PITTSBURGH — Free cruise vouchers are starting to arrive in the mail. They’re offering a free three-day, two-night cruise to the Bahamas, and it sounds like a great deal, but Target 11 Consumer Investigator Robin Taylor did some digging and found a lot of complaints.
A Channel 11 viewer sent one of vouchers to me because she sensed something wasn't quite right. So I called Caribbean Cruise Line and the Better Business Bureau.
The cruise sounded phenomenal! I’d be staying in a state room on a Caribbean Cruise Line with three gourmet meals included, and I’d be traveling with a companion to Grand Bahama Island.
All I had to do was pay the port taxes and I had 18 months to take the cruise.
But there, in the fine print was the catch. I'd have to sit through a two-hour time share presentation.
And that high pressure sales pitch has triggered 1,211 complaints to the Better Business Bureau.
Caribbean Cruise Line has a D+ rating because hundreds of people say they've had trouble getting out of those contracts.
"For some consumers who wanted to cancel within this 30-day time period, they would call and were treated rudely by customer service, they alleged, and they were told this could not be done," said Caitlin Vancas of the Better Business Bureau.
The bottom line: you really do get a free cruise, but you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?
People have also complained they've been pressured to upgrade their reservations for a fee and many of the activities cost extra. Remember, transportation to Florida is not included.