m steve Posted April 8, 2011 #1 Share Posted April 8, 2011 The legislature just passed a bill eliminating licencing for many businesses incl. TAs. Before booking a cruise thru any Fl agency I would check out their reputation with other cruisers or BBB. Several other types of businesses are also being deregulated incl. several that have had scams associated with them. More and more we have to protect ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhannah Posted April 8, 2011 #2 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Absolutely. "Let the buyer beware" has always been a valid truism. We should always do our homework before we entrust our money to anyone, including insurance agent, vehicle repair shop, or travel company/agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudscraper Posted April 8, 2011 #3 Share Posted April 8, 2011 The legislature just passed a bill eliminating licencing for many businesses incl. TAs. Before booking a cruise thru any Fl agency I would check out their reputation with other cruisers or BBB. Several other types of businesses are also being deregulated incl. several that have had scams associated with them. More and more we have to protect ourselves. A recent expose of the BBB revealed that many businesses who don`t pay the BBB the $450.00 fee to register with them get unfavorable ratings even though no complaints have been lodged. Two businessmen recently contacted the BBB to register a totally fictional company named "Hamas" (Terrorist Organization). They payed the BBB the required fee and shortly thereafter "Hamas" had an A- rating with the BBB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted April 8, 2011 #4 Share Posted April 8, 2011 A recent expose of the BBB revealed that many businesses who don`t pay the BBB the $450.00 fee to register with them get unfavorable ratings even though no complaints have been lodged.Two businessmen recently contacted the BBB to register a totally fictional company named "Hamas" (Terrorist Organization). They payed the BBB the required fee and shortly thereafter "Hamas" had an A- rating with the BBB. I saw that documentary and it was very eye-opening. If the report was totally accurate, their credibility has been badly lessened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodearth Posted April 8, 2011 #5 Share Posted April 8, 2011 The BBB is not credible. It is a "pay to play" organization and if complaints are filed, the business only needs to send a reply (not a resolution) for the BBB to close the complaint. I checked on a company that has a record of horrid practices towards consumers...........it had 3 complaints and an A+ rating. Consumers don't have it easy gathering truthful information these days.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp556 Posted April 8, 2011 #6 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I saw that documentary and it was very eye-opening. If the report was totally accurate, their credibility has been badly lessened. I wish I had seen that documentary. When I owned my agency I did not join the BBB because I believed the same thing: you pay and get a good rating. A client was once told less-than-flattering things from the BBB about my agency and I immediately challenged it. THAT sure changed in a hurry.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamburgAvonLady Posted April 8, 2011 #7 Share Posted April 8, 2011 :mad: I was a victum of an onlie TA that was endosed by an online company where you can search for prices and different travel agencies wil submit their offers. This is suppose to be an "non-preference" type of site for the travel consumer. What an expensive and hard lesson learned !! The Florida State Attorney General's office was of NO help in resolving this agency's fraudulent operations. The Florida BBB was of NO help, whatsoever !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted April 8, 2011 #8 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Wow, they must be the only business in the country facing less regulation and restrictions. Thank for the warning. Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted April 8, 2011 #9 Share Posted April 8, 2011 thanks for the warning had not heard about this for florida until now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted April 8, 2011 #10 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Any offer that you receive from Florida whether by "E"mail, regular mail, telephone etc., should be discarded without fail. They have been notorious for many years as being fraudulent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipity1499 Posted April 8, 2011 #11 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I saw that documentary and it was very eye-opening. If the report was totally accurate, their credibility has been badly lessened. Any offer that you receive from Florida whether by "E"mail, regular mail, telephone etc., should be discarded without fail. They have been notorious for many years as being fraudulent. That's very unfair! :( Agree that there are some FL agents who are less than honest, but what about the large NJ Agency who went bankrupt several years ago & never paid the cruise lines the initial deposits? Many people on this board were very upset & sweating it out.. There are dishonest Agents everywhere, we had them in NYC too.. We live in Florida & have a wonderful Florida TA..We checked them out with the State Consumer Protection Agency before even giving them one dime.. I agree with those who say that the BBB ratings are not credible.. Betty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zyzygy Posted April 8, 2011 #12 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Florida in general and South Florida in particular have long been known as havens for fraud. I know this, as I practiced law for many years in Miami. It is sad for this country that even after a near-total economic meltdown, there are still those who want to allow fraudulent businesses to operate without regulation. All of us should have learned long ago that you don't let the fox run the henhouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LoveMyBoxer Posted April 9, 2011 #13 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Best bet is to ask the TA, any TA, if the payments will be made directly to the cruiseline or if they will go to the TA. Once I find out that the TA will be taking the payment, I move on! Reputable TA's bill the payments directly to the cruiseline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyk47 Posted April 9, 2011 #14 Share Posted April 9, 2011 All I can say is that I've had nothing but great service from my Florida based TA's who are basically all Internet based and I'll continue to book with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLACRUISER99 Posted April 9, 2011 #15 Share Posted April 9, 2011 The legislature just passed a bill eliminating licencing for many businesses incl. TAs. Before booking a cruise thru any Fl agency I would check out their reputation with other cruisers or BBB. Several other types of businesses are also being deregulated incl. several that have had scams associated with them. More and more we have to protect ourselves.You are talking about HB5007 it did pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaDays Posted April 9, 2011 #16 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I agree with the comments on the BBB. At one time, a business that chose not to be a member was labeled as that -- "not a BBB member". Now the BBB will label a non-member as "non-accredited", which makes it seem like something evil is going on. Not so. It just means that the business didn't fork over the protection money. I asked the BBB about this, and they chose not to comment. It's time for the BBB to be investigated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crusinbanjo Posted April 9, 2011 #17 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Absolutely. "Let the buyer beware" has always been a valid truism. We should always do our homework before we entrust our money to anyone, including insurance agent, vehicle repair shop, or travel company/agent. I have had issues with a TA in Florida. Was not pleasant, ended badly and I won't be using a TA online again. Not saying they are all bad, just that I got burned, or more correctly, they tried to take advantage of me. didn't work out well for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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