Free Carnival Cruise

dixiechick · 08-08-2008, 01:18 PM

Yea... my husband got excited about it too when he saw a postcard with a Carnival logo on it saying we won a free cruise. Being a marketing major, I'm pretty in-tune on this kind of marketing crap. Plus I've gotten these things in the mail before, and checked into them before I got too caught up in it.

Just in case you get one in the mail I'll save you the trouble. I started by googling the toll free phone number. On a reverse phone list site, it was listed as unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. Then I found a site where some people were posting about the phone number for a free carnival cruise. It was a post card that they had received. The ones who called the number got an automatic answering service. The operator that took the call doesn't even identify the company your calling. Turns out to be a travel agent, but I still don't know the name of it. Naturally they are selling something and to get the cruise you have to attend their 60-90 min sales pitch. As for the cruise, you have to pay departure tax and other fees. Not sure how much the fees come to. I tossed the card in my favorite round receptacle.

If you receive one of these notices, be sure and do you home work and check it out. Don't call the company's phone number on it for info until you've done your home work. They are usually selling time share vacations or property and want you to see through a hard sale presentation. The other catch is that you have to send money to secure the cruise or vacation. That's when they have you once they get your money. You may never get to go on the vacation or end up in a crappy hotel, etc.

Be careful...