Introductions are in order; my name is Scott and I am the founder of Fenix Holidays. From as far back as I can remember my greatest passion has been travel. Those of you who are with me on this know that there is just nothing like exploring the inner workings of a land that is new to you. I have been fortunate not only to have been able to travel extensively around the world but also to have a career that is built around my favorite hobby.
My life's work has been split evenly among jobs in airline operations as well as working as a travel agent and direct sales for a cruise company. I had the great pleasure of working for two start up airlines in the United States; Jetblue and Skybus. As start-ups go one was successful and the other not so much. I learned why never to trust a sales person during my tenure as a Personal Cruise Consultant for Norwegian Cruise Line. I built a great business around planning vacations to Walt Disney World for folks at large discounts. Through this I built my professional mission which is to offer the best value while blowing away guests expectations; nothing is as rewarding as this.
If I were to grade myself as a consumer, I would give myself a b+. Thanks to the internet, anything I am looking to buy I research in detail. I am a dedicated Costco Customer. Recently in searching for a place to live the sales person advised me to "sign on now as prices will only go up". Well, my gut told me otherwise, I waited and I "signed on" after a significant price drop. Why not an "A" grade you ask? In certain circumstances I have wanted an item so much and had fallen prey to buying prematurely. Recession or no recession, there is no need for anything less than insisting on the best value.
I am sure at this point many of you are asking "Where is he going with this"? Through these entries I would like to impart on you all of the in's and out's of buying travel. This will allow you to be your own advocate and get the absolute most for your travel dollar. I will share in excruciating detail what the sales environment at a Cruise Company is like as well as the marketing strategies. We will look at how (and how much) travel agents get paid. We will review all the great resources available on-line for researching your next vacation. If I get to feeling super nostalgic, you may even get a day in the life of the (unglamorous) job of a flight attendant.
As we start this journey think of this as your tool to helping you become the best travel consumer. The dialog is open so please ask lots of questions along the way, I am excited to share every bit of knowledge that I have. Check back soon, the next entry will profile the inner workings of a sales force at a cruise company; why NOT to buy direct!
Thanks for reading!
Scott
scott...please can you email me ??
kdavis81@gmail.com
i bought a vacation from you on ebay and can't find you ...
please please please.
kim
Posted by: kim | February 22, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Scott,
Please contact me. I have seen some very disturbing comments on your ebay page and want to confirm that my vacation week is still scheduled. rosebud4539@comcast.net
Posted by: Ellen Shapiro | February 22, 2011 at 04:10 PM
Scott, I also bought on ebay and have heard no confirmation. Please contact me ASAP.
Posted by: Christa | February 24, 2011 at 04:02 PM
Dear Scott,
I have made several attempts to reach you and nothing! Please contact me about my upcoming trip that I purchased from you.
Posted by: Colleen Ando | February 25, 2011 at 05:09 PM
Dear Scott,
We are concerned that something has happened to you as your voicemail is full. No texts being returned, ebay feedback going down the toilet and emails not being returned. Wilton Manor Police Dept is starting an investigation to find you since you seem to have dissapeared from the face of the Earth.
Posted by: Concerned Ebay Customer | March 01, 2011 at 06:06 PM
Scott, How can you leave all of your ebay customers hanging not knowing if they have a reservation. Many of these people have planned a once in a lifetime trip to Disney, and you managed to spoil it. Now you have opened a new web site and will rope in more unsuspecting people. Shame on you!
Posted by: Joe Victim | March 01, 2011 at 06:51 PM
Joe Victim,
This website was started in 2009. Something seems really strange about this whole situation. Why would we still have a reservation if he was going to pull a scam? I know he has plenty of time to still pull it out from under us but wouldn't you think it would have happened already? Check out Rob Robillard on facebook in FT Lauderdale and see if you think that is him?
Posted by: Concerned Ebay Customer | March 02, 2011 at 04:34 AM
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Ebay-Stores/Anyone-Purchase-From/510312489
Posted by: Concerned Ebay Customer | March 02, 2011 at 07:31 AM
Police confirmed that there are three Scott Robillards living in Ft Lauderdale. The one on facebook is not him.
Posted by: Concerned Ebay Customer | March 02, 2011 at 08:17 AM
We have a reservation too, made in November forr May. But disney will not convey anything to us specifically without the res. # which we obviously can't get. Should we file criminal charges?
Posted by: Thane Wahl | March 10, 2011 at 12:22 PM
joe Victim,
Please contact me if you come back ti this blog. langappraisal2@earthlink.net
Posted by: Thane | March 10, 2011 at 12:30 PM
All,
I have a reservation from DVC from Scotty. However, when I try to confirm that it is still good, DVC will not confirm unless Scott himself calls. Therefore, anyone who has a reservation is taking a chance that they show up and their reservation is not valid. Pretty scary. He is no longer a registered user on e-bay, and has disappointed so many customers.
Thane, why do you want me to contact you?
Joe Victim
Posted by: joe victim | March 11, 2011 at 04:52 PM
I also have a reservation which was paid for in December for a vacation in June. I have a reservation # and a confirmation from Disney. I can look up & confirm my reservation on line but this does not mean that it will not be canceled at any moment. I have no idea if I need to look for a back up reservation. I was at Disney World in June and went to AKL and they did look up my reservation and confirm it. Most likely because I was there in person.
Posted by: unhappy ebayer | March 11, 2011 at 09:38 PM
What I meant to say was I was at DW in Jan and they confirmed my reservation.
Posted by: unhappy ebayer | March 11, 2011 at 09:39 PM
We have a reservation in June that we paid for in October/November time frame. We called the specific hotel directly and they confirmed it last week. Still wondering what happened to Scott though.
Posted by: Heather | March 14, 2011 at 09:25 AM
I made a reservation back in September with Scott, we had bought a vacation with Scott last year. I heard from him in January when I needed a date change and am presently at Disneyworld now, you can look up your reservations at the website if he gave you a confirmation number. I know Scott would not just leave his customers hanging or ever steal from them as some are claiming.
Posted by: DYoung | March 17, 2011 at 07:40 PM
Yes he did. Many people purchased & paid him and reservations were never made. He doesn't answer calls, texts or emails. Many people are hanging and he is no longer a registered user on ebay.
Posted by: unhappy ebayer | March 18, 2011 at 01:49 PM
I am a return customer of Scotts and am giving him the benefit of doubt and hopefully I will hear from him soon. I have tried several attempts but from my past purchase(that went very well) I just can not believe he would do this, so I will give him a chance. Colleen
Posted by: Colleen | March 19, 2011 at 12:59 PM
I just returned from a Disney vacation that I purchased from Scott (March 13 - March 20). I was very worried after reading all of these posts that the reservation would be cancelled, but we arrived and had no problems at all.
When I first booked this vacation, I received an email confirmation that had my reservation number. I continually checked www.mydisneyreservation.com/dvc before leaving and the reservation was always confirmed. Once we got to Animal Kingdom Lodge, we had no issues and the stay was great. I do have another vacation booked for October with Scott at the same hotel. As of right now, I can see that reservation. I have not added dining yet and according to the hotel and to DVC Member Services, I cannot do so without Scott.
I truly think something bad has happened. Scott was the best communicator ever until January 20th. He answered emails and voicemails within 10 minutes. He was always very polite and super accommodating. For him to just drop off the face of the earth is scary because I really think something must have happened. Someone like Scott just doesn't stop communicating unless something is wrong. I will keep watching these posts,keep check my reservation, and pray that all is well with Scott!
Scott, if you are reading these, thanks for a great vacation!
Cindy
Posted by: Cindy Johnson | March 21, 2011 at 09:26 AM
Cindy: I too think something happened to him, we were unable to book any dining plan with Disney and took a big hit on this but I figured with the money we saved by booking a villa with Scott, I could let it slide. I was however able to make the reservations with Disney's Magical Express without Scott which was a plus. We had a great time and hope that Scott returns someday!
Posted by: DYoung | March 26, 2011 at 09:52 AM
Colleen: my suggestion is that maybe you should look into alternative plans for Disneyworld if you have not heard from Scott, I am sure if he were ok, we all would have heard from him by now. Unless you have a confirmed reservation paper in your hands, I would check into something else. I know Scott would just not get back in touch with us unless something horrible has happened, he's really not that type of person, I have worked with him in the past and never ever had a problem. good luck
Posted by: DYoung | March 26, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Paid for Disney vacation on Dec. 30, 2010 was going to go sometime in Nov. 2011 to take my little 3 year old Granddaughter. I am so sad as it was to be her FIRST Disney trip! I do not have the funds to pay AGAIN to take her! VERY SAD!! WHERE is Scott?? PLEASE if ANYONE has info please post! SO SAD!
Posted by: Teresa | March 28, 2011 at 07:53 PM
Teresa: can't you file a claim to get your money back?
Posted by: DYoung | April 02, 2011 at 01:57 PM
His cell phone is not disconnected yet. The voicemail is full. Send a text and maybe if he gets enough he'll come out of hiding......could he be in jail?
text 1.718.925.5238
Posted by: No more Disney Timeshares for us | April 04, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Hes not in jail. I researched the criminal and civil dockets in the county in which he lives and nothing has come up. I also researched public documents - he owns timeshares/rents points at a lot of different disney resorts. It sounds like we are dealing with a pretty reputable individual here. If he is missing, I am willing to bet something is definately wrong.
Posted by: Concerned Individual | April 05, 2011 at 12:59 PM