Coastal Vacation Travel Scam, Don't enter this contest Options

[pattiepicc]

I "won" this contest for http://cvtsweepstakes.com/
They sent me an e-mail stating I had one an 8 day 7 night
Condo resort vacation... they then asked me to send $4.75
for Shipping & Handling 1 Paradise Vacation
I could only send this via my pay pal account
O.K. stupid me I did send them the $4.75
Since then EVERY DAY sometimes twice a day
I get the same letter with the same username and password
to claim my prize!
I tried calling the number listed in the letter
and guess what the phone is answered by
a woman trying to sell me a time share!
She knew nothing about my winning a vacation
or about shipping and handling but she did
offer to sell me a time share in about 40 different
locations!
Don't enter this contest!
I don't know if there is a place here to ask CashNet to remove a contest and
ban it from ever being posted again

[jausten]

I also fell for this scam at http://cvtsweepstakes.com just now April 08. I paid the 4.95 shipping and handling thru paypal and I receive a one page form from this guy (middleman) who must be making a bundle. The trip said two children but they can't be over 16. My boy is 17 which they didn't say in applying. Then they now want a $15.00 handling fee (another middleman) and a $50.00 deposit. In the certificate you have to allow the hotel to pick others over you in peak season so placing you is limited. A real scam no matter how you look at it.

[Hank70]

I think it is time to up-date sweepsers
Yes, we are Coastal Vacation Travel of Texas.

1st Quarter 2008 Stats
429 prizes Shipped - 57,075 Visitors - 1 Prize Per 133
Winning Odds .0075

About Vacation Execs

Vacation Executive Network (Vacation Execs) is a subsidiary of Coastal Vacation Travel. With both companies being registered in Heldago county in the State of Texas.

Coastal Vacation Travel applied for membership in the Better Business Bureau in June of 2007, was investigated and accepted as a Member. However, due to the fact that the Company "Coastal Vacations" operated and managed by N. B. Management* of Kissimmee, Florida. is receiving a lot of bad press that has continued to build and the name Coastal Vacation Travel was being mistaken for the Florida Company. The Coastal Vacation Travel owners made the decision to register and operate a new company called Vacation Executive Network.

Vacation Execs is managed by Henry Dorsey:
Mr Dorsey worked in the travel industry outside the US for 25 years. Working as General Manager of Mexico and Latin America (including the Bahamas) for Get-Aways Inc. a travel company which was based in California. Mr Dorsey worked very close with the Government Tourism Departments and Hotel/Resort Associations as well as individual hotels and hotel chains.

When returned to the US to retire, but wanted to stay active in the industry. Therefore, he registered Coastal Vacation Travel and contacted the people he had worked with for so many years, to purchase travel to be used as prizes to be given-away through sweepstakes.

By setting up sweepstakes, which was one of the things he had been doing for hotels off-shore, he was able to create the desired traffic offering a product after a person enters the sweepstakes. The promotions create a little extra income and allows many people who may never have traveled to travel.

Mr Dorseys' personal site Inter-Mex Ministries. Inter-Mex Ministries carries on with some of the side projects that were created while working off-shore. All donations go directly to the projects.

Vacation Execs manages many sweepstakes, some for other companies.

Vacation Execs
5002 Gollihar Rd #205
Corpus Christi, Texas
admin@vacationexecs.com

* NOTE: Coastal Vacations of Florida provides solid travel opportunities. Their bad press is coming from their marketing system. Many distributors use any method, ethical or not, to create a sale or recruite other distributors. The internet levels the playing field allowing the BAD guys to operate next to the GOOD guys.

There is a link to this information at the bottom of almost all pages on our sites. "About Vacation Execs".

If you paid $4.75 S&H in April 2008 please validate that for us and we will refund $1.00. We dropped it to $3.75 added more optional benefits that can be claimed. This increased our average claim allowing us to double the amount of first prizes given away.

Oh, $40 of the $50 reservation guarantee is refund when travel is completed. The 429 X $3.75 = 1,608.75 divided by 13 weeks = 123.75 per week avergae - we can't hire anyone in the shipping department for that amount. We make our money from Future High-Tech Marketing (FHTM) promos not prizes. Stop by the office pick it up free we have to have that person anyway.

On March 1st 2008 we moved our offices from McAllen to Corpus Christi Texas.

Webmaster

[rocketmahn]

Ummmm.....I think maybe their press release should read a little more like this:


About Vacation Execs

Vacation Executive Network (Vacation Execs) is a subsidiary of Coastal Vacation Travel, as well as half dozen other shell companies. With all companies being registered in Heldago County in the State of Texas after being tossed out of 49 of the other 50 states of America.

Coastal Vacation Travel applied for membership in the Better Business Bureau in June of 2007, was investigated and accepted as a provisional Member, primarily through great duress from the Florida Mafia. However, due to the fact that the Company "Coastal Vacations" operated and managed by N. B. Management* of Kissimmee, Florida-- out of the federal penitentiary located there-- is receiving a lot of bad press primarily by a bunch of Cashnetter’s who have been ripped-off by us in the past, The Coastal Vacation Travel owners made the decision to hang mirrors, blow smoke, and register and operate a new company called Vacation Executive Network in Texas in order to escape the long arm of the law of the other 49 states.

Vacation Execs is managed by Henry Dorsey:

Mr. Dorsey, a.k.a. “Guido The Enforcer”, and “Mac The Knife”, worked in the travel industry outside the US, and the enforcement of its laws, for 25 years, and was recently released from the aforementioned Florida state penitentiary after serving 5-10 due to that unfortunate and absolutely baseless accusation of having “interfered with” underage Miss Pollyanna Sanchez while working as General Manager of Mexico and Latin America (including the Bahamas) for Get-Aways Inc. a travel company which was based in California for about 10 minutes. Having been released from his unjustified incarceration, Mr. Dorsey is now legally required to introduce himself to his neighbors, and will work very closely with the Government Tourism Departments and Hotel/Resort Associations as well as individual hotels and hotel chains organizing sex tours to Thailand.

When released from incarceration to the US to retire, “Guido” wanted to stay active in the industry. Therefore, he registered Coastal Vacation Travel and contacted the people he had worked with for so many years---many of them also recently released from incarceration--- to purchase travel to be used as prizes to be allegedly given-away through sweepstakes.

By setting up sweepstakes, which was one of the things he had been doing for hotels offshore, primarily the Cayman Islands due to the non-existing extradition treaty between the two countries, he was able to create the desired traffic offering a product after a person enters the sweepstakes. The promotions create a little extra income, primarily for Guido, and allow many people who may never have traveled to retain that claim and, yet, still empty out their wallets and checkbooks as if they had actually GONE on a vacation.

Mr. Dorseys' personal site Inter-Mex Ministries. Inter-Mex Ministries carries on with some of the side projects that were created while working offshore escaping extradition to the United States and during his incarceration. All donations go directly into his back pocket and serve as “walking-around” money.

Vacation Execs manages many sweepstakes, scams, fraudulent investments, Holy Roller Ministries, and much more for other companies.

Vacation Execs
5002 Gollihar Rd #205
Corpus Christi, Texas
admin@vacationexecs.com

[luckybturd]

Thanks for the details Rocketmahn.

They must think we are stupid or something

Someone is making some real money. 57,075 visitors????? Paying how much????????

Giving back a small portion just to keep things LOOKING legit.

CASHNETTERS, stay away from any of these sites.

As always, it is best to stick with sweeps that are from major companys.

Sponsors that are household names.

Not Billy Joe Bob's discounted travel and used shoes store GIVEAWAYS.

I hope you know what I mean.

Sweep smart and win a bunch. Good Luck all

[butsie13]

Well I entered a few of their sweeps and supposely won a trip. Anyway when they asked for money I said np way and decide to start a thread about it in General Chatter. Wish Mandy could keep that sweeps off the sweeps page altogether.

[Hank70]

Well, I guess bringing sweepers up to date was not really a good idea.

Yes, I worked outside the US for 25 years. That was my job and I was good at it. Yes I ran some sweepstakes helping promote hotels. There were people on DJ news back then, like those on this forum who would bad mouth anyone, just trying to show how smart they are??? If you would check I was investigated back then and they found I represented about 40 or so hotels in Mexico, the investigation (if I remember right was done by a news paper) they found me honest and trustworthy. As the Better Business Bureau has in their investigation last year when I applied for membership.

Did you pay to visit my site? No and neither does anyone else. So, 57,000 people saw what I promote. Just like other sweepstakes I am promoting something. But giving away 429 prizes in 90 days X $3.75 s&h = $1,480.00 divided by 13 weeks = $113.85 a week. I can't even hire someone in the shipping department for that amount. I have to acquire the vacations, pay the labor, pay postage, mailing materials and a host of other cost plus hosting my websites which cost $174.00 per month- expensive but worth it. Sweepstakes directories do not pay to have links on my site, it is an exchange of traffic. If I want more than a link I pay them.

I don't hide from anyone my addresses and phone numbers are on almost every page. I don't hide under some dream name who I wish I might be, like a lot of people who post on this forum. I am free to go to all states to relax and enjoy whatever that state has to offer.

The managers of most sweepstakes directories will tell you, to protect yourself read the Terms and Conditions, Also the frequent asked questions. Everything on our sweepstakes is fully disclosed up front. So no one has any surprises. Want a prize free, OK, stop by the office and pick it up, I am there and I'll hand it to you NO charge. That is disclosed in the terms and the FAQs too.

It truly amazes me that everybody thinks they know it all, but if they were right, why have we never had a complaint from someone who used a vacation from us. We get many more emails of thanks than complaining email. In the past 5 years I have had 3 reservation problems and those were handled by the fulfillment company with in 1 hour.

While working off shore I worked with many companies as well as the company who paid me. However for the last 5 years, since retiring, I have had only one company until I opened Vacation Execs and the last post was to make sweepers aware of the new company and why it was formed.

"The know it all" normally have so many posts that it makes you wonder if they could hold a job and spend so much time bad mouthing others, maybe they are more angry at themselves than at others.

Well, God Bless you all and may the Lord be with you in all your endavers.

Hank

[Hank70]

Amazing......

I also fell for this scam at http://cvtsweepstakes.com just now April 08. I paid the 4.95 shipping and handling thru paypal and I receive a one page form from this guy (middleman) who must be making a bundle. The trip said two children but they can't be over 16. My boy is 17 which they didn't say in applying. Then they now want a $15.00 handling fee (another middleman) and a $50.00 deposit. In the certificate you have to allow the hotel to pick others over you in peak season so placing you is limited. A real scam no matter how you look at it.



WOW April the 8th?? - was posted on April 4th.

There were no s&h at $4.75 we dropped them to $3.75 in January.
Our advertising budget allowed us to do it and stay within our limits.

OK,
$3.75 to us
$15.00 processing by the fulfillment which includes handling reservations and tracking for up to 1 year.
$50.00 reservation guarantee.
$40.00 refund

Net $28.75 total for 4 people for 2 nights in a deluxe hotel - not bad.

The hotels are 3 and 4 star, sounds pretty good to me or we wouldn't have several thousand satisfied winners who have vacationed.

Just an example of what is seen on these post.

Hank

[Hank70]

Got me Hot.. so I'll unload.

My Goal is to give as many families who can not afford to vacation - a vacation they can afford. Not just 1 all free like most companies, I want hundreds and hundreds of families to have the opportunity for at least once in their life enjoy a 3 or 4 Star Deluxe hotel stay even if it is only 2 nights.

We have added restaurant discounts, recreation discounts, companion airfare and everything we can find in the market place to help make this happen.

Now how do I pay for it - fine stop guessing - I'll tell you not by time share or ripping people off.

We offer an opportunity for those who are self motivated and are self determined to get ahead in this economy today.

Donald Trump says: "Marketing is a powerful tool and network marketing can increase that power. Donald says network marketing is a great way to achieve wealth so long as you are self-motivated. Network Marketing is inherently social, so if you are not a social or outgoing person I'd think twice about going into it. Source Why We Want You To Be Rich."

So I looked to find a company with the creditability who would pay and pay people for their efforts - not just enough for them to get by and keep struggling for the next check which on the internet which may or may not come.

I found Fortune Hi Tech Marketing A Company with a Dun & Bradstreet rating with all the big boys. 3A1

Read what the Better Business Bureau has to say about Fortune Hi Tech Marketing: www.Lexington.bbb.org/codbrep.html?ID=14004419&wlcl=y

Fortune has been featured in many magazines and books: Read the featured article about Paul Orberson and Fortune Hi Tech Marketing. "Millionaire Blueprints Jan-Feb Issue 2007"

Fortune was featured on Fox News in an interview by, Pat Summerall in 2001 This interview can be viewed at www.profitwithfortune.com

Listen to Jim Miles perspective on Fortune Hi Tech Marketing and the Network Marketing Industry. Jim Miles was the Secretary of State of South Carolina for 12 years. Jim is a lawyer who has the ability to practice in front of the Supreme Court. www.byoaudio.com/play/WtC0p3MQ Fortune Hi Tech Marketing is a 21st century middle man to dozens of large corporations that need customers.

Fortune Hi Tech Marketing began business in 2001. The company seven years later remains debt free, stock holder free and approaching 500 million in annual revenue. Fortune Hi Tech Marketing does business in all 50 states, Canada, England and Puerto Rico.

Fortune does business in the Network Marketing or also called MLM industry. DO NOT LET THIS SCARE YOU. JUST BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT NOT ONLY FORTUNE HI TECH MARKETING BUT ALSO THE DYNAMIC NETWORK MARKETING INDUSTRY. Most people hear MLM and think pyramid or I'm not doing one of those. However, as you're going to discover in your research the MLM industry has changed and is quickly becoming the most viable way for the average individual to be in business for themselves and create a lasting financial asset.

You will discover that Fortune Hi Tech Marketing has merged the network marketing industry and corporate America into one. This merger is allowing average people to capitalize on the billion dollar infrastructures of cell phones, internet, home phones, TV, nutrition, beauty care, travel and more.

You may find some negativity on Fortune from other web-sites. However, you will find almost 100% of the time these web-sites have a financial interest in directing you to some other company or business venture. If you investigate FHTM You will see for your self that we do not express the view of one person but rather a cross sectional look from multiple resources to include the Better Business Bureau, Dunn and Bradstreet, and a Secretary of State.

This is why I run a sweepstakes. Yes, to make money but not off sweepers and many of them will just barely afford the vacation, but I have helped their life. And those with a vision, I can help their life too. I know as long as I give back, I will receive, so I don't have to rip people off.

So just know where you are and what you want from life. Give and you will receive also. The Bible says you will reap what you sow. On the street we say what goes around comes around. Esoterically, what you send out returns to you. Well, my friend it is all the same universal law.


God Bless You and Yours
Hank

[luckybturd]

I think you miss the point.

A Sweepstakes win is 100% free.

As a group, it happens all the time.

Now, if you want to make some money, fine. But, you are confused by the notion
that you have a legit sweepstakes.

It sounds like you have a charitable institution. You want to help those less fortunate.
Do you not see the difference? We do not buy the fact that you want EVERYONE to be a winner.

We know the truth. Your explanation (vent) was way too off the mark. We could care less about
what Donald Trump says and where you get your motivation.

A sweep is FREE. Yours is NOT free. Even if we had to spend the gas to go pick it up, it is not a true sweep.
Just because it is a really good deal. (in your eyes) Does not make it right.

Nothing you say can change that. We are professional sweepers here......we know

[Hank70]

I think you are missing to point.

In my promotional back ground I have marketed with many methods - some work and some don't. Several years ago I traded $700,000.00 in acommodations for advertising. Center Fold, cover and back of the inflight airline magazines, The rack rate for the condos in a top resort was $225.00 per day. After 2 years we had two one week packages used. Did the Resort benefit NO. People in the barter industry just kept trading but no one used them.

From the FAQs
Why am I charged for prize S&H?
There are 4 basic reasons:
1. Pick it up at no change is easy, We have to have that person anyway. Shipping creates extra labor and other cost. (in 2006 we shipped 1,358 prizes. 1.386 X $3.75 = $5,092.50 Divided by 52 weeks = #97.93 per week. We can't even hire someone for that amount.)

2. People don't invest anything, they tend not to care or act. Hotels are setting with empty rooms that may have been sold.

3. We started 5 years ago at $2.50 and there were our prizes being sold on ebay. By raising the price we stopped most of it.

4. The added cost of shipping would limit the amount of prizes we could award by throwing us outside of our budget.

Also from the FAQs

What is the prize actually worth?
Last year in October a winner called the office and asked "Could I donate my prize to charity?" We told her she could and that we also donate prizes to charities through our sister company InterMex Ministries. She asked us to send her two more, which we did.

Then in November she called and explained she was doing a fund raiser and wanted twelve. We complied and sent her the twelve.

She called back in January thanking us and telling us that she had auctioned off Christmas trees with a prize certificate attached, they had raised $22,000 dollars and that the President of Cornell University was the biggest buyer. We asked if she needed some more and she replied "Oh no, I still have four".

This reminded us of the old saying, "One mans junk is another mans treasure".

So what would a special little family getaway or a romantic escape with that special person, be worth to you. Only you know.

We comply with the state laws. However, there is one that outlaws charging S&H, the residents of that state are not legal entrants in the sweepstakes (stated in the terms). We comply with the warning posted by the FTC. We are legit, maybe not in your opinion, with the regulatory agencies. I am sorry you can't claim and make a couple of bucks selling it on ebay, but our system works and creates travelers for the resorts.

Not everyone wins the odds the first quarter was 1/133. I do promote charities, however, the sweepstakes is not a charity. I promote a business to make a profit. The prizes may seem like charity but the sweepstakes draws enough people who make a change in their life and increase their financial standing to keep us within our budget.

My daddy told me that I could not satisfy all the people all the time and that is correct. But we do satisfy most people who enjoy a vacation at less than 10 cents on a dollar. Claiming a prize is simply an option to the winner. If they feel the value is there, they claim, if not, they have actually saved me some money, if they want it shipped.

The point you are missing is the fact that it is free - just pick it up.

Yes, I hear what you are saying. You have taken a position and there is nothing I can say that will change your opinion. But the 1,358 who claim in the past year and the 429 who claimed in the first quarter feel that the value is there, so I guess they don't agree with you.

Again God bless you and yours
Hank

[rocketmahn]

Hank...give it up.

Why are you even here?

[Hank70]

Rocketmahn

Good to hear from you after that slanderous statement above. Just shows who you rally are.

No I didn't give it up - I just built another 38 sweepstakes web sites. Each year we just keep getting bigger and stronger. We have sweepstakes in every state now, many countries and getting more daily.

I hear some say "I'm a Professional Sweeper". After 15 years running sweepstakes, I found it usually means that it is someone with the software to enter sweepstakes hundreds of times daily, in an effort to gain a winning advantage. Did they buy some software and take a course on how to make money on Ebay by selling prizes?

That is why we went from unlimited entries to once daily. Our CARDS software simply ignores those advantage seekers. It accepts the first entry, but simply ignores the others and the Professional Sweeper is not the wiser. The software acts like it accepts the hundreds of entries, but does not. This allows the new sweeper an even chance of winning. That is one of the main reasons we give so many prizes. With CARDS, these so called Professional Sweepers can not hog all the prizes now. Been around before the forums, when people posted on DJ News and other News sites, will still be around if something else new comes along.

Why am I even here - in an attempt to give the novice sweeper an even chance to win, understand who and why the "Professional Sweeper" is always posting, many times things that are not true. Always looking for the advantage!

If you are honest and consider yourself a Professional Sweeper, these comments are not directed at you.

Thanks
Hank

This post has been edited by Hank70: May 30 2008, 04:56 PM

[luckybturd]

Hank, I always play by the rules.

I also think of myself as a Professional Sweeper.

If you are sucessful and are expanding like you say, Why don't you just give the prizes away for free.
100% free, like all the other sweeps that that we win.

Honestly, those who enter sweepstakes for a hobby will NEVER send any money for a win or pay for anything when we get there.

Until you do it properly, I am afraid that you will always carry that stigma as a SCAM.

So, it is entirely up to you.

I hope you understand.

[Hank70]

Hi Luckybtrud

I believe you are honest and I know there are a lot more out there that are honest.

I came out of the travel industry working off shore and have watched travel scams come and go. But after 30 years I have learned a thing or two about marketing and filling hotel rooms.

A hotel says, I average a given percent of oppucancy, say 70%, I will give away 30% of my rooms. I will pay the labor to maintain and keep them up, but I can't pay the tax out of my pocket for 30% of my hotel. So here are the rooms - Give them away.

The hotel can not advertise free rooms or advertise them for the amount of the taxes - they will be under cutting their wholesale contracts and put themselves out of business.

Ok why would you give me the rooms for tax only?

Because it levels my labor cost allowing me not to contact expensive and unexperienced temporary lobor. My hotel has a better image with the rooms full and of course, a certain percentage of the free people will spend money in my hotel. This increases our efficiency and ability to provide better service.

Now we are faced with 2 more problems.
We have rooms - Who is going to handle the reservations and who is going to give them away. All of this cost money and labor.

A Fullfilment center says, if it was just one we would do it as a favor, however, with this volume and the fact that there is no advertising and promotional cost. OK, we will take on the reservations at this discount rate and fit it in with what we are doing now.

So now we have a fulfillment center.

That is where we come in - we will promote the giveaways because a certain percentage of the entrants will take advantage of the promotional package we offer. All of this sounds good, but to reach the volume needed to satisfy the amount of rooms to be given, we can't give just one away, that would be easy at no cost, we have to reach some volume.

We really have 3 goals:
1. Is to give as many families who can not afford to vacation - a vacation they can afford. Not just 1 all free like most companies, I want hundreds and hundreds of families to have the opportunity for at least once in their life enjoy a 3 or 4 Star Deluxe hotel stay that they can afford, even if it is only a few nights.
2. Is to help the hotel increase their effeciency.
3. Of course, is to show a profit on our promotional opportunities, so we don't go broke.

All cost are disclosed in the terms, then itemized in the Frequent Asked Questions. Therefore, one can say, Oh scam, but the hundreds of people who claim our prizes, take time to read the FAQs and make the choice to claim. This is the option of all winners.

Wouldn't a scam be where someone tries to make money from a claim? It is free pick it up or if we ship at $3.75 the shipping cost does not even cover labor. (In 2006 we shipped 1,358 prizes. 1,358 X $3.75 = $5,092.50 Divided by 52 weeks = $97.93 per week. We can't even hire someone for that amount.)

Why don't we give them away free?

It would throw us outside our budget, we would be out of business and the hundreds who want to claim, would not be able too. Our goals would go down the drain.

Over the 15 years we have been running sweepstakes we have had the complainers. However, we always get many more emails thanking us, singing our praises, than complaining. So we are still in business.

Those who will not share in the shipping cost @ $3.75 S&H are the ones who lose.

You and those who believe like you, will not change your minds and that is OK. I am sure glad that there is a difference of opinion or we would all be chasing the same man or woman.

Luckybtrud, if you just watch the directories, we advertise 6 new sweepstakes weekly, you will see all of them sooner or later. Our sweepstakes restart each quarter, conceively a sweeper could win hundreds of times a year. However, our data shows that if all our sweepstakes are enter consistantly, one should win 6 or 7 prizes a year. CARDS works.

I do respect you and your opinion - may not agree but do respect you.


God Bless You and Yours
Hank

This post has been edited by Hank70: Jun 1 2008, 05:01 PM