We've all gotten harassed by telemarketers from time to time and most if not all of them know that if you ask to be removed from their "do not call list" then by law the have to. E tour and Travel out of Orlando, FL however seems to be playing by a different set of rules as well as flogging the promise of a cheap $99 Orlando vacation. They are also perhaps the rudest bunch of wankers that I've ever come across! (Note: if you have an iPhone see this article I just wrote that will show you how to block their number)
My story starts with a string of missed calls seen on my cell phone from a 866 897-2756, a telephone - a E tour and Travelnumber. After I realized that they weren't going to stop calling me I intercepted one such call and politely asked the gentleman on the other side to PLEASE take me off their do not call list.
Several days later they called again, and I asked why they are still calling. My number it seems has been in the system since 1997 and belonged to someone else and wow, since the guy who's number it was previously is not around they are very kindly going to extend this Deal of the Century to me! Some convoluted story regarding a Orlando vacation and $99 per person for a 5 say holiday and a rental car and free plane tickets.
Next follows what I can only describe as the worst, rudest customer service experience I have ever experienced. I ask to speak to a supervisor and come up with an excuse - they hang up on me. Call again, supervisor - well I'm a supervisor says one female rep, "What's your name , Cristal she says, "Last name I ask" sorry sir I don't feel comfortable giving it out to you" WTF!! Third call ends in someone hanging up on me too! All in all I was hung up on 5 times!!!
And I'm not alone on this, one message board notes that there are over 100 complaints about this company with the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida see article here about E tour and Travel scammers. (Actually it's 300 all in all)
Others too have had the pleasure of being on the other end of the line when they call - just google the phone number and you'll see stuff like:
More unhappy people - See the post here
eTour and Travel is the name of the company. Website is http://www.etourandtravel.com/. They sell trips to their resorts and on these trips you have to sit through a siminar or something for 2 hours about their resorts. It's almost like a time share but not quite. I have a problem with them calling me every month to offer me something and I have told them time and time again that I want off their calling list....but they still wont take me off. It has gotten to the point where I am now reporting them to the BBB every time I request this.
3 pages of complaints here! and more here.
Track em Down - Speak to the owner Mr Lance Croft
Long history of Complaints ....
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F
in the last 36 months: 349
in the last 12 months: 123
From the info below it appear that we should all be talking to Mr Lance Croft and congratulating him on his piss poor service and rude employees.
Business Contact and ProfileBack To Top
Name: E Tour & Travel
Phone: (800) 339-5120
Address: 3626 Quadrangle Blvd. Ste 400, Orlando, FL 32817
Google map Mapquest map Yahoo map
Business Category: Vacation Time Share, Travel Agencies & Bureaus, Travel Agent Mills, Vacation Certificates & Vouchers
BBB file opened: November 12, 2002
Primary Contact: Mr. Lance Croft (VP/COO)
Complaint Contact: Mr. Lance Croft (VP/COO)
Other Contacts: Ana Medina, Broker Account Manager
Feel free to leave your comments below ... >>>
Mr Croft - other companies / spam
Some one's research let to this post"
kyped this number - got an announcer with some woman with a Northern British sounding accent. The number is for "ETour and Travel" (etourandtravel.com) which gives an alternate contact number of 1-800-339-5114. Their website also has inbound toll-free numbers: Orlando, FL 866-912-9286; Hollywood, FL 866-836-3855; Kissimmee, FL 866-311-2562; Largo, FL 866-639-7720; Non-toll-free: 407-658-1768 and 407-515-2400.
Domain Name: ETOURANDTRAVEL.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Croft, Lance jlc1961@yahoo.com
3031 Randleman Ct.
Oviedo, FL 32765
US
407-383-9733 fax: 123 123 1234
NS.KOSMASGROUP.COM 65.161.249.125
NS2-AUTH.SPRINTLINK.NET
This "Lance Croft" also has domain names kosmasgroup.com and kgiresorts.com (identical WHOIS info). Sounds like your run-of-the-mill Floridian vacation spammer.
Seems there is another site - http://www.kgiresorts.com/ - KGI Resorts - and a video on YouTube too
Will be updating this page in the near future :)
MyLittlePortal.com is Richard's personal blog. Richard is a video producer and Drupal web developer who lives in Boulder, Colorado USA. 
July 31, 2010 - 8:50am
The fact is that the BBB is an profit agency that charges membership fees which DO affect ratings. Aside from that the BBB does not report the number of complaints as opposed to the amount of business a company does. All companies with any track history have some complaints. However if a company has over a million customers and 100 complaints then the total complaints are less than 1% of their total business. Also consider that the BBB only reports complaints so if you are looking for credibility then why would you go to a complaint department looking for a reference! The BBB does NOT report happy customers!!!!
Now regarding telemarketers I have some really surprising and shocking information! THEY ARE DOING THEIR JOB!!! They go to work to make a paycheck like everyone else and in most cases they are on an automatic dialer where the do not control the calls. If you do not answer your phone then the dialer AUTOMATICALLY calls you back! If you do answer your phone and ask to be removed from the call list then all the agent can do is code the call in the computer...after that it is simply out of their hands. Cussing and screaming at them WILL NOT change that. In most cases they do not care if you take advantage of a good deal or not. However it is there job to explain what you are getting and address any questions or concerns you might have. If they don't attempt to do that then they could lose their job. If you dont have the common courtesy to be polite to someone who is just performing their job then you deserve to pay tripple or quadruple for a vacation. Thats a fact.
August 4, 2010 - 12:49pm
Did you actually read the article. I have dealt with many telemarketers, most of whom illegally call me on my cellphone. A simple "take me off your call list" will suffice. But these goons keep on calling back, even after numerous request and their level of rudeness is quite remarkable. Must I play you the recordings I have of them?
And your defense of telemarketers is a little weak at best, I too can work in a payday loan store or as pimp but do I choose to do so, no. I can guarantee you that you'd never experience rudeness on this level at a company 10 or 100 times it's size eg At&t or Verizon.
July 19, 2010 - 12:39pm
Maybe next time you should ask to be put on the do not call list and not taken off it. Just sayin'. Could help.
August 4, 2010 - 12:51pm
I did, numerous time and they kept on calling back!
June 17, 2010 - 4:25pm
I purchased a package with e tour and travel and was not given everything i was promised. I ended up spending more out of pocket costs. The package was presented to me oneway when i first purchased it. When it was time for me to go on the trip it was nothing like it was said to be. The hotel room was suppose to be included at no charge. They knew the exact amount of people i was taking on the trip when i paid for the package. Upon making my reservation for the trip the iwas told i had to many occupants so i would need to upgrade to a resort. I paid an additional fee for the upgrade on the room. I was promised two theme park passes in the package. Once I arrived there i was not given the tickets because i was a full-time student and was not elegible to take a timeshare tour. Which was not stipulated in my package in at no time. Since this incident occured and i explained the situation the supervisor at the check-in desk in Orlando florida said she would have the money refunded to me that i paid for the upgrade on the hotel stay. Since the dpartment sold me that package. I purchsed the package because of the theme park tickets thinking it would be nice to take my kids to universal studios. I was taken in by what i was told not aware this would happen. I have never purchased any type of package or trips in my lifetime. As of now i still have not got my refumd back yet for hotel expenses which i was told would accomodate or make up for the theme park tickets i had to buy which were very expensive. Even with the money that i was suppose to be refunded did not cover the amount i spent buying theme park tickets. This was a valuable lesson for me to learn. I will be very sceptical about purchasing anything now.
May 4, 2010 - 6:44am
I usually don't post on blogs, but while doing 'more' research I came across this thread and wanted to add my two cents.... And I am not affiliated with eTour or any of their partners.
Unlike many others, I only received a few calls from eTour, possibly because I live in NYC and they don't want to pay the long distance charges.
Since it was only $99 I decided to take a chance and go on the 7-day Orlando/New Smyrna Vacation in 2008. The presentation only took 90 minutes, and fortunately the sales guy was very low pressure so it was pretty painless. They offered a bunch of incentives and due to the poor economy the Timeshare price was drastically reduced. Honestly, I was totally against the Timeshare thing and had no intention of buying when I took the trip, but it seemed too good to pass up so I took another chance and bought in.
I just got back from my first week of Timeshare vacation in April 2010 at my 'home' location and was approached for yet another offer. 30-minutes and several perks later, they bought back my Timeshare for a VERY NICE profit and enrolled me along with 5 of my Friends/Family (no contact info required) into a 'Lifetime' Vacation Club; which is perfect because I (or they) can take as many or little vacations as we want/can. Now I have unlimited access to even more Resorts, Condos, Cruises at ridiculously low prices, and don't have the worries of a mortgage or property taxes. I know that in my case, the economy and timing was EVERYTHING, and my experience (so far) has been smooth and profitable too! I wonder if the telemarketers that are harassing some folks are direct affiliates or one of those Paid By Commission companies that buy and re-sell call list, as I have a few (not eTour) that I've had to put on 'Blast' as well.
March 31, 2010 - 12:34pm
I live in Orlando. My area code is 407, which should make my location obvious to them, yet these idiots still keep calling me with flight and rental car offers for a fabulous Orlando vacation! Morons.
February 4, 2010 - 7:06am
I will spare my long and drawn out story since it seems similar to everyone else's. I am going to take the time to report them to Florida's BBB and contact the Orlando Sheriff's Department. My friend where I live (who is a sheriff) told me to report them for telephone harassment since they are still calling after being told not too. My phone is also listed on the Do Not Call Registry, so it's worth the time to report them there as well.
This may sound all like a waste of time, but I am making it a mission to destroy them. I will turn to every media outlet in Orlando and the surrounding area with the story. I also have a friend who is a Federal District Attorney who I plan to contact today.
Please continue to report these dirtbags every chance you get.
January 3, 2010 - 1:16pm
These a**holes are guido's. Nothing but human scum. They think they are members of a 'Tony Soprano'-like family. That is all. When you react to their scam, all you do is loose money. Find the information about the Kosmas, or their pet Lance Croft. Lance is just a wannabe. You can have some interesting read on them.
December 17, 2009 - 9:44am
I bought a package a year ago. I was told that I can use it within 2 years. I haven't had time to go on vacation in the past year. I was planning on using it by next summer. Ever since the year mark they have been calling me. Each time they call I explain this to them and they look up in their database and apologize and hang up. Today some so-called kid-manager tells me I had to tell them after a year to extend it. I simply told him that no-one had informed me of that. He asked several times if I received the package in the mail. He raised his voice after the third time. I told him to tone down with me. He did not like this at all and said he was not raising his voice. I told him to tone down again and then out of nowhere like a 2-year old having a tantrum he retorts with "Get off my phone you broke b*tch." He repeated it several times. I wonder if mommy didn't hold him that much as a child, or if this is SOP when someone does not comply with what they want to hear. It is ridiculous. I don't really care for it anymore. I am upset at how a kid claims to be some supervisor and then goes on to throw a tantrum on the phone.
December 2, 2009 - 9:23pm
This company has moved on to sexual solicitations over the phone. Someone named April propositioned my husband stating she wanted to teach him somethings and was willing to come over and pick him up. I think the FBI needs to get involved in this interstate commerce.
September 1, 2009 - 7:51pm
This has been a great vacation package i absolutely loved it i would definitley take advantage of it again i don't understand people always complain bottom line they are never happy so stop complainning S.O.B*tch*s grow up and take a vacation but bottom line even if the deal is good u still complain 2 hours of ur time is not gonna kill u suck it up loosers WTF and they do theyre jobs they have to just like me and u go to our jobs in the morning suck it up and be happy u even got offered a freaking deal losers....this was a great vacation package by the way
April 23, 2009 - 3:54pm
i have the same experienced as any other complaints here...and ended up to the worst racist customer representative ever...he said he can't understand my accent i wonder why he can understand me when he charged $258 from my visa...whats going on with Florida right now are they not giving action to close down this stupid business?..anyway this e tour travel promised me to send me this so called travel package which im sure its not exesting...and send me an email for further details..until right now its been 3 months no email and package on the air....
August 6, 2009 - 9:28am
The losers at E Tour & Travel are now attempting to discredit this article and my blog by posting comments supposedly from happy customers !! How do I know this .... ha ha, Lance you're not the cleverest of chaps are you. Er, have you ever head of an IP address Lance. Your goon who posted here was obviously an employee of yours as the IP address came from your company. (I have this in my server log files). Glad you're worried mate and yes, people do read this article!
September 4, 2009 - 12:52am
awesome post! glad you wrote this company up! strong work! thanks so much. it's unbelievable this company is still allowed to "do business". the BBB florida needs to do a better job and stop this guy & his company. in fact, they should never allow lance croft to start up another company ever again...he is obviously corrupt and incapable of managing a legitimate company. i agree, the obnoxious telemarketers are losers. i was a telemarketer several summers during highschool....there is no reason to be rude on the phone unless you are unhappy with your life/situation/job. they obviously take out their frustrations on strangers b/c they are too cowardly to deal with their own problems. and its not just the telemarketers...but everyone else working for this company...it's a scam...WHY be a part of it. it's so pathetic to see people so desparate. anyways, they've harassed my folks...luckily my parents were pretty keen to them, but many others still get scammed. anyways, JProd33Man...great job. yes, people are reading this.
August 8, 2009 - 8:38pm
HAHA U R REALLY *********
August 8, 2009 - 9:13pm
One of E Tour and Scammers is at it again. The offal he spewed is not fit to print .
Listen Neanderthal, do you understand that unless you use a proxy server I know where you are?? Writing in all caps, ha, you're are a joke, no wonder you work for Lance - man up and get a real job rather that harassing old people and minorities!
Here is his IP address: 72.0.105.19
IP Location: United States Orlando - Vbnet.
Resolve Host: collegestation-nat.vbnet.net
Next time we'll contact Vbnet.net. (BTW - your AOL playlist sucks)
August 21, 2009 - 5:29pm
Sad to see someone wasting so much time complaining when they can go on living there lives. Must be an unfufilling life you live.
August 21, 2009 - 6:05pm
Let's look at the IP address of the above comment, it will show us where the person who wrote this comment lives:
Look at this URL: http://whois.domaintools.com/70.118.93.217
Palm Bay, FL. Pretty close to E Tour and Scamers HQ. Too much of a coincidence - me thinks so! Lance's clowns are at it again!
We'll at least this email did not come directly from a network / company owned by Lance and E Tour like last time. Seems that Lance and his monkeys are learning new tricks! Next time try using a IP address out of state, a little more believable you silly bastard.
And in response to your comment, I do have a life, probably a lot better than the miserable pathetic life of a telemarketer that you have willfully chosen. Do you tell your friends that you call up people all day long and scam them out of money - old people and minorities? Perhaps you lie to your wife and tell her you have a real job, you tell he you work at a supermarket or as a dishwasher - a real job? And the fact that you're online on a Friday night rather than being out with your pals shows me that you have no life and no friends. Go cry to uncle Lance you big baby. Why do you do his dirty work? Be a man and get a real job! Don't lie to your wife and hungry kids.
August 26, 2009 - 7:08am
I got a phone call from them last June, after pushing the reps for a long time I gave away my credit card #. They told me all the time that I would be charge only after getting my final decision the next day. The following day call never happened and I got an email stating the packet was canceled, so I forgot the issue. The info packet never got home as well. When I discovered I have been charged 250 $ since June, I called the company and they said I did buy the packet , the 15 days to cancel the packet are gone , so I have to swallow it or loose my money. These guys are legal crooks , they have a very aggressive telemarketing strategy and deceive people shamelessly. I have been living in the States for a short time , so I paying the price of been unfamiliar with this kind of fraud. The web is full of complaints against this so-called company and sooner or later they will fall. My bank started a dispute with them but I know is useless. What should I do next ? Silly question , isn't it ? Thanks.
March 23, 2010 - 12:44pm
I'm on the same boat as you. Hope I see ur post before I gave them my credit card info.
September 10, 2009 - 6:51am
I am very glad I read your Blog. I was considering working for this Florida based company since I am a travel agent looking to work part time in a slow travel season. I have read so many bad reviews online that I have changed my mind. Thank goodness for the internet!
September 22, 2009 - 2:03am
I'm going to go to work there for the easy money... If people can still be scammed easy, why not get in on the action.
February 16, 2010 - 4:18pm
I told them I would be calling the BBB and the guy told me ma'am "The Better Business Bureau is not going to do anything." I asked them to take me off the list and they yelled at me and said "we're trying to give you a $1500 vacation ma'am." I said I did not care and to confirm they would take me off their list, which they never confirmed to me. Complete A***oles!