already dropped...Book you vacation with someone else...
First Class Vacations cold calls people to trap them into deals. They managed to get my mother - a senior - to cough up $698 via credit card when they called her with all sorts of promises for a free trip if she booked a cruise with them. They took her credit card info before they ever sent anything out in writing.
I could have lived with the hard sell if they actually offered a reasonable price on the trip. First Class Vacations wants $847 per person for a Carnival cruise that I can book directly with Carnival for $587 per person. (Initially, they wanted $99 more per person for a balcony cabin "upgrade" fee.) Both prices include all taxes and port fees and are for exactly the same cabin. I'm all for companies making a profit, but $260 per person (original $359pp) seems a little exorbitant to put it politely.
So, the warning is...once they have your money be prepared to forfeit it or be ready to pay 45% - 60% more to buy a ticket with First Class Vacations.
First Class Vacations promised me a great package for $698. I was to get a 7 night Carnival Cruise, 4 night Carnival Cruise and a Air & Hotel weekend trip in the US. When I tried to book my first cruise, I was told I had to port in San Juan, PR and the port fees and taxes were horrible.
I checked Carnival port fees and taxed and they were $90 at the most where First Class was charging over $300. In the end it was costing me another $500 and I couldn't get the cruise I wanted.
The fees First Class is charging I could book my own cruise thru Carnival for half the price. Shari, the reservationist is rude and never returns calls.
This company sucks you in with the "Great Deal"!
I have since found out they are approved by the Better Business Bureau and have a lot of bad reviews and complaints. I am a senior citizen on a fixed income and I have lost $700 because I cannot afford to give them the fees and taxes, etc they require now.
In November of 2010, I was contacted by a representative from First Class Vacations, who said she was calling Texas nurses with a great cruise offer. A deposit of $500.00 dollars was required the same day and the agreed upon balance for one person in a balcony stateroom was . $1096.00 plus port charges and processing. This amount would be due at time of booking any time prior to November 2013.
Between April and June of 2012, I made several attempts to book a cruise and was told I would have to pay port charges and processing for two and the charges were grossly inflated. Each time the balance was up to double the original balance.
I eventually spoke to Richard Nahom, Vice-President/Treasurer, about the situation and he stated he would get back to me. So far I have not heard from him.
I received a call a little over a year ago from FCV stating tthey were offeringg a promotional crruise package to nurses (I'm a registered nurse). The woman on the phone said if I booked a cruise with them I would be entitled to a free 2 day, 3 night vacation from a list of destinations for me and a travel companion. All I would have to do is pay a few fees for the airline taxes which they made sound minimal.
She asked for a deposit of around $300 which she said would pay for my cruise ticket and when I was ready to book my cruise all I would need to pay for was the price of my other ticket. When I booked my cruise this was not the case. I paid full price and then some for the 2 tickets (over $700).
After the cruise I went to see about my free trip. It was a long tedious process which the alleged "airline taxes" was about $400. When I was finally able to book the trip it cost another $500. At this point I didn't want to lose the $400 so I booked the trip.
This company scammed me out of maybe $400 total (I figured the 2 trips would have cost me about $1500 all together). The ironic part was I saw the rip off report before all of this and I told FCV about it. They assured me they were a legitimate company and it was wrong (I know, very naive). I don't know why I followed through with them. I guess I felt as though if I didn't, I would lose money and in the end I just kept spending more. As a nurse, I thought there was a company that wanted to do something nice for over-worked, under-paid health care professionals but like every other scam, I guess they don't care who they take advantage of. Hopefully this helps some poor unsuspecting person
They phone solicit and say they represent the cruise line who is running a promotion for nurses. They sold me a package for a cruise which I could book at a later date. they called back later to tell me that dus to the illnesses on cruise lines in the news and the sinking of a cruise ship recently that cruise travel has decreased dramatically. They told me the cruise line wanted to give me free upgrades and I gave them a total of 2500 dollars for the cruise but didnt book a date. When I went to book the cruise I found out they had sold me 4 additional travel packages and the cruise I paid for originally still had a balance owed.......What a scan to get additional comissions.
I called to get my money refunded and they said thats impossible. They too 2500 from me and I hadent even booked a trip or signed anything that said my deposits were non-refundable. This is a scam...The social media is full of comlaint and victems of this company. BEWARE...I wish I had researched First Class vacations before I gave them any money.
They are now trying to sell me another bag of goods and I cant trust what they say anymore. They refuse to refund my monies. 3 weeks , 20 phone calls and 8 employes later I still cant get this issue resolved. They are masters of passing the buck, putting you on infinite hold, disconnecting the call and telling you they will call back but never do.
Hope my experience with First Class Vacations in Boca Raton will help other stay clear of doing business with them.
I have a coupon book with an advertisement from First Class Vacations.
The coupon clearly states Carnival Cruise 2 for 1. I thought this would mean two people cruise for the price of one. When I contacted them, I was told this was buy one cruise and get the second cruise free. (2 for 1). I inquired if this was an even exchange 2 for 1 offer. In other words do I receive the same cruise type equal to my purchase. I was told the second cruise was equivalent to the first cruise. So I booked a Carnival seven day Eastern ,balcony room, cruise departing from Port Canaveral. Total cost for two people, including all fees and taxes was $1974.90.
I have made several attempts to get the second free cruise as promoted by the 2 for 1 advertisement. Now they tell me the second cruise is a "Bonus" cruise, interior stateroom and departing from Miami only. A balcony room is an upgrade. Including any upgrade to balcony and applicable fees and taxes, the price of the "Bonus" cruise for two people is $2184.90. This is $211.00 higher that the original cruise I purchased. They call this a "BONUS"? Where is the bonus? Clearly this does not meet a 2 for 1 cruise deal as advertised. They lure you in with a great offer, only to change the terms later. This is false advertising and any company that pulls this type of "Bait and Switch" is not worth doing any business with.
After I was informed that I would receive a 7 day Mexican Rivera cruise for only $599.00, I was sold. Then the travel consultant I would also receive 2 bonus trips after I take the cruise. I had to put the $599.00 on my credit card. Then it was mentioned that I would have to pay the typical taxes and port fees, which I understood.
I made a call to the cruise line and asked what the going cruise rate was, they told me $479.00. Then I called First Class Vacations back and asked I was being charged $599.00, they said it was for the other two bonus trips.
Then the bad news came when I received the financial breakdown. I was being charged over $300.00 in port charges and $127.00 in taxes. I decided that was excessive and wanted to cancel my trip, but there are No Refunds allowed. I would loose my $599.00 I already paid.
When we were on our cruise, I talked the other couples on our dinner table and they mentioned what they paid in taxes and port charges, which was almost $400.00 less then what I paid.
When I called back to the the Bonus trips, I was informed I had to pay for money up front. I am outraged. What started as a $599.00 trip deal, ended up costing me $2100.00.
Beware of First Class Vacations.
CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS BY UNLICENSED SCAMSTER JEFFERY NAHOM.
firstclassvacations.com
cruisefirefly.com
mycruisepackage.com
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS
CRUISE FIREFLY
Suite 212
1515 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY
BOCA RATON FLORIDA 33432
(800) 650-5124
Officers, Board Members, Directors, Vice Presidents, Business Partners and Consultants:
Richard Nahom
Jeffrey Nahom
Andrew Smith
Wayne Wiggins
Jeffery Vanderpol
Christina Rosario
Brent Snipes
HAVE YOU BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNTED CRUISE FROM CRUISE FIREFLY?
HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERED 75% OFF YOUR NEXT CRUISE?
GET ONE FREE PROMOTION?
IN THE CASE OF CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS THE SCAM IS REASONABLY SIMPLE; JEFF NAHOM CHARGES $698.
00 BUT NONE OF THE COST OF A CRUISE IS IN THIS CHARGE. THIS CHARGE IS JUST THE CUSTOMERS FRONT END COST. $698 OR ANY AMOUNT DEMANDED UPFRONT PAYS FOR ZERO TOWARDS YOUR CRUISE OR IN FACT ANY VACATION.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GET INTO JEFF NAHOM’S NEFARIOUS SCAM BUSINESS, LET’S BREIFLY LOOK INTO FLORIDA TELEMARKETING LAWS TO SEE IF CRUISE FIREFLY OR FIRST CLASS VACATIONS HAS EVER BEEN A LEGITIMATE TELEMARKETER IN ITS PRIOR TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS?
Florida's Division of Consumer Services manages all of the licenses for telemarketers. Businesses that wish to telemarket must apply for permission to do so, which includes disclosing criminal histories of all the applicants and copies of all sales scripts to be used in order to comply with licensing criteria. Salespeople for telemarketing businesses must also obtain individual licenses for a fee of $50.00 P/A per person. The business application carries a $1,500 P/A fee, and business applicants must also post a bond of $50,000.
Every licensed telemarketing organization has a valid license number and every sales person has a valid license number issued by FDACS.
Telemarketers may only call between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the time zone of the person being called. They may not block their name or number from showing up on the recipient's Caller ID system. Telemarketers can't tell you that you can only pay for their service by credit card or otherwise express any preference for payment method. From the moment you answer the call, the marketer has 30 seconds to state his or her real name, the company’s name, address and telephone number and the goods or services being offered.
Who do telemarketers that don’t have licenses answer to?
The Florida Telemarketing Act governs the actions of these businesses. All non-exempt telemarketing companies must be licensed with FDACS, and post a security bond of no less than $50,000 and have every salesperson licensed prior to soliciting a single potential customer.
This company and the so called reservationist took $500.00 of my mothers money, promising her a cruise vacation package plus a free gift of 3 nights 4 days of hotel stay either in Vegas or Orlando florida. Well when I finally called to talk to someone I left a message on the voicemail of Allison 2 weeks later still no call. I finally got ahold of a Rachel who blew me off everytime I called. Three days in a row, she first put me through to some womens voicemail and of course no call back. After calling again and getting Rachel she blew me off again, she couldn't talk one day because it was one minute to closing, give me a break. The third day once again Rachel, put me on hold said she was helping another client, when I knew she wasn't but heard another phone ringing in background. She didn't want to bother with me. Finally got ahold of Stephen, another rude individual. I told him how rude Rachel was he questioned me like I was crazy. I asked him about a refund for my mother will not be able to take this cruise due to her health. He would have cared less and said well she was told it was non-refundable. How unfair is that, they should have exceptions, i.e. health problems plus more. There is more to this story but it would take me too long. Please do not use these people for your vacations, it is a rip off. Read the other stories they are true for I have ran into the same problems!!
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS INC CRUISE FIREFLY CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS JEFFERY NAHOM BOCA RATON Florida
CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS BY UNLICENSED SCAMSTER JEFFERY NAHOM.
firstclassvacations.com
cruisefirefly.com
mycruisepackage.com
FIRST CLASS VACATIONS
CRUISE FIREFLY
Suite 212
1515 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY
BOCA RATON FLORIDA 33432
(800) 650-5124
Officers, Board Members, Directors, Vice Presidents, Business Partners and Consultants:
Richard Nahom
Jeffrey Nahom
Andrew Smith
Wayne Wiggins
Jeffery Vanderpol
Christina Rosario
Brent Snipes
HAVE YOU BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNTED CRUISE FROM CRUISE FIREFLY?
HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERED 75% OFF YOUR NEXT CRUISE?
GET ONE FREE PROMOTION?
IN THE CASE OF CRUISE FIREFLY, FIRST CLASS VACATIONS THE SCAM IS REASONABLY SIMPLE; JEFF NAHOM CHARGES $698.00 BUT NONE OF THE COST OF A CRUISE IS IN THIS CHARGE. THIS CHARGE IS JUST THE CUSTOMERS FRONT END COST. $698 OR ANY AMOUNT DEMANDED UPFRONT PAYS FOR ZERO TOWARDS YOUR CRUISE OR IN FACT ANY VACATION.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE GET INTO JEFF NAHOM’S NEFARIOUS SCAM BUSINESS, LET’S BREIFLY LOOK INTO FLORIDA TELEMARKETING LAWS TO SEE IF CRUISE FIREFLY OR FIRST CLASS VACATIONS HAS EVER BEEN A LEGITIMATE TELEMARKETER IN ITS PRIOR TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS?
Florida's Division of Consumer Services manages all of the licenses for telemarketers. Businesses that wish to telemarket must apply for permission to do so, which includes disclosing criminal histories of all the applicants and copies of all sales scripts to be used in order to comply with licensing criteria. Salespeople for telemarketing businesses must also obtain individual licenses for a fee of $50.00 P/A per person. The business application carries a $1,500 P/A fee, and business applicants must also post a bond of $50,000.
Every licensed telemarketing organization has a valid license number and every sales person has a valid license number issued by FDACS.
Telemarketers may only call between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the time zone of the person being called. They may not block their name or number from showing up on the recipient's Caller ID system. Telemarketers can't tell you that you can only pay for their service by credit card or otherwise express any preference for payment method. From the moment you answer the call, the marketer has 30 seconds to state his or her real name, the company’s name, address and telephone number and the goods or services being offered.
Who do telemarketers that don’t have licenses answer to?
The Florida Telemarketing Act governs the actions of these businesses. All non-exempt telemarketing companies must be licensed with FDACS, and post a security bond of no less than $50,000 and have every salesperson licensed prior to soliciting a single potential customer.
Background checks are conducted as part of this process, and individuals with suspicious and / or criminal histories involving fraud are denied licensure. With a continuing focus on protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices, the Department’s Division of Consumer Services partnered with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement to conduct a series of inspections on over 250 telemarketing businesses in Florida.
Cease and desist orders were issued to 170 of the businesses and over 1000 salespeople. More than 3000 violations of the Florida Telemarketing Act were cited, resulting in fines being collected and assets seized, frozen and forfeited.
The following are a few requirements set forth in the statute that consumers should be aware of;
Register for the Florida Do Not Call Program by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or
visiting 800helpfla.com.
Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number on your caller ID.
Instead, let it go to voicemail.
Don’t provide any personal or financial information over the phone and don’t be
pressured into making any immediate or impulsive decisions.
Don’t send cash by messenger or overnight mail. Using a credit card will allow you to dispute the charges if you don’t get what you were promised.
Report telemarketing scams!
Fraudulent telemarketers should be reported to both FDACS and
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Filing a consumer complaint with FDACS can be done online or by requesting a copy of the form from the Consumer Assistance Center.
Either visit 800helpfla.com or call 1-800- HELP-FLA (435-7352) from within Florida, 850-488-2221 from outside of Florida.
On the 18th of march, 1st class vacations called my wife and talked her into a cruse to the carrabians and wanted a downpayment of 598. Niether one of us want to cruse the carrabians. So i called and tried to get a refund---i was told that was not an option. My credit card company was no help so i thought that i would just have to lose this money.
In the meantime my wife was seeing doctors and she was diagnosed with dimensia. On october 2nd 1st class called again and talked her into an "upgrade" to an alaska cruse for another 898. I was furious and called the company and was told again that refunds are not given.
I have called and left numerous messages with a woman called jeanna, extension 313. I keep getting her voice mail and never get a call back. I'm sure that i'm being played.
In it they state that customer satisfaction is their number one goal. Bulls--t so far we have lost 1496.