Happenings

The Better Business Bureau recently published an article in the October publication of the BBB Alert on falling victim to “friendly fraud”.

Businesses are increasingly becoming victims of “friendly” fraud – fraud carried out by customers to get items free of charge. The Better Business Bureau warns small business owners to be on the lookout for “friendly” fraud and offers advice on how to protect against this growing online threat.

According to the Wall Street Journal, many companies – for example, the travel site Expedia – are currently seeing up to a 50 percent spike in “friendly” fraud since 2008. The most common types of “friendly” fraud involve cases in which a customer falsely claims they: *never received an item ordered online, *received the wrong item ordered online, or *had their credit card stolen and were charged for items they didn’t order.

The customer should then demand a refund from the business or demand the merchant to issue a chargeback on their credit card. When friendly fraudsters are unable to coax reimbursements from a business directly, many then issue chargeback’s to their credit card companies. Creditors will investigate the situation, asking for the business owner’s side of the story before deciding whether or not the business is at fault. Defending a business against “friendly” fraud is no easy task, but there are steps to take.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to small business owners: *verify the buyers billing address before sending merchandise, *use a shipper that tracks delivery, *deactivate or deny access to products, *clearly state your return policy on your Website, *be prepared to make your case to the credit card company, and *analyze sales records.

For more advice on defending your small business from fraud, visit www.bbb.org

Or to read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329230494652391.html

A Sundance Vacations Customer recently wrote a letter of “Thank You” for their Free 3 Night Royal Caribbean Cruise Vacation. The following is the letter Sundance Vacations received:

“Hello, I just wanted to thank your company (Sundance Vacations) so much for the all exclusive 3 Night Royal Caribbean vacation. I could not believe I won! When I got the phone call from your office saying I was picked from a drawing at the Lancaster Barnstormers game, I almost fell out of my chair! I came to your office in King of Prussia, PA and picked up my prize and now I’m getting ready to hit the seas and take my first plane ride! Thank You Sundance for the Free Vacation! It is a blessing to for me to get a trip I would never see myself in! When I do vacation, it’s mostly spent going to this lake about 10 miles away from home and camping with family. So this is going to be a huge difference! Thanks again, Dustin.” –Dustin Kipple

Thank you for your kind words Dustin! We hope you enjoy your Cruise vacation with Sundance Vacations.
Have you traveled with Sundance Vacations? If so, where have you stayed?

Whatever happened to the once a year family vacation? Today, people are taking more than one vacation per year, and going for any reason possible. The US Travel Association recently reported on an opportunity for travel growth in several niche markets. An extensive set of new travel segments is attracting attention in the present slow growth marketplace. The sum of niche marketing can be as significant as or more significant that the sum of traditionally dominant players. Watch for these in the travel marketplace: Babymoons, Culinary Travel, Destination Weddings, Gen Xers and Millennials, Girlfriend Getaways/Mancations, GLBT Travel (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender), Medical/Life-Enhancement Travel, Procreation Vacations, Travelers with Disabilities, and Volunteerism.

What are your suggestions for the next market niche? How about a “break from life vacation”? Have you ever taken any of the mentioned getaways?

The Jersey Shore’s cutest tradition, Wildwood’s annual Baby Parade celebrates its 100th anniversary on August 6th. The first batch of charming and delightful youngsters participated in the Wildwoods Baby Parade in 1909. Ever since, this event has become a shore tradition, drawing huge crowds of locals and tourists with a soft spot for beautiful babies parading down the famous Wildwoods Boardwalk in decorated strollers and floats. This year’s special Centennial Celebration is sure to draw even bigger crowds to the 100th Anniversary of the First Baby Parade.

The 100th Anniversary of the First Wildwoods Baby Parade will take place at 6pm, Thursday, August 6, 2009. Registration for the event starts at 5pm at the Wildwoods Convention Center. The parade starts at the Wildwoods Convention Center, proceeding up the famous Wildwoods Boardwalk, and ending at 16th Street in North Wildwood, where winners and awards will be announced. Be sure to come out and celebrate a century of fun, tradition and cuteness on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at the Wildwoods Baby Parade!

Looking for a place to stay? Sundance Vacations has numerous places on the Jersey Shore. Try Key Largo, Esplanade, Leaming Avenue, or Mali Kai. http://www.sundancevacations.com/beach-resorts.html

*Photos are courtesy of the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority and the Best of NJ website.*

When thinking about vacations which I do every day at Sundance Vacations, a few things come to mind; relaxation, spending quality time with loved ones, the beach, golf, funny drinks with umbrellas in them, and no set routine. Although all of those things are great, I do have to say my favorite part is the anticipation. The countdown!! 12 days..11 days..10 days..9 days to go. Getting passports ready, shopping for vacation clothes, cleaning my golf clubs, packing, finding out who’s going to take care of the dogs. To many people this part is stressful. However, for me it’s like Christmas morning when I was 8 years old. Just the thought of what’s about to happen gets me excited.

In the beginning of June I and my girlfriend Helena booked an Excess Inventory week to the Village Inn and Spa in St. Lucia. Yes! That’s right $198 for 8 days 7 nights in a resort that retails for $180 a night. This will be our first full week vacation together in 3 years. Since booking the trip I’ve been doing a lot of research on the Island. There is so much we are looking forward to. The Village Inn and Spa is an all-inclusive resort, a number of restaurants and bars at the resort itself. St. Lucia had a drive in volcano. I can’t wait to zip line. The thought of being harnessed to a cable zipping from tree to tree in the jungle is exhilarating. The resort also offers 3 rounds of complimentary golf at St. Lucia’s champion golf course to any guests that stay 5 nights or more.

There’s so much to look forward to. That to me is what anticipation is all about. We leave on August 2nd and return on August 9th. I defiantly will not blog to all of you while on vacation. NO WAY. However, when I return I’ll tell you all about it.

-Danny McGowan (King of Prussia)

It’s safe to say that many voters across the country are completely tired of government bailouts. The government is constantly raising taxes for special projects that we have no say over. If you or someone you know has a home or a business in New Jersey, you might feel differently because New Jersey’s political leaders are pressing the White House’s office of Management and Budget, to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars to subsidize sand-replenishing projects.

Beach erosion has been a leading cause of the shrinkage of the New Jersey shore beaches. New Jersey has received about $450 million to pump sand along the coast since 1985. Federal tax dollars are representing about 65% of all the money spent replenishing sand in New Jersey. So, if you live in Pennsylvania or Texas you are supporting beach erosion projects in Ocean City and Beach Haven. Many people are angry that their tax dollars are being wasted. Whenever a storm hits, another chunk of the beach is lost. Isn’t there some other plan that can be implemented that would save the voters tax dollars?

Do you agree or disagree with government funding for the New Jersey beaches?

Sundance Vacations will open their doors to the public for their second blood drive this year. The event will take place at the Sundance Vacations Corporate Headquarters located at 264 Highland Park Blvd, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The headquarters is adjacent to the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The date is set for Monday, June 15th from 12:30pm until 5:30pm. Sundance representatives encourage their neighboring community and businesses on Highland Park Blvd to drop by for the worthy cause. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Please come out and help support the American Red Cross.

The following was written by a guest who enjoyed their stay at the Woodfield Manor: “We have enjoyed our stay at the Woodfield Manor so much! The cottage is wonderful and so comfortable. We have never stayed at a place that was any cleaner. The surrounding grounds and area are beautiful. The Woodfield Manor staff is great and very friendly. We feel like we have made new friends. Bob was great as well as the Tuesday, Wednesday bartender (we didn’t learn his name).

My husband and I appreciate your generosity and kindness allowing us to use your computer to check our “boy” Bronson. That was very important to us. We truly consider you both as our new friends. This is our first experience with the vacation program, and we are very glad we made the decision to join.
Thank you and your staff for making our vacation so pleasant and enjoyable!” -S. Beardman

The Woodfield Manor is located in the Pocono Mountains of Pa. For more information please visit www.woodfieldmanor.com

They’re known as Mibsters and they aren’t losing marbles, they’re winning them. For those of you who don’t know, a Mibster is a marble player. The Mibsters aren’t strangers to the Jersey Shore, they descended there in 1922, when the first-ever National Marbles Tournament was held in Atlantic City. Hundreds of Mibsters will soon make their way to the Jersey Shore. The 86th annual competition will take place from June 21st to June 25th.

Ten 12-foot-square concrete platforms, each with a 10-foot-diameter yellow playing circle, are arrayed across the Wildwood beach, comprising a venue known as Ringer Stadium. There, champion marble shooters (mibsters) ages 8 to 14 from all over the country will face off in two divisions (one for boys, one for girls), playing about 1,200 games over the course of four days. (New Jersey Monthly Magazine, pg. 21, 09) www.nationalmarblestournament.org

Do you have kids interested in the National Marble tournament? Sundance Vacations provides numerous properties in New Jersey. A popular spot is the Esplanade Suites in Wildwood, NJ. The resort is located just steps from the beach, boardwalk and convention center.

Excerpt taken from US Travel Association Website: “The U.S. Travel Association congratulated Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and John Ensign (R-NV) for introducing the “Travel Promotion Act of 2009”. The Travel Promotion Act is landmark legislation to stimulate U.S. economic growth, create thousands of new American jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue for communities across the country. The legislation is considered necessary since the U.S. dollar is strengthening, the global economy is slowing and America continues to welcome fewer overseas visitors than prior to September 11, 2001.

“Travel Promotion Act” establishes a public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier international travel destination and communicate U.S. security and entry policies. The legislation specifies that travel promotion would be paid for by private sector contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers from countries that do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the United States. Similar legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, but did not receive a vote before the Senate adjourned.

Overseas visitors spend an average of $4,500 per person, per trip in the United States. Oxford Economics estimates that a well executed promotion program, as outlined in the Travel Promotion Act, would attract 1.6 million new international visitors annually, create $4 billion in new spending and drive $321 million in new federal tax revenue. An analysis by the U.S. Travel Association reveals that this program would create nearly 40,000 new American jobs. Nearly every developed nation in the world spends millions of dollars to attract visitors and strengthen their economy.” (US Travel Association, 09)

For more facts on declining overseas travel to the United States please visit: http://www.ustravel.org/pressmedia/pressrec.asp?Item=966

What do you think about the Travel Promotion Act?