ComplaintsforAloha Hawaii Tours

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I did a presentation with Aloha Hawaii Tours **** And I was offered a deal to get vacations for any city or country for a great amount. After them offering me the deal for less than a thousand dollars I signed they didn't give me a chance to look over the contract they said the offer they don't have anymore. So I signed and when I read the contract it was totally different then what was offered so I called the following day to cancel and they said the sale was final being that I'm in ********** but I don't see that on the contract.

  Business response

  08/19/2024

  Aloha ******,

  Your statements are, respectfully, serious lies.

  We have been providing you with clarification and support since your date of sale.

  You HAVE mentioned "After them offering me the deal [...] they said the offer they don't have anymore" directly but when we asked you to elaborate on what you mean by that, you have been unwilling to explain or share any actual details of what you are referring to.

  ******, we record ALL meetings for transparency purposes and we would gladly pull up any recordings to verify that exactly what was offered, is what has been delivered.

  A manager will reach out to you directly. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After booking a day tour through Aloha Hawaii Tours online, I was immediately contacted by phone. The representative said I HAD to attend a Zoom webinar on July 20th, 2024 before going on a day tour of ****. I also received and email stating: "Please join using your Laptop/ PC/ Tablet because Cellphones are not allowed. After finishing the webinar, you will receive a GIFT." During the Zoom meeting, they promised a "gift" but needed to sign the membership and pay to access their supposedly discounted vacations/airline/car rentals...booking site. They rushed a lot of information for signing up immediately after the Zoom call, I wasnt informed that cancellation wasnt an option. I tried to cancel within a couple of hours after signing up. The "gift" site did not work. I found that their prices were higher than sites they compared themselves to like Priceline and Booking.com. After doing more research, I saw that a lot of reviewers have been getting the run-around and not being allowed to cancel and are being taken for a lot of money. Numerous other complaints on various sites such as BBB and Yelp... suggest that this company is scamming people. Several mention class action suits. When I attempted to cancel several times by phone and email, I kept getting the run-around that "upper management" would call me within ***** hours (this happened several times over a 2-week period); they never called. Eventually, I got an email and was told it wasn't possible for me to cancel. I cannot afford this expense. I live in ********** and emailed them the following several times: "California Assembly Bill 390 (AB 390) requires businesses to allow California residents to cancel online subscriptions immediately, at will, after signing up online, and without engaging any further steps that obstruct or delay the consumer's ability to terminate the automatic renewal or continuous service. The law went into effect on July 1, 2022." They are NOT complying.

  Business response

  08/22/2024

  Aloha, thank you for your patience awaiting a response.

  We would like to state for the record that your initial reason for requesting cancellation was stated as buyer's remorse ONLY. Only upon being denied, did these false claims of the service not working become stated.

  (1) You were offered a US hotel certificate and a $500 Travel Savings voucher as gifts for attending the webinar, whether you purchased a membership or not. Those gifts are working fine, as are the redemption websites for them. A manager will be sending you detailed instructions to help you utilize them.

  (2) In the webinar presentation, you were offered a free week in ****** if you decided to purchase a membership. You did decide to purchase a membership and therefore that gift was also delivered. As per the instructions on the certificate, you must simply contact us when ready to start planning for that. We await your contact.

  (3) The standard zoom presentation is 45 minutes plus an after-session whereby you go one on one with a travel advisor to answer any questions before making a decision. You also completed the contract signing at your discretion. We HAVE already reviewed AND shared a copy of the contract signing recording with you for your records. The team was polite, kind and answered all questions you had. They were NOT avoidant or attempting to force past any step.

  (4) You have only logged into your account ONE time on the date of sale. You have never done a tutorial or requested any price reviews. We are confident that our rates are better than priceline and booking.com and should that ever not be true, on the rare occasion, then you are able to submit a price match guarantee for reimbursement.

  (5) You have spoken with upper management on July 22nd, and we attempted to reach you again on August 5th but you didn't pick up the call. Following that, we have emailed you and provided support via email multiple times. 

  (6) Please be advised the purchase is a software licensing agreement. You did not purchase a subscription service. You are not paying monthly for access to the services. (if you financed the initial purchase, you may be making monthly payments, but those are loan repayments to Monterey, NOT subscription payments).

  We will contact you again to assist but there has been no issue with the delivery of services and benefits and we believe your statements to be false, based only on other complaints, not on your own experience. Cancellation is denied.

• Initial Complaint

  07/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was mislead with false information as this company was selling cheap vacation and and they were going to give me some FREE trips and all I had to do was pay $1999. The free trips arent free you have to pay for them so lied to me to get me to join I was missed lead with there lies. This company is a scammers and are lying to customers and taking there money and not giving them the FREE trips as promised.

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Aloha, You received 3x certificates from our company.

  (1) Cruise certificate just for attending the presentation. We never say this is free and we disclose in the ******** ad that you clicked on, that this is a certificate for a special rate, with a $100 deposit plus port taxes and fees. If you're not happy with that, we would be happy to exchange this for a US hotel certificate.

  (2) Free week in ******. This certificate is free, as promised. Though we haven't heard from you in regards to redemption, rest assured as promised, it is a free redemption.

  (3) $1,000 Hawaii Activities certificate. You are responsible for states taxes/fees on the activities you elect to book. But also be reminded this is visually disclosed in the presentation. And if you're not happy with that, we would be happy to exchange this for another Europe certificate.

  A manager will be contacting you directly to assist. We will not be offering membership cancellation at this time. We look forward to seeing this complaint closed as satisfied in response to this explanation. Thanks!

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business claims to offer "wholesale costs" for hotels if you agree to join this membership. They gave me several different options with different tiers and different prices. I said no to the first 2 offers, then they asked if I had any military association and I said I was not, but my son was a Marine. The *** then said, well I can get you great deal for being a military support. So she offered me a $1,000 deal with a $99 deposit. I was unaware that I was actually signing a contract and not a membership and was not told that all sales are final. They sent me these forms to sign that you cannot really read on your cell phone. After signing up for this "membership" I went to their website to look at prices for hotels and started comparing them to other websites like expedia, priceline, etc.... I immediately noticed that the prices were actually the SAME or LESS than what this company offers. I sent an email within 2 hours of me signing up and they responded saying, "Sorry, all sales are final". Then I was told of their 110% price matching if I sent them proof of the hotel I wanted to book. Um, sorry, but that is not what I signed up for. Any hotel/website will match another companies prices nowadays, I don't have to pay $1,000 to do that. I've also contacted them multiple times about this $500 voucher just for watching a video, and for some reason it isn't working. I believe they are lying to customers about what they actually offer as far as discounts go and only offer the 110% refund on hotels while in reality you're paying a lot of money for nothing. I did record our video chat and have emails with proof of the same prices that the company charges. It seems very intentional of their fraudulent activity. I have contacted the ************************** with my proof. I just want my membership canceled without it going on my credit.

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Aloha,

  We also record all interactions for proof and transparency when claims are made, and we are always happy to review those recording for potential misunderstandings. If anything said or shown by any of our **** is invalid, we are happy to waive the final sale policy.

  That being said:

  (1) In response to you being "unaware that you were signing a contract", we have a very clear, and formal process including a pre-recorded legal disclosure during the purchase process which makes clear that you are applying for credit and signing a multi-page agreement. Our contract agents present the document with all terms including the final sale policy to you for review and although they are not obligated to verbally disclose it, it is available for viewing before the signing is complete and should you ask for clarification on it, they are happy to disclose it.

  (2) In response to you stating you couldn't read the agreement on your mobile device, we reviewed the contract signing recording and at no time did you state you could not read or understand what had been presented to you for review and signing. If this was shared with the contract agent, they would have been happy to go over everything with you verbally.

  (3) There are millions of properties, car rentals and more available on our site, and savings will range from high to low. Everything shown in the presentation can also be recreated, since our advisors use the LIVE website to display the service and run comparisons.

  (4) In response to "Price Matching is not what I signed up for", please be advised we are not price matching. We are offering a reimbursement for the price difference PLUS an additional 10% reimbursement. This is what we explain and describe in the webinar and is exactly in line with what is being delivered.

  (5) In regards to the $500 Travel Savings certificate, looks like a manager is already assisting and will continue to assist you there.

  In summary, we have found no issue with the delivery of the membership and cannot waive the final sale policy but a manager is assisting via email and will continue to assist and straighten out these misunderstandings. Thank you!

  Customer response

  08/19/2024

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  

  To Whom it May Concern, 

   

          In regards to complaint #********. Attached are the emails from the past month with Aloha Hawaii Tours. I've tried uploading these on the BBB complaint website, however there were just too much to download and send. 

         As of today, 08/19/2024, I still have not been able to get the $500 voucher activated despite Aloha Hawaii Tours claims of having a manager assisting me. I've tried to use the voucher on a hotel and it was not successful. Attached are the emails. 

        I also attached a couple of hotels showing that their website has either the same prices or higher, NOT the wholesale or deep discounts that they claim. I can provide 20 more if necessary. 

        Since Aloha Hawaii Tours mentioned that they record these sessions, then it should not be a problem for them to send BBB the video of where I did in fact state that it was difficult to read because the writing was so small, and the gentleman replied "Just take your time to read". He did not do any sort of explaining as what Aloha Hawaii Tour claims. And since I also recorded the conversations via cell phone, I will also attach a video of that discussion as well since the BBB website cannot upload all of the conversation. 

       Aloha Hawaii Tours seems to have a F rating with the Better Business Bureau, all with similar claims. I have had nothing but problems with this company and simply do not wish 

  to spend $1000 on such service. 

   

  Thank you

  ***********************

   

  Business response

  08/22/2024

  Aloha,

  On August 13th, we reset the credentials for your $500 Travel Savings account, tested the credentials and then sent them to you in the main communication chat that our service team has going with you. We have not received a reply from you, but upon reviewing the account, we see that you logged in on August 18th successfully. We will consider this matter resolved.

  Thank you,

  Customer response

  08/28/2024

  I am attaching my emails with Aloha Hawaii Tours and Travel customer service, in addition to example of hotels that I tried to book but prices were cheaper on other websites despite Aloha's claim of wholesale or deeply discounted prices. I noticed that they refused to submit the video they have. Since I ALSO recorded this video, I will try and cut the video down to where it is just to the minute where I did in fact say I couldn't really read what was sent on my cell phone.

      Since Aloha Hawaii Tours and Travel do not want to cancel my membership and consider this case closed, I have already escalated this case to the Office of the Attorney General for Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the *** for violation of truth in advertising and the *************************** all of which protect consumers for deceptive or misleading claims. 

  Customer response

  08/28/2024

  Attached are pictures from Aloha Hawaii Tours and Travel with their discounts. They claim 20%, 30% and more, but these prices prove otherwise. This is deceptive practices and misleading, which is illegal under FTC guidelines.  I demand for cancelation of my membership. 

   

   

  Thank you  

  ****

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  Aloha,

  While a better rate on a public site is a rare occurrence, we understand the frustration this can cause. Which is exactly why we have the price match guarantee in place as explained and shown during the date of sale presentation. With this guarantee, we are always able to ensure that your out of pocket cost will always be lower thanks to your membership status.

  PRICE MATCH VALUE GUARANTEE
  ------
  FIND A LOWER PRICE ANYWHERE ONLINE AND WE WILL REIMBURSE YOU 110% OF THE DIFFERENCE.
  To benefit, you must have:
  Booked a reservation on YOUR membership ACCOUNT.
  Paid for the reservation in full and received a valid confirmation number. 
  Then find a lower public rate anywhere online within 24 hours of the original membership booking and submit a claim through your account under the "Value Guarantee" tab.

  Customer response

  09/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 22057896
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  As mentioned and proven before, this not a rare occasion that this company claims. I provided multiple times where other websites offer either the exact same price that this company offers or they have it for less. This company claims WHOLE SALE costs, on their websites and in the video. I already sent in the proof of their advertising and all this company can say is they offer their "guarantee". So that is false advertising. Every single hotel room should already be advertised at their wholesale costs, and NONE of them are advertised as such. I used to work at a hotel, so I know the difference. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The bait: Bahamas Cruise Sale - Exclusive Promotion5 day + 4 night aboard: Norwegian, Princess Cruise, Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise Lines.How it Works Click the "Get Offer" button & check out our 45min webinar on Zoom to receive an online certificate for a 5 day /4 night Cruise aboard your choice of: Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises "The Love Boat", Royal Caribbean, or Carnival Cruise Lines.There are 3 itineraries w/ ports of departure including: ***** to ******* ******, ************** to ****** *******, or *********** to ******** ******. All cruises include unlimited access to the on-board buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Vegas style entertainment and use of all on-board facilities. You simply pay taxes and port fees. For additional upgrades, you can choose to add Extra Guests, Longer Cruises, or Better Cabins.This is NOT an MLM, Timeshare Presentation & No Purchase Necessary to receive this deal. Limited-time promotion! Have the time of your life while enjoying the luxuries of a cruise vacation. Book now for memories that will last a lifetime.Switch: When they send you the certificate: You have to activate the certificate, "After you pay an initial activation fee. Your only cost after activation is $258.96 per person = $517.92 per couple."AFTER paying the certificate activation fee you book with a travel agent, and when you do so, you are required to pay taxes and port fees. They do not tell you NOT ONE 1 time during the 45-minute seminar or in any of the literature floating around on the Internet. The fine print of the certificate that is provided to you is from another company; it states, "Do not rely upon representations other than what is printed on this certificate or the reservation request form." ...no matter what you have been verbally told ...Aloha Hawaii Travel and Tours to pay the fee to activate my certificate, which is $517.92 per couple, due to their false advertisement and wasting over 45 minutes of my time.

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Aloha,

  We have NO record of your contact information in our system.

  Regardless, in order to connect with us, you would have clicked on our ******** advertisement and submitted your information to attend the presentation. Our ******** advertisement states we are offering a cruise voucher for a deposit plus taxes and fees. 

  We DO disclose there will be fees in advance. We NEVER use the word free when referring to this voucher. If you are not happy with the fee structure, we would be happy to exchange your gift for something else, simply reply to the cruise voucher email and request a different gift.

  For these reasons, we will not be able to cover the redemption fees at this time.

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  08/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 22040939
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  In the original attachment from ******** it states no purchase necessary if you receive this deal. 
  

  At the bottom of the attachment it states $100 + tax and port fees! 
  

  The voucher you give out is requesting something different as I mentioned in my original message! 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Aloha ******,

  You are not obligated to purchase anything during the webinar presentation, in order to receive this voucher. The only things being offered for sale during the webinar presentation, are membership packages. You did not purchase a membership package, but you did complete the webinar, therefore you DID receive your cruise voucher.

  As you also stated, the ******** ad says $100 deposit plus taxes and fees.

  There is an activation fee. There is a $100 deposit, and then there are port taxes. This is all in line with the ******** ad. 

  We would be happy to exchange your cruise voucher for a hotel voucher but the voucher was not misrepresented and we will not be waiving or covering the fees on your behalf.

  We will email you with the hotel voucher offer. Thanks!

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Void Contract Agreement according to UCC Chapter 7 Section 3 - Aloha Hawaii Tours and Travel website falsely advertised hotel service of office space and transportation service - which costed me $150 and without an office space for work. The team member that I spoke with on the phone July 17th was highly disrespectful as I called to make my case for the transportation refund as promised - and he refused to honor what was previously promised by previous employee. I requested for my account to be cancelled by the previous employee and he said he would take care of that and then sent me to this rude representative. He made an investigation and would not send me what was noted in the notes of my account, rather locked all funds in the investigation per their protocol. The out of pocket expenses and inconveniences for my very first trip with you all was detrimental. Due to this representatives of the Company and the false advertisement and lack of releasing funds - my contract has the right to be cancelled.

  Business response

  08/09/2024

  Please be advised our customer service team spoke with this member almost immediately after the complaint was submitted and the concerns were resolved. 

  All Sales are Final and cancellation is not an option.

  Customer response

  08/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 22036649
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The company never followed up with the promised reimbursement and never followed up with my recorded phone call case. 
  was promised a follow up and never received it. 
  this company has been a scam and it is unethical. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Went to the webinar thing and as usual they spruce things up. I tried to cancel prior to my 30 days and was having a hard time doing so, contacted the financial people and was told they could not help me. There was no where to cancel and no one to speak to and when I did finally get someone (couple of days after the 30) they told me it was too late and I had no choice whether I would use what they offered or not to pay. I tried to exhaust all the resources and even went back and forth via email. Their customer service, if there any, could really use some work. I dont need their services as they are useless. And after the way they handled me I would NEVER recommend them to anyone so that this does not occur again! Everything in their ponzi webinar is a lie. They know how to get people out of two thousand dollars for nothing. Id like for them to take this off of my credit. They should be ashamed of themselves with the amount of people complaining about the same thing.

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Aloha Adina,

  We are committed to transparency and reviewed your case thoroughly.

  All of our contact information as well as a copy of the purchase agreement which clearly outlines four (4) different ways that you may submit cancellation was provided to you on your date of sale, immediately after the purchase was complete. Our phone lines are open 24 hours per day, but you can also email if easier, and we provide our mailing address if you prefer an even more formal method of cancellation.

  When you initially reached out to us, over a week after the 30 days was over, we kindly asked you to provide proof that you had attempted to cancel, which we would have been happy to honor retroactively. You advised us that you had requested cancellation NOT with us, but with the financial services provider (not one of the 4 ways as stated on the agreement). We reached out to ********, they advised us that they also did not receive a request to cancel from you within the 30 day period.

  Each time we have spoken to you, we have provided respectful and timely support, but we cannot waive our policies after having investigated this in your consideration.

  We appreciate your business and remain available to help you use this service as all services and benefits have been delivered but cancellation is respectfully denied.

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a membership plan from this company and they stated I would get wholesale prices on hotel, cruises, cars etc. Their cost and the cost of several hotels and cruises are the same. Their is not differences and they are scamming customers with lies as well as not allowing a chance to get a refund.

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Aloha,

  These statements are respectfully false. We guarantee cruise, hotel, car discounts and more. And in ANY case where you might rarely find a lower rate elsewhere, we have a value guarantee to provide you a 110% reimbursement of the price difference.

  We will be calling to share and go over some price comparisons with you. Cancellation is respectfully denied.

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company would not offer a refund despite having a medical note and kept telling us they would only offer two refunds from a party of nine. We tried to cancel well before the 24 hours cancellation policy.

  Business response

  07/16/2024

  Aloha,

  We advised you that you must submit a doctor's note from a verified source and we would be happy to provide you with a partial courtesy refund.

  We received your doctor's note. Upon calling the number for the medical offices on the note, the medical offices were unable to verify the legitimacy of the note, therefore the refund was denied.

  As you were directly advised on June 13th of this, we are ready and waiting to receive a verifiable doctor's note. Please reach out to us at your convenience with that information.

  Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up with this company and they didn't tell me that the payment plans would be collected they a collection agency. They are also reporting false information. I need them removed from my report and I want to cancel. I don't want to do business with you all anymore. I can get a better deal offline or thru ******* I called to cancel and they wont cancel. I'm paying for services that I cant use. I was offered a $1000 cert that I couldn't use when needed. They added an extra $500 on my account . I was scammed because I'm paying for services that I cant use. Aloha Hawaii never answers the phone and their collection agency which is ****************** is very rude and steal money for Aloha Hawaii. Please cancel me from your company.. I financed 1799 and now I owe 2500. I don't get how that happened. I don't even know what I'm paying for at this point.

  Business response

  07/15/2024

  Aloha,

  We would like to note that we have NEVER received a complaint from you, prior to receiving this formal BBB complaint.

  You did contact us back in May 2024, trying to redeem a certificate, and the request was denied because you had defaulted on payments. But even at that time, we received no complaint from you about the membership service or how it works.

  Monterey Financial, which does have a collections department if you fall into default, as you did, has been notified to call and go over your collections balance with you to verify accuracy and you must discuss a settlement agreement directly with them for assistance. It is likely that you are being billed collections fees due to the fact you stopped making your payments to them per the contractual agreement.

  Our membership team will call and offer you value support but as acknowledged and agreed upon, all sales are final.

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21985487
  
  I am rejecting this response because: ************ does answer the phone when I call. Im paying for services that I cant use and the website doesnt offer a discount. I received the certificate for signing up with your business and now I cant use it. I tried to get in touch with your company before may. It was back in September. Have you read your reviews on ******* Every one is saying that this is a scam company. Please stop stealing my money and release me from your company and please remove your collection agency from my credit report. Thanks so much.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Aloha,

  We are sorry to hear you feel that way, but we have received and answered multiple calls from you over the past 60 days as is confirmed in our phone records. Our phone number ************** is open 24 hours per day. We also attempted to call you on July 15th to discuss this initial complaint and show you how to take advantage of the great deals and benefits of membership as expected, and left a voicemail. We haven't heard back from you yet.

  We acknowledge we have good AND bad reviews but we make every effort to acknowledge and address each of them. Respectfully, a strangers' opinion on the internet is not grounds for your individual case.

  We would be happy to provide you with redemption on your certificates but your loan must be current. Once you resolve your loan status with Monterey, we would be happy to provide you with redemption on any and all certificates on your account.

  We understand you are frustrated but we are confident in our services and respectfully deny this request for cancellation.

  Customer response

  08/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 21985487
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I paid the settlement and the company ****************** said that they would remove themselves from my credit report and they have not removed the collection yet.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Aloha *******, 

  If the loan issue is resolved, then this is a concern to bring to Monterey's attention and there is no issue with Aloha Hawaii Tours & Travel.

  We will send notice on your behalf to Monterey to review this, but we also recommend you contact Monterey yourself to inquire about the credit reporting. That is between you and Monterey.

  Please consider closing this complaint as satisfied. We will have a manager call about your gifts and Monterey will have your credit reporting issue handled quickly.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩