We were offered membership under the assumption they had an A+ BBB rating, that they have $199 weekly deals every week, that the activity fee of $389 was all you had to pay a year to book and that you could get a condo anywhere/anytime - all of which is untrue.

We purchased our membership on 10/19/2013. During the presentation, the agent kept saying how they had an A+ with the BBB - which after signing later came to find out their rating has been revoked. Not only did they get us to sign under those false pretenses, but the whole reason we got the vacation package was because they said that they have $199 weekly deals every week. The representative said we would receive an email every week with the $199 deals. It has been exactly a month later and every week, there are absolutely no $199 deals. Despite the $389 activity fee a year, there is also a $159 processing fee that they fail to mention. Also, you can't get anywhere you want and you can't get it anytime you want. All circumstances were false representations.

It is absolutely terrible that they can tell you anything to get you to sign a contract, when all of it is untrue. I am not sure how this company gets away with it. Verbal sales is still false representation. As a merchant, this should be illegal.

We joined this travel group a few months ago. Of course I should have known by the way they sell their product that there would be issues. 1. During the interview/sales pitch I specifally asked if we could get a condo in Ogden Canyon, the representative said yes! It's not one of our reguloar one but yes there should be no problem... guess what?? We've been asking for one since we have joined and been told they cannot get us one. 2. During the same interview I specifically asked about cancellations. The representative told us no problem you can reschedule... guess what? Nope!!! I need a last minute knee replacement and need to switch dates... can't.. and they keep the fee! wtf... most all companies have transfer dates.. 3. During the same interview/sales, I told the guy we needed to book a vacation to Hawaii for next year, I specifically asked about getting a 3 bedroom house or condo.. guess what?? Nope! It woudl require more than two of our alloted 4 weeks and no.... even though we paid the same amount, we are not allowed to do that. I'm sorry but the interview was mis-leading and I am VERY disapointed.... About the cancelation policy... it's in the guide book you get AFTER you pay $5,000.00 to them. I don't carfe if everything was somewhere in fine print... whe you specifically ask questions and get the answers you want, very few of us read every little line on the contracts. We assume people including salesmen are honest... NOT.. they lied to us. Lesson learned about the fine print...ASK where is that in writing??

Truly someone needs to file a class action suit.
Misrepresentation. Everyone needs to document their experiences.
Been a member 5 years never used it - tried a few times. Just tried again for next March and they
can't tell us if they have anything? We can go on a wait list. (wait-what?) should I wait by the phone?
Can't believe what suckers we were.

My husband and I bought the smallest package they had because we have so many other discount travel options available: military discounters, Costco, etc. But we figured we would give it a try for one year. We paid $3900 and got 2 stars to use. We were specifically interested in renting RVs to travel and also we wanted to be able to take our two small dogs to some of the resorts.

We were assured that there were "plenty" of pet-friendly resorts in their "vast selection" of properties "all over the world." Additionally, we really pushed the discounted RV rentals and they assured us that this was not a problem, that their travel agency would get the best prices on RV rentals all around the U.S.

So we finally are ready to start looking at a vacation for the end of summer/early fall when it is still hot in AZ, somewhere cool. We check on the RVs with the travel agency and there is only one company that they refer you to. They do not have any discounts on RV rentals. First misrepresentation.

So then we look at the cruises to Alaska for "$699 plus one star for two people." Well, there are only two cruise lines through GD that allow you to use the stars to discount the cruise to the $699 for two. One of them I refuse to travel on, Carnival. The other is NCL which I have cruised before, so that was fine. However, when the pricing comes back from the travel assistant, it is nowhere near $699 for two using 2 stars even! It is $1850 for the two of us due to some sort of $900+ (padded) port fees, using both stars (cruise only). I checked the same identical cruise using the Costco travel service and it is only $1680 for two and no $3900 or $398 annual fee or anything. (Only the regular Costco member fee which we would pay anyways for groceries etc.) Then I checked a military discount travel site I am qualified to use and the price was the same as GD, again without any membership fee whatsoever. Second misrepresentation.

So then I go searching for the $159/week properties to see where we could maybe just drive to, like California to the beach or something. Well, low and behold, NO PETS. NO PETS NO PETS NO PETS is all over their policies that you have to agree to. So, where are the pet-friendly units? Third misrepresentation.

Another issue we have is lack of availability of the travel agency and representatives. They are only open between 8-5, Mon-Fri, Eastern time? What is that about?? What about working people on the west coast? They should be open on the weekends, too. That is very inconvenient.

Okay, so if we had not been so insistent about the RV discounts and the pet-friendly properties, I could understand possibly the other stuff, but we made a BIG DEAL about these two things in particular and it was completely misrepresented to us about these. Just based on that we should be allowed to get a refund of some type, but then you have to find someone who will speak to you about these issues. Good luck with that. Anyways, we do not feel we can recoup our $3900 on a single vacation, unfortunately. So, it is one of those difficult lessons to swallow because we could have had a really nice vacation somewhere for $3900 this year.

So, although it may be good for those who have discounted airfare, like working for the airlines, to get to locations outside the US at a discount to then stay for $159/week with stars, for the rest of us, trying to take vacations to recoup the $3900 or more in many people's situations, I just don't see this as a good deal. We should have trusted our first instinct and left when we had the chance before the high pressure started. We consider ourselves to be smart people and don't fall for this type of stuff, but when they came back with the RV discount rentals was a sure thing and the pet-friendly places, we thought we'd give it a try.

Global Connections INC is a complete SCAM!!!! I, unfortunately, paid for the entire service up front and now I cannot get ANYONE to return my phone calls or assist me in booking a vacation! I have tried calling their travel agents and customer service multiple times. I just keep receiving recordings to leave a message but no one ever returns my calls! They offer a "free" trip if you listen to their 90 minute presentation. . . which ended up taking 2 1/2 hours! They dont bother to tell you that the "free trip" is only valid if you mail in all their paperwork within the first 45 days of the initial consultation. Buyers beware!!!!! This company is a complete SCAM!!!!

This guy named Eric Stout who keeps posting saying that he will help is part of the scam. When you contact him to make it better, you get thrown back in to the same whirlwind that you got caught up in in the first place. Newbies, please don't fall for it! There is nothing honest about any of it. Oh, that I could get my money back! I could pay for my kids college!

They just keep calling and calling and calling. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I want to get out of this contract. Three days is not long enough to evaluate this service. We have given it 5 months and realize that the vacation offerings are too expensive and are not compatible with our lifestyle. We are stuck with a $187 a month fee until the balance of $6000+ is paid off. I want out, I don't want a refund of what I have already paid, I just want out because we will not be using this service ever.

I have been a member of Global Discovery Vacations for just over a year now and have had one great experience and one okay experience. Our first family vacation was in Sedona, AZ and it was great! The facilities were clean, the amenities spot on, and the staff onsite were very friendly and created a great experience for our family! Yes, we were invited to attend a sales presentation by the property. However, when we told them who we were through the salesman let me know that they could not compete with a travel club program. (Whether that is true not, I guess I will never know.) My wife and I then used our free week to go to Santa Fe, NM. The facilities were a cross between a hotel and a condo. They were clean, but not the same feel as where we stayed in Sedona. But the staff there was also very kind and accommodating. We also enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. We will see how our upcoming trip is in Solano Beach (San Diego), CA in June. Though we are not on the beach we are within walking distance.

So far my overall experience has been mixed when trying to book our trips. The 'ideal' locations are hard to get into with our large family. However, when I have priced the same locations or even better ones the pricing isn't even comparable.

We also went through the sales process, but found it to be no more high pressure than any other timeshare or travel club experience, and may be even a little less pressured. Though we did sign that evening we did make them leave us along and we did calculate how long it would take to get a return on our investment. Could we have done better? Maybe. But definitely not on our own. Maybe the key is that this is best for larger families rather than couples.

The jury is still out for us. But all in all we are having fun and doing better on the cost than we could have done on our own.

My husband and I went to a 90-minute presentation last October 2011 and were duped into joining the travel club. I agree with the other people stating their complaints that you do not have enough time to review/check out everything in three days. But we were, I hate to admit, foolish to sign up for anything that does not have a legitimate termination "way out" in case we are not satisfied. They did offer two free airline tickets to anywhere in the continental US, just for sitting in on the presentation. So I sent in for the tickets, only to get information back in the mail indicating we had to pay $50 per ticket to cover fees, etc. This is in no way a 'free' ticket as promised. The items promised are not true, but very deceiving. I've also viewed the site several times and do not find lots of condo sites available as originally promised in the presentation. The choice is very limited and locations pretty slim. A month after signing on, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and has been going to chemo treatments all year. As a result, I just inquired about opting out of the membership this past week only to be told that we could not do so because the expiration period had passed. I did not ask about getting my money back, just to cancel the account. This company does not operate ethically or morally and needs to be shut down. My husband and I would be very interested in joining a class action lawsuit, if one is started.

Got a call today, seems I filled out the wrong form online. I filled out the one for a discount week which is a rental??? Didn't even know that was a part of what Global does. So when my wife called (Steeve Moody) they told Her that we were out of luck. First the dates we want are no longer 120 days out, second 120 days is not enough time to get an ocean front property. NOT beach front condo, just a property that is ocean front! The best they would be able to do in all of Myrtle beach is 5 miles from the beach. We said that is not acceptable. So I called and got the same story, so I requsted my activation fee $399 back since we will not be using the program this year. Was transfered to Diana (who was much more helpful than Steve) She said she had to check with her boss. Came back on and said they don't normally refund the money but they will make an acception this time.
I am ready to get on board with the rest of the folks on the web and will start talking to friends (Lawyers and Bankers) to research the options to stop paying the crazy intrest rate loan they BS'd Me into. I will continue to post what I find.

TO anyone else waivering, I would say the return is not worth the risk!

Well here am back on the boards. I put a request in last week on the 9th. Asking for a two bedroom condo in North Myrtle beach (ocean front). I have a message on my machine tonight, there is no availability in Myrtle Beach for ocean front. The best they can do is 5 miles away and it will cost me $1, 000. Why would it cost me more?? I will find out! I left a message for Steve Moody at ext 7840. I explained that 5 miles away will not work. Think maybe he stuck to the North Myrtle (hoping). I said any two bedroom ocean front complex would work. I explained how I talked to Eric Stout and Heather Love-Allen and don't want to have to do that again but I will. I will continue to update the board.

I did join on a trial basis, the free trip for joining is a scam they put you up in a travelodge not that this is the worst hotel but you can't even upgrade with your own money. The travelodge is in a bad neighborhood, I have family that live near the area the Spirit Incentives people put us and before we went my family told me it is the worst, poorest part of town, with a lot of crime. So we decided not to go at all. A Free trip where you can't leave the room is no vacation. As for Global Discovery Vacations the jury is still out. I scheduled a vacation and will let you know if it too is a scam.

Jack

Have only booked one vacation but every time I call the membership hotline I get forwarded to a VM and it takes at least a day to answer any questions I might have. Plus the majority of the paperwork that they give you is chalked full of BS making it difficult to find any kind of relevant information. So it wasn't surprising that I didn't realize that you have to sign up a second time to use the concierge service until less than two weeks before my vacation. Well it apparently takes 7-10 business days to get your membership activated - fat lot of good that does me now. When I called and finally got ahold of someone I was told that it was absolutely impossible to activate membership over the phone. Apparently it is exceedingly difficult to write down my membership number, name, and phone number (that is ALL that is on the mail in card). Overall I would give the customer service department a failing grade.

Nhall and Lisa

Hello, my name is Eric Stout. I am the Operations Manager for Global Connections. I would be happy to help either one of you or at least point you in the right direction. Please give me a call at (913) 660-7780.


Eric Stout
Operations Manager
Global Connections, Inc.
(913) 660-7780

I am a sales representative at GDV. I own the program you are speaking about, which is how I got my job.

I noticed that a couple of people have complained about "fake" bbb.org websites. Here's the link.
http://www.bbb.org/kansas-city/business-reviews/travel-clubs/global-connections-inc-in-overland-park-ks-97030227